Just checking in, how’s it going?
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Hi @Alex_S, thanks for your message. I will be uploading another video to my channel soon. In the meantime I’ve made some updates to the design:
New power button on the back.
Improvements to the assembly.
Integrated heatshield between the mainboard and battery to prevent heat from the mainboard reaching the battery.
Improved overall thermal design.
In addition to that more time has been spent testing the design - especially for heat flow/temperatures during extended gaming sessions. More updates to be shown in the video - thanks!
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That’s so cool to hear! I’m looking forward to the video, thanks!
@pitstop_tech Hey, do you think you could get a wired JoyCon connection so that the controls would work in Airplane Mode as well? I found a reliable AliExpress listing that theoretically should form a wired connection between the JoyCons and the tablet so long as you make a connector for the ribbon cables to slide into. Here it is: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003904806743.html
This is a great project, and I hate to be critical, but I do have a concern.
Is this using a normal Framework laptop battery?
Elevated Systems had a look at this, and in their video they mention that it is not a good idea to stack the framework mainboard and battery on top of each other - as the cpu/gpu would heat the battery, and heating a battery is not good.
Is that something you took into account?
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Hi,
yes this was something I took into account from the start when designing this. To prevent this becoming an issue, the mainboard is raised to allow airflow below it. There’s also a layer separating them with a high performance heatshield between the mainboard and battery to prevent heat transfer. More updates to come in the next video.
Thanks!
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Fantastic! That’s great to hear, thanks!
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Not answering your question could be for many reasons. Assuming that it is for negative reasons isn’t very encouraging. We don’t need to pester folks publicly for answers.
It is not my project, but one reason I could see for not doing something like you are suggesting is that it adds extra complexity to the project that they aren’t willing to add. Physical connectors wear and are prone to wear and tear. These are just a couple of possible reasons.
However, lets not assume ill will here, and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
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I know you’re not looking for a specific solution here, but if you live in an area with larger institutions. Colleges, government offices, hospitals, etc… Give their IT department a call, they typically have a large surplus of old systems, monitors, peripherals that they usually are cool with parting from for a sizeable discount.
They won’t be whizzbang 4k OLED 165hz panels, the bulk will be older 720-> 1080p 60-75hz screens, but for most use cases these are great at like $15/each.
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watching the video, it’s clear this handheld doesn’t have the horizontal dimensions of a laptop, but i wonder what can be achieved with 2 things, 1) a gaming chassis shaped more or less like the FW Laptop itself and 2) an expansion card that turns a usb c into a pogo pin connector (i do not remember how many pins are needed to allow data transmission but i know that pogo pins can do that besides power delivery)… wouldn’t that theoretically allow it to use NSwitch like controllers instead of bluetooth ones? i was wondering it mainly for the purpose of trying to build on the expansion card system instead of creating a different configuration manually (would allow even those not kin to dabble in the electronics of a pc to do this same thing at home)
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Hi, I just posted an update video with some big changes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8O9R7NM5sE
thank you & hope you like the improvements!
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@pitstop_tech loving the update, really looking forward to your longer video. I want to know more (everything!) about your heat shielding solution for the battery, what layout + direction you chose for the battery and whether you had to extend the battery wires.
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Hi Pitstop_tech! Incredible work with that custom assembly! As a framework touchscreen enthusiast, I have to ask - How did you plug the screen and touch screen to it? Is it USB-C or is it the internal eDP/40pin connector?
Its a reflective heatshield at the moment with lots of airflow and prevents heat getting to the battery past the divider that is between the components.
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Thank you - I very much appreciate the support. As far as I’m aware, there are no viable solutions using the internal eDP/40pin connector.
Would there be any possibility to have wired controllers to connect to the sides rather than rely on Bluetooth connections? @pitstop_tech
Potentially possible, but it would use up another usb c port. Thanks.
hi, framework should make this handheld available for everyone, using the same element for the laptop.
These designs have the issue of overheating the battery and may not be viable for consumer use.