Idea: Peripheral Mode

Creators & Developers
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Hi,

I was thinking about something another (fruity) brand has been doing (partly) for a long time over Firewire.

Would it not be great if the main board could boot into a Peripheral Mode.

Where we could select devices from the machine to be made available over USB-C in the BIOS.

So we could attach a laptop to another host/desktop to provide:

  • an extra screen
  • an extra keyboard / track-pad
  • a WiFi/network NIC
  • an external drive
  • a camera
  • a sound device (w/ speakers and mic)
  • a powered USB hub.
  • a backup power supply (PD out, from the battery)

Would this be hard to implement? as most devices are already on the USB.

I can think of loads of use-cases were a 2nd well encased laptop in my bag would beat a bag filled with loose devices, both in weight and space.

Also looking at the future it would probably keep the device useful even when it does not get upgraded to keep up with current latest and greatest state of hardware.

Personally, this would probably make me buy a second (entry level) framework laptop, alongside my main beefed up driver.

Aiko

3 Likes
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You want to research “USB Gadget” mode in Linux, managed by ConfigFS. An ideal place to start might be a linux bootable usb drive that sets it up for you. I couldn’t find one after a cursory search though.

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I found this regarding video How Do I Use a Laptop as a Monitor? - AEANET

It mentions the device should allow for video input and not just output.

I have not found any software that can reverse the usb-c controller into slave mode.