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Theoretical approach to an extended battery

A project log for WorkBook (Framework 16 w/ ThinkPad style Keyboard)

Re-implementng the ThinkPad keyboard with mechanical switches and TrackPoint in the FW16 Laptop (Work-In-Progress)

peter-macPeter Mac 11/10/2023 at 22:472 Comments

I have been spoiled for choice when it comes to batteries on older ThinkPads. At present, Framework laptops have only one internal battery that is rumored to be middling in terms of capacity relative to power consumption and not swappable without tools.

Assuming no other third parties release a battery pack for the Framework 16 expansion bay in the next 5 years and the expansion bay power delivery system supports charging input, I may consider building my own based on the guide: https://www.instructables.com/Battery-Powered-Raspberry-Pi-in-Repurposed-Laptop/

Mostly just a note to myself so I don't just forget about the work of a very dedicated Raspberry Pi owner to make SMBus charging work for him. I say this because I had long thought that making my own battery pack that reports battery percentage to the OS would be unrealistic.

Discussions

kelvinA wrote 12/14/2023 at 20:44 point

If you're not already considering it, can I suggest dual batteries? Benefits include:

1) Being able to hot-swap a flat battery without having to power down the system.

2) Being able to have a laptop that exceeds the 100Wh limitation that laptops follow due to air-travel regulations. One of the batteries can be removed and placed in carry-on, if I understand the regulations correctly. 

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Peter Mac wrote 12/27/2023 at 15:23 point

I like that idea. The expansion port looks like it would require a shutdown to access but we could have an expansion module with a separate battery connector on the other end. That would handle all the work of hot-swapping, handling packs with an arbitrary number of cells, etc. while the Framework OEM battery stays where it is.

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