@iFreilicht had a pretty thorough response for the question of connecting to the laptop up as an interface device (for lack of a better term) for other host devices in this thread: Lapdock (for a mobile desktop experience and more!)
Random dumb idea: A pen. Just something you can pop out whenever you need to take a note / sign something.
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+1 for an embedded Software Defined Radio with an SMA antenna jack.
And gigabit Ethernet, of course.
A microcontroller with DuPont compatible pins is also a great idea. I donāt use microcontrollers often, but when I have an active project itād be nice to have that built in.
Oh, and a second wifi card with good driver support for pen testing.
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It might be cool to see some sort of tracking device, like a Tile or preferably something open-source. Just a little module you can ping in the unlikely event you lose your precious Framework.
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Here is someone I found on the YouTubeās building expansion cards.
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Another dumb idea: Bluetooth headsets are getting pretty small. Maybe with a telescoping mechanism, one can fit into a module?
You know what Iād like??? A card with 2 USB-C ports per cardā¦
Like, seriously, it looks like it can fit 2ā¦ so it feels like a waste to only have oneā¦
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I wouldnāt just like dual USB C ports, but also dual USB A ports, One USB C and One USB A, One USB A and one Micro SD, One USB C and MicroSD, things like that. I wouldnāt mind being constrained to USB 3 speeds in each port, especially in the ones without USB C. Iām not sure Two USB As would fit in one module, nor one USB A and MicroSD, but Iām pretty sure one USB C and one USB A would physically fit just fine, at least port wise. Iād use a one C + one A module for charging and normal USB drives, a one usb C port module for more speed intensive tasks. Really just this one type of module (1A and 1C) would really help a lot. Same for a 1 C and 1 MicroSD module, which should also physically fit, port wise.
Another idea would be a flash storage module with a USB A, C, or Micro SD port. Sure, it would have to be smaller and slower than a proper SSD to coexist with the port on the side, but I think for things like data backup it would be useful. At that point, it may be more practical just to use a microSD card somewhere, but you would at least have more physical room for flash storage than microSD allows, Iād think.
Another idea I had was a USB A module with a microSD card slot on the SIDE, so while you wouldnāt be able to access it without pulling the module out, youād still have relatively easy access to cheap expandable storage, while still having an extra USB A port.
Everyone needs to understand that itās hard to have a type c and micro SD, it just doesnāt work electrically. Micro SD requires data + and - aswell as type c meaning that I need a switch/hub IC, USB to micro SD and all of the PD and DP protocol and chips, also most type c hub ICās are out of stock. Two type A ports do not fit, neither one type c and one type a. ITS CHALLENGING TO FIT A 5 PIN HEADER ON A EXPANSION CARD. Iām not annoyed at framework, Iām annoyed at people who do not take circuitry and dimensions into account. Iād suggest people be a little more patient and let people like me to develop cards.
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Some ideas:
miniPCIe (I could use this so I could plug this thing in: XTRX | Crowd Supply)
SD Express card reader
SIM card reader (to allow for cell data)
accelerometer/gyroscope
GPS
Rumble (for use with video game emulators or somesuch)
DAC with TRS input and output, possibly fullsize 1/4" jacks if they fit, for use with mic/guitar on the go
FPGA co-processor
tiny stowable travel mouse
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Since from my perspective most of the time the number of ports is an issue and not the actual speed i think will be nice if there are available combo expansion cards that share the same bandwidth (ex: 2x USB-C, 1xUSB-C + micro sd, mini HDMI + USB-C). At least for the USB-C and microSD as the connectors are not that big and having only 1 on the expansion card is a waste of valuable space.
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File this into yet another āPeople think electronics are magicā category. Too often in my own field (mechanics) I see people who have underdeveloped fundamental understanding of both electronics and software demanding the impossible of my colleagues. Alternatively, others attributing faults to purely mechanical reasons because they parrot incomprehensible things like āThe software is a PID loop, it canāt be the causeā (What??? AAAAAAHHHHH!)
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With the talk of complexity of two-port solutions I almost donāt want to ask, but would it be easier to split one type-c/USB4 into a mini DisplayPort and a USB A? this might be more software oriented with how the USB4 specifications deals with such things, but it would essentially guarantee that laptop power delivery wouldnāt be considered at all like the dual port combinations above (which would simplify a few things right?)
While you canāt fit 50 lbs into a 10lb sackā¦ Which is what some are asking for - I think it helps Framework to know what people are interested inā¦ For the future.
Who knows, maybe the next version (15" etc) might have a mix of the current module size and new bigger ones as well.
On my end I am happy with the current modules. I swap them out as needed in the field. When at my desk I plug in one USB-C hub and Iām done.
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I find myself behind a lot of server racks and being able to charge the laptop over POE++ would be incredibly useful. Here are some other ports that Iām sure have been mentioned.
- RJ-45 (Ethernet) with POE charging
- 4G network card (with sim card slot)
- Programmable GPIO card (female)
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A serial interface. Too many devices in the IT world still need serial for programing or console cables etcā¦
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Got you covered (still under testing) It is designed for networking console use but can easily made for serial. USB-C to DB9/RS-232 - #21 by mzlink
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Also I am working on miniDP on its own.
If youāre going to offer an Ethernet adaptor, it should be 2.5 Gbps minimum. A 1 Gbps Ethernet is very quickly on the way out. Otherwise, Iād just pick up a Plugable 2.5 Gbps USB adaptor.
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