Hello,
I have been thinking of a Magsafe3 (or other) expansion card so that my MacbookPro charger could charge my Framework laptop.
Im going through the designing process and doing a little survey if there are other interested before making tooling for a proper female connector.
I have seen @Sean_N project have had a lot of interest…
So why not a Magsafe3.
Of course it will be OpenSource
Please let me know!
I remember reading that the technology is patented, which would prevent Framework from selling anything “too similar”. If you start distributing, you could face legal action too.
If you don’t like this: write to your representative, vote, run for elected office, overthrow the ruling class, etc.
Even if the tech is patented, could I still make my own and share the process without getting sued?
It would be pretty easy to make a magsafe 3 receptacle, but I don’t know what else you need with it. The two outer pins are ground, the next two inward are +V, but that middle one does some talking, I think.
You could also buy a used magsafe 3 port on eBay for $20-$30 and it might work perfectly. I’ve been throwing these ideas around in my mind for a while.
That can’t be real. In that same logic you could get sued for reselling your apple product. Wouldn’t people that sell stuff like shadow boxes of electronics or resellers for components on eBay get sued for distributing? I hope that’s not the case.
Regardless, I think a magnetic expansion card would be sweet. I already have one I 3d printed, but if framework ever made one that doesn’t look nearly as janky as mine, I would be super interested.
Honestly that’s probably in Apple’s EULA; have you checked?
Well, here’s the statute.
So theoretically Apple could indeed spend upwards of a few hundred grand in legal fees seeking a reasonable royalty for your free or low cost small batch production’s use of their patented invention.
Realistically, why would they do that? Patents are about making money in my opinion. A massive number of people assert patents against Apple compared to when Apple rarely, if ever, asserts its patents. This is because if Apple’s found to infringe, the damages are probably huge.
i know i’m a bit late to the thread, but this is a topic i’ve dealt with (and been frustrated by) for a while.
Even if the tech is patented, could I still make my own and share the process without getting sued?
not entirely safely, if you’re replicating any of the components apple makes that’s covered by the patent. if all you’ve done is figure out how to do it and publish tech specs, the odds are low of apple harassing you, but not zero. you have to evaluate that yourself (but i’d be willing to bet any lawyer knowledgable in the field would tell you not to).
You could also buy a used magsafe 3 port on eBay for $20-$30 and it might work perfectly. I’ve been throwing these ideas around in my mind for a while.
this you can do, and publish documents for. (see below)
That can’t be real. In that same logic you could get sued for reselling your apple product. Wouldn’t people that sell stuff like shadow boxes of electronics or resellers for components on eBay get sued for distributing? I hope that’s not the case.
apple HAS been known to go after people replicating the patented components of peripherals, sometimes even small companies or individuals. the products you can find on the market are generally made by buying actual-apple-originated peripherals, salvaging the components, and reusing them in a new product.
basically, as long as the patent holder (apple in this case) actually made and sold it, then you can resell it (even integrated as part of another product) provided you don’t infringe on another patent in the process. the offending process is making your own version of a patented technology
Yes, I’d love having that! Especially since Apple sells USB-C cables, (I assume) I can use any charger with it.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, this is not a legal advice.
Looking at the patent, it seems to concern only the physical coupling of electrical contacts, with a few specifics. So manufacturing a compatible port would infringe the patent, but just buying one made by Apple and incorporating it - probably okay.
The old case where Apple went after Sanho for making MagSafe cables out of actual Apple chargers was settled, so no ruling was made and we don’t know what Apple had on them. (e.g., I’ve seen speculation that they were actually making connectors and lied about harvesting them from chargers)
In case of MagSafe expansion card, Apple might have less interest in going after anyone making them, since it actually would make them more money (in cable sales).
As for the rest of the required bits that would sit between the MagSafe port and USB-C - I didn’t find any patents for that. But in case of the previous two implementations, there seems to be only a very basic negotiation protocol and a separate controller for lighting the LEDs in the plug: Teardown and exploration of Apple's Magsafe connector. I guess at that point their concern was fake chargers, and not someone using the original ones for something else 
I’m ordering parts to tinker with this myself (including MagSafe 3 sockets from aliexpress). But I’ve no idea yet how to go about USB-PD side.