I’m not sure how hard it would be to do something like this, but a type of “true” legacy interface dock/cards. (like with full driverless operation and BIOS support)
I was thinking of something that used the LPC bus, just like actual legacy ports do via superIO. Maybe a way to switch one of the usbC ports to route LPC, then have a dock with a superIO chip that would contain serial, parallel, floppy, ps/2, ect.
This would be really helpful for devices like old machinery, zip drives, 5.25 floppies, and custom parallel devices that simply cannot work with anything but a true legacy port.
I know basically nothing about board or BIOS design, so IDK how difficult something like this would be to implement on the board, and in the BIOS.
Easy 3-step DIY solution. Get yourself a job in nuclear engineering, run your boot drive off one of the expansion card SSD’s, and click on every phishing email you get. Within a year I guarantee you’ll get your request fulfilled
So I’ve been tinkering with designs and ideas and started down the road of an Audio DAC. But parts shortages keep destroying my ideas. I can get evaluation boards to help me design stuff but part availability for most thing are either no dates or mid 2022. Anyone else finding part shortages killing their plans?
As an IT professional, gigabit ethernet, DB9 port, VGA port, and SIM card reader as expansion cards would have me absolutely sold on these Framework laptops.
I’m in the market for a new small laptop.
Love the idea of the Framework. And will be looking closer when you start shipping internationally.
Full size SD card reader is a MUST for me. Because that’s what my camera uses and I don’t want to use mico SD and an adapter that can be lost easily.
Don’t care if the card stick out, I just want something onboard that’s faster than the cable and don’t want to have a dongle to loose.
There is a picture in the snack drawer thread showing a full size sd card on top of an expansion card. It’s a tight fit.
Someone with more design savvy than I would have to get very creative.
Plus, I now have two cameras with XQD and CFExpress type B cards. Those will still use an external reader, due to size.
If you guys did a full-size gigabit Ethernet port, I’d start switching all our company laptops to these, immediately. Super intrigued by the concept and the price is excellent, but wired Ethernet is a Must, even if it sticks out or requires it to go beyond the rectangle port specifications (looks like the bottom of the laptop is raised, so maybe it can go “lower”? Hate the foldable ports, but even those might be sufficient.
For the ethernet poking out, what if they had a button to press to “push out” the jack and open the wings/clips. When the button is depressed, or cable removed, the port would recess back into the slot. Imagine the alien movies.
Without Ethernet, I cannot buy this laptop, even though I really want to.
I’m totally with David, I would also start switching all company laptops over to Framework immediately if it had full-size Ethernet. I also hate foldable ports, but I have used them when I had to.
I can see a full-size Ethernet port being released alongside a full-size SD card reader if they really are being made thicker than a standard expansion card! I’m just itching to see the Marketplace launch at this point
I also at some point MUST have an Ethernet port. But I am quite content to have a Cat6 flexible cable of at least 6’ coming OUT of a Module that adapts USB-C to Ethernet… right into the cable.
The major setback seems to be the size of the connector, so just drop it totally.
