I think it’d be super cool to have a second display that is the same as the primary one (always a little bothered when my monitors don’t match), so I’ve been thinking about this today. In theory if you take
couldn’t you (through a cable or direct soldering) connect together the two display ports? That way you can package it all up into a compact external monitor? Also using the USB C power pins couldn’t you possibly get power delivery from the laptop>display or from the charger>dock>laptop+display?
I’m don’t know too much about this subject matter understand if I’m misunderstanding something or just entirely wrong. Just brainstorming.
And one last question, does anyone know how (or where I can learn) to test the controller so that I don’t fry a $180 if I try going down this path? I’m assuming you could use a multimeter and see what kind of power output you’re getting and make sure that’s not outside the LCDs specs.
(Framework won’t let me put more than two links in a post cause I’m a new user, so I’m continuing from above)
Plus using these:
You could make it match the laptop pretty well (you’d need to come up with a stand that houses the controller). Though the cost would be $140+ more to do that.
In theory, yes, though I couldn’t find any real documentation around this board to know what that connector interfaces to. It is probably just passing through the pins on the eDP connector that are most commonly used for i2c touchscreens.
Also, in theory, with the right cable, you could use this board to connect a DisplayPort monitor to the eDP output on the Framework Laptop Mainboard.
Can someone please create a mod kit that could act as a base / stand and board enclosure if someone were to buy the Framework top cover and bezel and hinges?
e.g.
Base / stand + board enclosure + panel + top cover + bezel + hinges (included in the top cover kit) = portable display.
On a second thought, it may not make financial sense if you add up the cost of all the parts.
The display panel + top cover alone would cost $360 CAD…at that point, you’re already into off-the-shelf portable monitor territory.
There is no off-the-shelf portable monitor on the market with the same size and resolution. Most are 1080p, and the few 4k ones I’ve seen are hit-or-miss.
If the top cover could be offered without the electronics, it would be a bit cheaper, I expect.
Depends on the workflow, another 3:2 may not be needed. Plus, 16:10 is fairly close, if needed. And some are touch enabled, some with built in batteries.
Thank you so much for responding and for all the other people who have helped bring ideas to this thread. This is all great news. The idea of this came from a video by DIY perks where he made a dual monitor laptop setup → YouTube. I recommend watching it as it has a really nice idea and I am planning to do something like this with the usb c method that was mentioned. And also I do agree that it would be nice to have a back cover for this that doesn’t include the camera modules and other things making it cheaper but I would understand economically why that won’t be feasible.
Just received this board, but didn’t read the thread carefully enough. It does not come with an eDP cable, and as mentioned above the framework eDP cable is custom and does not fit the standard connector on the board. I’ve ordered this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VMRG7XQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01 and will report back on how it works.
Also note that neither the screen nor the top cover come with the screws required to attach the screen to the top cover. The larger hinge screws are the correct pitch and dimensions; if your build requires the hinges, you can pull one large screw from each hinge and leave the other two screws in place.
Honestly loving the amount of thought going into this! When Framework initially launched and broadcasted their idea, the first thing I thought of was using primary component parts to make accessories similar to being talked about here. Would love to be able to run the same display as a 2nd monitor for my laptop!
Okay, further report: That Amazon cable works, technically. It’s far too long, it’s a flat ribbon, and neither side has any strain relief so the whole assembly is pretty flimsy and fragile. I used some kapton tape to mask off the exposed pads on the underside of the driver board and attach it to the outside of the lid, and a USB-C extension cable to connect it to the laptop. I’m waiting on a shorter round cable from E-bay (a Thinkpad T480S cable which looks like it’s eDP 40-pin on both sides, with the retaining clip on both sides) and then I’m going to see how much of the lid/bezel I have to dremel away to get the driver board mounted inside.
There are bright/dim buttons on the driver board that work well. I currently have my laptop closed and driving both the driver board directly and a 32" 4k monitor through a Lenovo Thunderbolt dock.
I’d attach pictures, but honestly there’s not much to see other than a patchwork of kapton strips holding the ribbon cable to the back of the lid. The monitor looks and runs exactly like one would expect.
