I’ve toyed around with the idea of a Framework mainboard handheld for about a year, but on and off in design and planning it. I have a 3D printable design still a work in progress, but I’ve done tests with a few parts already.
What I have used is the 1135G7 mainboard, battery and a 7" 1200p screen from AliExpress. Use a HDMI expansion card to connect on one of the right side ports, with a slim FPC cable for HDMI connecting the display. This brings the total combined width to ~285mm. The biggest problem with the mainboard is its width- it is both too wide to have any room for a custom battery without making it ridiculously long, or thick (like a power wart sticking out from the bottom). I would like to keep it under 300mm long if possible, as close as possible to the size of the Steam Deck.
So, I just made it easier for myself and use the Framework laptop battery. It is very slim, and I have managed to flip it over and lie on top of the mainboard, for a profile under 15mm in thickness. Concerns about heat start to come up with the board and battery touching each other, especially since it covers the fan from one side. From my tests, the CPU and iGPU do pretty well and never went over 70C on loads. However, you do have to be mindful about not setting it flat against your table/desk because that will completely obscure the fan (it will throttle to 200Mhz when it overheats).
Additionally I have used a Teensy LC for a USB input device as the controller (haven’t added the thumbsticks yet). The Teensy and display are both powered using a second USB-C port.
Probably won’t go all in on trying the 3D printed design first, may just start a proof of concept with the parts sandwiched between two MDF panels.
Have you guys given though about not using a usb for the display and instead connecting it directly to the eDP port? The eDP port has touchscreen capabilities, the issue would be getting a cable that connects the pins right.
There are other posts in this forum speculating how to go about it, so there is more people interested.
I personally want a framework 2 in 1 tablet, so touchscreen is a must and size is also important.
+1 for a framedeck SBC. Size approximating the lattepanda with top amd APU’s. Have partners work with you on cooling and have design files for makers to create their own cases / thermal / power management.
This kind of project seems very fun, and solve many issues that say the ROG ALLY have or even foreign brand like GPD, which designs are nice but i trust less in term of support.
A couple of usability issue come to mind adapting the framework as a handheld :
The cooling system might be too weak/noisy for sustained period of time, unless capping the system at 15w all the time.
Battery, seems harsh, as the board is already pretty wide, some sacrifice would be required ?
Ports, i only need 2 usb c port on my handheld, one for charging and the other if say video output is necessary. Need to relocate the ports with full speed support (usb4/thunderbolt) for practival reasons. Adding in a secondary ssd slot might be doable on one of the internal usb c ?
It really seems a doable project, the external case could be printed in 2 layers (one structural and a nicer polished one)
First issue is finding a display then ? The ideal thing would be to end up with a kit on the future marketplacy (probably around 250/300 dollars to stay reasonable with pricing, perhaps with a basic and premium tier idk)
I would rather keep the fingerprint reader if possible, it’s just so practical, but i get the point there will be space even from the internal usb c port
I’ve been pondering about the display, seems pretty hard to source the steam deck / rog ally / aya neo 2 panel
The lenovo legion y700 panel might be perfect (1600p, 120hz) but i can’t find it as a stand alone. Seems to be a 40pin connector (or 30). I’ll leave a couple of links of what i found
I am also looking at finding one of those thick battery pack from aya neo or gpd as it could be pretty nice (the framework battery might be too long to make a usable for factor)
Edit : seems to be ok, however it has to be stacked so it making a thick boy
Edit 2 : a very quick mockup say that yes, it’s completely possible to compete against the steam deck in term of the/ thickness, depending on other factors of course (done quickly in sketchup so not the most accurate, the rectangle sticking out is to represent the max thickness of the MB+fan)
Stacking the battery on top won’t make it as thick as you might think. The mainboard is pretty slim even compared to some other laptop boards I’ve seen, and battery is no thicker than 6mm/quarter inch, so combined it should be no more than 15mm thick. Then add extra for the display, controller PCB and associated parts.
I can confirm this with proof of concept I’ve been using with a battery powered system that takes up a footprint inside the Steam Deck’s. I’ll probably post my own thread about it as I begin to build my own case.
Also, you can go with the bare panels that have a HDMI controller included. This means you’d need to take up one of the USB ports for an HDMI expansion card but it works pretty well. Here’s such a display kit that should work:
Very nice displya indeed, kinda worried about fitting the display driver board however (idk anything about pcb and stuff, perhaps a third party can be used ?)
Also unrelated question, are you the same CCricer than on the SSFnetwork forum ? (if so then i am very interested in your current framework handheld concept )
I am also wondering if the framework team could come help streamline the entire project at the end, apparently the phawx has talked with them about making an handheld
Quick fitting make it doable, we just need a display that is just directly plugged into the Framework mobo edp pins, and 2 custom (perhaps 3 with a micro controller) for the inputs)
@Spycke yeah, that’s me from SFF Network forums. I had put my project on hold for a while, but this thread helped flare up my interest again and I will make my own build log thread here once I have something more tangible and concrete. The EDP approach is possible, because the battery won’t cover up the port. But I’m sticking to what works more easily for me which is the HDMI cable with expansion card.
All I have right now is a loose stack of computer parts with a USB hub. No case or any frame built to hold the stuff together, just a proof of concept that you can fit necessary parts in handheld form factor.
If the Phawx can influence the FW team to make their own handheld that would be awesome as well! He has just about every major handheld PC, even a prototype of the cancelled Smach Z lol
Yeah hopefully the framework team can have a bit of ressources on such a project, fitting works, they could probably get a nicer display than us , and make daughter boards for the controls. THat would be the ultimate form of an handheld for me : dockable, upgradable with great warranty support
Let’s see if we can sudo make one to appeal to them or a third party ? (in fusion it should be enough, as a proof of concept)
I hope this kind of device is what Framework is looking towards releasing next, after the FW16.
You add to that the possibility of adding a keyboard and pad to create a 2 in 1 tablet/small laptop and you have a very versatile device that can appeal to different kind of people.
You want a reparable upgradable handheld, that is it. You don’t game or are not interested in handhelds, but want a x86 tablet, that is it. You want a small ultra portable laptop or 2 in 1, that is it.
Plus it opens up Framework to the controllers market, which is yearning for an easy to repair option. Most people will not know, but most controllers are discarded because one of the joysticks and, less often, one of the buttons starts to slightly malfunction, but the rest of the controller is fine. Having the option to easily substitute the malfunctioning part, would have a great appeal to gamers.
I find the ideal screen size to be 7" to 8" though that would add a lot of bezel to the left and right. It’s all due to the dimensions of the mainboard. It’s not a square-ish “half-size” form factor like many of the handheld PCBs are. Which is also why the FW battery in the tablet needs to be stacked on top in order for it to fit in the case.
I have found this modular gaming handheld that uses a Framework board, and it looks promising. But it does illustrate what I was trying to point out with having bigger bezels on the left and right.
You’d have to use a screen much larger than 7" to take up the extra room. Although that’s also a matter of taste.
If you want the controller right over the bezel area, that is possible. Then you just have to make the design choice that they’ll not be detachable because they have to be on the same area as the sides of the mainboard.
