Framework 16 as portable broadcast rig

Framework Laptop 16
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Now that there is the M.2 adapter, I’m thinking about setting up a FW 16 as a portable self-contained broadcast rig. Here’s my thoughts:

  • RGB Macro pad for OBS controls
  • Blackmagic Decklink SDI Micro for connecting up to 3 SDI cameras.
    • This would require modifying the expansion shell to accommodate the SDI connectors.
  • A few Ethernet expansion cards for separate NDI and streaming interfaces
  • A few DisplayPort expansion cards for extra screen real estate

Thoughts?

1 Like
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Sounds interesting!
Make sure to check the expansion card slot functionality overview here, because not all slots support all types of expansion cards:

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I was referring to the new Expansion Bay M.2 module that goes where the dGPU can go. It says it’s for additional SSD’s, but I believe it accepts any M.2 M-key cards. Since this SDI input/output card comes with a fan and some BNC pigtails, I might have to carve out some holes in the back of the expansion bay shell. Heck, the fan might not even fit, I might have to use a Graphics card shell and hack the heat sink onto this card… Does anyone know if the M.2 board would fit in the Graphics card expansion bay shell? Based on the pictures, the mounting points look like they line up.

That’s the beauty of Framework, though. If it doesn’t exist, hack something together!

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The empty expansion bay shell (the one that definitely fits the dual m.2 PCB) has a removable back panel, so you can design and 3D-print a panel with mounts for necessary connectors. See the example in another thread. You need to be mindful of the clearance between connectors and the dual m.2 PCB though.

For cooling I’d suggest looking if you could put a slit into the wall of one/both fans so that they expell a bit of air into the expansion bay shell instead of trying to put another fan inside the shell (or dGPU module)

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Would it be a bad I idea to drill out some of the vent holes on the black strip above the input deck as well?

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Interesting idea. Since the holes are in a square grid, the material that would be left might not be sound structurally, but I am not a hardware engineer, so my concern is not well-founded, just what I would think about before doing this procedure.

Edit, ah, you may be meaning drilling out the holes in the middle part of the plastic where there are none originally.

If so, this, IMO, will do nothing for air ingress, but could help with egress/guiding the air from the fan slit through the expansion bay shell and out into the drilled holes. But I’d be the strategic with which holes I drill so that the air doesn’t escape through holes before going over the hot chips on the SDI card.