What new Expansion Card types do you want to see released?

[nrp]

@Josh_Cook

I have been working/attempting Ethernet but it’s painful. The Ethernet port with integrated magnetics takes most of the space up, discrete magnetics may take up less space but the Ethernet ports still tend to be very long.

Welcome to our lives

[ImaxinarDM]

@Josh_Cook

discrete magnetics may take up less space but the Ethernet ports still tend to be very long.

Use discrete directly to a cable with stress relief.

[Josh_Cook]

@nrp I understand how Ethernet is still not out yet, What kind of chips do you use for the display port expansion card as I was thinking about doing a miniDP expansion card and already done a schematic for one but just as a sanity check I wanted to make sure I was not missing anything. @ImaxinarDM Good idea, sort of makes a dongle but better than nothing.

[Keith_J_Brett]

I posted this image in another thread for a different solution.

Instead of trying to cram all the components in a small space, why not engineer the space to be bigger?

There are at least ~4-5mm of leg room if you extend the cards depth.

If engineered properly, the design language and aesthetics will compliment the existing features.

Thoughts?

[Zax]

@Keith_J_Brett

There are at least ~4-5mm of leg room if you extend the cards depth.

Is there? wouldn’t the motherboard be a hard stop regardless?

[Keith_J_Brett]

@Zax

Is there? wouldn’t the motherboard be a hard stop regardless?

For clarity; depth from the bottom of the card slot to the bottom of the rubber feet(nomenclature) not the side to the MB.

With rubber texture:

With aluminum texture:

[Zax]

@Keith_J_Brett

For clarity; depth from the bottom of the card slot to the bottom of the rubber feet(nomenclature) not the side to the MB.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Not sure why I didn’t get that at first!

I mean, you could technically go higher then if you wanted to, assuming both sides had a tall card right?

[Keith_J_Brett]

@Zax

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Not sure why I didn’t get that at first!

I mean, you could technically go higher then if you wanted to, assuming both sides had a tall card right?

=1k words

Yes, you could go higher. You would have make the feet higher so the pressure from the user was distributed across the bottom surface until it was unacceptable structurally and unappealing to the consumer for practical/aesthetics.

Too high and they would look like Kiss’s platform shoes.

[Kyle_Clements]

Would it be possible to add a CFexpress type-B card reader expansion card?

If I could have that, I wouldn’t need any dongles at all!

[Zax]

@Keith_J_Brett

Too high and they would look like Kiss’s platform shoes.

I mean, that sounds like a feature if you ask me!

[nrp]

@Josh_Cook

What kind of chips do you use for the display port expansion card as I was thinking about doing a miniDP expansion card and already done a schematic for one but just as a sanity check I wanted to make sure I was not missing anything

It’s pretty basic. Just a Cypress CYPD3120 and 5V->3.3V regulation. Cypress should have a reference design that would be pretty similar available.

[Josh_Cook]

Very nice, my design is much more complex, if you were to take a look at my github.

GitHub - jyancat/USB-C-to-miniDP

Has the CYPD2119 and CY7C65210 as the CCG2 main controller and USB billboard

[Josh_Cook]

@nrp In a few months when I get these expansion cards made and being sold on the marketplace I wish to put some of the money I get off of selling the cards towards Framework, the company as you guys do not make that big of a margin I would like to pledge at least 10% of my profits as a thank you and a donation.

[Jiri_Jindra]

Maybe some if this is already mentioned/included somewhere, but what about NFC card reader and SIM card slot for 4G or 5G mobile network.

[Gary_Z]

Not sure how feasible it is but: a numpad module. The way I imagine it is it would be the full width of the laptop and plug into both ports on the right side of if. One of the ports would just be a passthrough allowing you to plug in another module while the other would actually power / take input from the numpad. Hell, given how much extra space that would provide, you could probably add more ports or maybe more than one module port so it acts as a splitter?

[Christopher_Doman]

@Gary_Z

Hell, given how much extra space that would provide, you could probably add more ports or maybe more than one module port so it acts as a splitter?

I really like this idea, here’s my input.

1. for the sake of simplicity I would see this as being a module that wouldn’t need the locking mechanism of the “conventional” expansion cards. that way removal would be as simple as pulling it off without having to flip the laptop over.

2. Numpad should be configurable to act as more than a numpad (think macros)

3. maybe expansion slot. otherwise I would be fine with fixed ports like 2 USB A (or 1 USB A and 1 MicroSD) and an HDMI. really lean in to the office dock/productivity idea.

4. EDIT I just had to double check pictures since I don’t have mine yet (Batch 4 cannot come soon enough) but I think this “dock” should be right side only so it wouldn’t cover the only non-changeable port, the headphone jack (sorry crazy left hand numpad people!).

[Gary_Z]

@Christopher_Doman

I really like this idea, here’s my input.

1. for the sake of simplicity I would see this as being a module that wouldn’t need the locking mechanism of the “conventional” expansion cards. that way removal would be as simple as pulling it off without having to flip the laptop over.
2. Numpad should be configurable to act as more than a numpad (think macros)
3. maybe expansion slot. otherwise I would be fine with fixed ports like 2 USB A (or 1 USB A and 1 MicroSD) and an HDMI. really lean in to the office dock/productivity idea.

Ooh to get extra fancy, it can have a screen under transparent buttons… though that would make it too expensive. Maybe just keys you can popoff? So it defaults to a numpad, but you can fully customize what it does, inclduing how it looks? I mean, you can already customize what a numpad does with AutoHotKey so I don’t know if it’s worth it to build in more customization than that.

[Christopher_Doman]

@Gary_Z

it can have a screen under transparent buttons… though that would make it too expensive. Maybe just keys you can popoff?

I have a feeling Corsair (Elgato) wouldn’t like this… they’ve sued BIG names like Valve for copyright infringement (something about the Steam Controller idk).

[Skyline1029]

@nrp

The others likely wouldn’t fit.

Ethernet will work if you go back to a folded RJ45 connector where the latch part is a spring close to hold it, removing the size problem since the importance is the pin connection.
Like below.

[Mike_D]

@nrp Any chance we can get a Intel chipset on that Ethernet port? Irying to avoid a broadcom and really trying to avoid a realtek…

Understand that parts availability, price point, and form factor are all going to play a role.