ExpansionCards VS ExpansionBay

I think the SD module won't be able to have the card flush, as the modules are only and SD cards are 32mm long, and you need some PCB space for the socket cage and the USB-C on the other side. The retrofit PCB outline they provide is only 26.9mm from front edge to back edge, so an SD card will stick out a little bit.

So perhaps they decided to go for the one that lets users have the card flush for use like an expansion bay as well as for data transfer to/from devices.

https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionCards/tree/mai...

There are many laptops and desktops that fit the bill.

Frame.work: https://frame.work/

Dell: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000138246/linux-on-...

System76: https://system76.com/laptops

Kubuntu Focus: https://kfocus.org/land/business

I am sure there are more, this is only what I have found in less than 5 minutes of searching.

I'll buy a frame.work long before I touch system76. Their prices are too high for the general feedback I keep seeing on the quality control. I'm not spending 3k+ to be out a laptop until support responds. Especially, considering they still don't make these in house..

No they didn't, companies just mostly gave up on it.

A Framework Laptop (https://frame.work)

You could get a Framework 13 which comes with your choice of a 7840U or 7640U and a Radeon 780M iGPU. They do officially support Linux, and you don't have to pay for a Windows license, if you go the DIY option and chose to not get a Windows license.

Take a look at the Framework laptops. They're 100% modular so if stuff like that goes bad you can simply order the replacement part and do it yourself. I'm using a desktop right now but Ithink my next laptop is gonna be a framework.

a couple of days ago I tried to order a Framework laptop (13 inch AMD). I chose to create an account during the checkout process and provided my email address. After entering my shipping details, I authorized the transfer of the deposit fee via Giropay. The deposit was deducted from my bank account but when I was sent back to the frame.work website I was greeted by an error message. Unfortunately I could neither complete the checkout process nor continue my account registration.

There is potential for an external battery. It doesn't exist yet, but the connector supports power going from the expansion bay to the laptop[0], so someone could build a battery module or potentially even a hot-swappable adapter to use a removable battery for a more common laptop.

[0] See pins 41-51 on https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/tree/main/...

We've designed the Expansion Bay module system to be able to handle power bi-directionally. One of the main reasons for this was to enable secondary batteries. This specific module isn't something we've shared any plans around, but it's something that either we or a third party would be able to build.

https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay

According to the spec doc on their github, the gpu rail, while on AC, caps out at 10.5A @ 20V (allthoug that is the peak burst cueewnt, max sustained is not mentioned but is likely slightly lower), so we will likely eventually see some higher wattsge GPUs over time, especially give. The headroom between the 175W max burst draws we see from top end laptop chips today and a 210w limit. Thermals will liley be more of a concern than power at that point tho.(https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/blob/main/Electrical/README.md)

I don't think anybody outside Framework knows for sure yet (maybe not even internally) but my impression from what they've shared so far is that the expansion bays are intended to be very easily swappable (external, a click & push kind of thing) but probably not hot-swappable while the machine is powered on.

They do have some initial specs at https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay that somebody more knowledgeable than me might be able to glean some practical info from.

According to the Framework Github (https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/tree/main/Electrical) expansion bay modules (e.g. second battery or GPU) are connected via two 74-pin connectors.

Framework is doing brilliant work. They create reusable computer formats that anyone can hack against. Strongly considering a Framework 13 as my next computer.

- Expansion cards: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionCards

- Expansion bay: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay

I know it's niche but it would be cool if they could attach an expanded battery pack into its expansion module.

Mybad, according to https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/tree/Main/Electrical ,the maximum wattage with the 'high power adapter' is 20v*10.5A which suggests 210w max for the entire device.