DockFrame | Crowd Supply
HW Media Lab
Test Equipment
Microcontroller Boards
DockFrame
A modular USB hub compatible with Framework Expansion Cards, with optional multimeter, power supply, and breadboard
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DockFrame is a modular USB Type-C hub built around the Framework Expansion Card slot standard. It gives the cards you already own a home on your desk, and adds what no other dock can: Tool Cards that turn the slots into bench instruments, all within reach of one cable. It works with any Framework laptop or desktop, or any USB Type-C host.
Slot in the Multimeter Card and the hub reads volts, amps, and ohms, isolated from your laptop. Slot in the Power Supply Card and you get a programmable bench supply that runs off USB PD. Slot in the BreadBoard Card and you always have a dev board on hand. And the card most of you asked for, the Mini Hub Card, adds four more high-speed ports of its own.
A Dock and a Bench, in One<br>Keep it on the desk as your everyday dock, and reach for the same unit when a project needs measuring or powering. Your spare Framework cards come back into use, and tools stop going missing. It handles everyday docking, bench bring-up, lab work, and field repairs.
The open slot standard makes DockFrame extendable. Tool Cards talk to our custom web apps, with nothing to install, live charts, and CSV export. Design your own card, or build a host app over USB serial, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ESP-NOW, and the other protocols the onboard MCUs support. We are keeping it open source so a community can improve and expand it.
Features & Specifications<br>DockFrame Hub
USB 3.2 hub with USB Type-C DisplayPort and PD passthrough up to 100 W on the downstream ports
Injection-molded translucent case with Framework Desktop tiles and a LEGO-compatible stud grid for stacking
Cards
Mini Hub Card
Four downstream USB 3.0 ports, 5 Gbps SuperSpeed each
90 Ω impedance-controlled routing on a custom 4-layer board
Multimeter Card
DC voltage to 60 V (±0.5%) and current to 3.2 A (±1%), plus resistance, capacitance, and inductance
5 kV isolation between USB and the measurement circuit; 4 mm banana jacks
ESP32-S3 with Wi-Fi and BLE
Power Supply Card
Programmable buck-boost output, 0.8 to 22 V up to 8 A, set over I²C
USB PD input up to 100 W, with input and output current sensing
ESP32-S3 with Wi-Fi and BLE; binding-post output
BreadBoard Card
USB Type-C carrier for the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C5; takes the full XIAO series and any form-factor-compatible board
Built-in USB Type-C plug plus pass-through, with 8 rows of 0.1 in headers for breadboard insertion
Regulated 3.3 V rail with load switches, resettable fuse, and ESD protection
Each card is 60 x 30 mm (2.36 x 1.18 in), with height around 7 mm (0.28 in) depending on the card.
Open Source
We strongly believe in the right to repair, which is why DockFrame is modular, fixable, and built to last. It is developed in the open, but the design files are not public yet. Once the campaign ends, we open everything: PCB schematics and layouts, the firmware on each MCU, the browser apps, and the FreeCAD case files with STEP and STL exports, so you can print your own enclosure. The hardware will be licensed under CERN-OHL-S, the product certified through the Open Source Hardware Association, and the firmware released under the MIT license. The full release publishes on our GitHub page when the campaign ends.
Interested in This Project?<br>You can sign up at the top of this page to be notified when the campaign launches and to receive other updates. We only send out useful information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
About the Team
HW Media Lab
Sheridan, Wyoming
·
hwlab.io
·
webscreen.cc
·
hwmedialabllc
·
HWMediaLab
·
HW-Lab-Hardware-Design-Agency
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discord.gg/vKT5b3skjF
·
hw.lab.llc
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hwlablcc
We are a hardware development agency specializing in transforming ideas into innovative products. From initial design to final manufacturing, we offer end-to-end development solutions tailored to each project's unique needs.
Eleo Basili
eleonel
eleo-basili
git.drupalcode.org/users/eleonel
EleoBasili
Pedro Martin
Pedro533
linkedin.com/in/pedro-manuel-mart%C3%ADn-675ab961
hackaday.io/peter.elect
EEMartinPedro
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