Glad it works…for now. Lots of other users who have tried and fried their products. Keep trying sketchy stuff on your $X,XXX device and see what happens.
Framework already has a quick disconnect called a USBC port. Even better, if the expansion card was damaged, it can be replaced. If users are this prone to tripping or having cords ripped out of their devices only plug them in to charge and use the battery that is built into it.
There is another option. Get a very short USB-C extension cable.
When the whole connected cable gets pulled, it will pull out at the extention-to-main-cable connection, since the extension cable will bend bringing its connection straight in-line to be pulled out. This is what I’ve used for many years, works well & no expensive devices damaged or killed by those magnetic plugs.
I don’t think that is really the issue. In normal use, sure, charging the laptop the way it was designed is fine. Most of the time, nothing bad is going to happen. But magnetic charging is not really about everyday normal use. It is about preventing one dumb accident from turning into an expensive repair or replacement.
For example, back in high school I helped run audio and video at my church. We had an HP laptop that cost around $1,500 at the time because it needed to run multiple high-resolution projectors and other equipment. The setup was on a small table with the laptop, soundboard, and everything else. The battery was dying, so the laptop had to be plugged in.
A kid was playing too close, tripped over the charging cable, and ripped the laptop off the table. The screen broke, keys popped off, and the charging jack got damaged. Basically, $1,500 down the drain. We couldn’t replace it right away, so the pastor brought in his Mac as a temporary solution. The same kid later tripped over that charging cable too, but because it was MagSafe, the cable just popped off. Nothing happened. We just plugged it back in and kept going.
And before someone says the setup was bad, yes, it was. But we did not really have another option. The only place we could set up the system was at the back, and the only outlet was a floor outlet in the middle of the walkway. It was a stupid layout, but it was what we had to work with.
That is the value of a magnetic charging connector. It is not for people who are constantly careless with their devices. It is for real-world situations where one unavoidable cable snag can destroy expensive hardware.
Nothing is stopping someone from making or buying the hacky magnetic connectors for charging a Framework (or any other device for that matter)
There were others options at the time but not explored:
Taping the power cord down, putting an extension cord through a flat piece designed to go on the floor in high traffic areas, tying off the cord to a table leg, getting the parent to keep watch over their kid, etc.
Not only did it happen in this instance, the same kid did the same thing but this time with the Pastors Mac! This says that lessons were not learned the first time. There is a reason safety rules apply to businesses differently than a home user.
Yes it is easy to look back in hindsight and point out the flaws, however one of the fundamental reasons it has not been explored is cost to do it right.
People are on both sides of the fence as to why and why not it should be an option. Personally, the risks do not outweigh the benefits when a USBC cable can be ripped free of an expansion card and if it damages the card a new one can be purchased because of the thoughtful design of the Framework.
I think you’re underestimating kids a bit. But like I said, yes, the setup in that example was bad, and I’m sure there are a number of things that could have been done differently.
That said, the setup itself wasn’t really the point of the example. The point was to compare the same kind of situation with and without a MagSafe-style charger, and show how the outcome could play out differently.
And you’re right, nothing is stopping people from using one of the options that already exist. But a lot of this forum has been discussing how those options are generally not considered safe because they lack the proper engineering.
Moving back to the engineering side, there does seem to be a surprising amount of room inside the expansion cards. I wonder if a recessed USB-C option could work, where one of the magnetic USB-C cables available on Amazon could sit flush with the laptop.
But the important part would be designing the expansion card so it includes proper overcurrent protection and filters out the data connections. If designed that way, maybe there would still be some risk of damaging the USB-C port, but that damage would be contained to the expansion card instead of reaching the mainboard. Worst case, you would just need to replace the expansion card.
This might also avoid any legal issues around Apple and MagSafe, since it would not actually be using Apple’s connector or charger design. (I don’t actually know if their trademark on it is still active or not)
Does anyone here know enough about circuit board design or USB-C power delivery to say whether this could be a reasonable compromise?