I haven’t even ordered my uConsole yet, but I’ve been fascinated by it and how various folx expand it.
I realised along with others that most of the GPIO was already allocated, but that FPC/FFC connector provides power, ground and I2C. And there’s also that unallocated USB4 pad.
So what this board does is combine both of those things. It requires an FPC/FFC to plug into the GPIO, and 2 USB data wires soldered between the boards. In return it splits out I2C into 3V Qwiic/JST-SH connector and a solderable header, and a GL850-based 4-port USB2 hub that provides the 4 USB downstream ports as solderable headers.
I literally just did this today and so haven’t had a chance to get any made yet, not to mention I don’t have a uConsole yet to test it. But it’s open source so anyone who wants to try it is welcome to! Again this is UNTESTED and you make it at your own risk!
I’m quite new at this, and so very open to fixing mistakes and doing it better!
That was my plan…
Depending on the size limits… a new Cm4 board with the spare/unused USB connected to a hub on the board.
Reuse your hub design but on the cm4 board and add some unused GPIO pins as well.
Please update and let us know if you do anything with this. I too have the LTE module, and I am curious were I might grab USB easier than trying to microsolder on the edge connector of the expansion board.
I don’t have any immediate plans that requires USB, but I can see the value in adding a USB 2.0 hub in that space next to the batteries under the battery hump on the back plate. I don’t necessarily need to expose ports outside the case, but having options for additional accessories seems interesting.
I don’t know how involved it would be for somebody to make something like this, but if it is possible, it would be awesome to see a flat cable that plugs into that GPIO port at the top which becomes a round and easily routed cable to USB and maybe some GPIO / serial breakouts to a board in the battery hump area. I have no clue what all is available in that GPIO connector though.
If it is doable, and somebody wanted to do it, I would be up to purchase it. It would be a boon to anyone that wanted one to be able to buy something that simply got plugged in and mounted to add these features to their device. I’m working on my own external antenna mod which will be as plug and play as possible requiring only a small hole to be drilled on the back plate, and a marking/locating jig is to be included. Currently going to try to release a LTE only, Wi-Fi only, and combine LTE / Wi-Fi version of it. I’ll come back and edit this with a link once I am far enough along to have my own topic thread with all the details. I suggest if anyone makes something like I am describing above that they do the same.
[EDIT] Some quick searching let me know that when FPC/FFC was mentioned earlier in the thread that stands for Flexible Printed Circuit /Flexible Flat Cable and is referring to that GPIO connector at the top of the main board. (I didn’t know this) Also FPC/FFC to round cables are a thing, and you can even get FPC/FFC to round and then back to another FPC/FFC connector for easier routing around corners from one board to another. For example: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802191017937.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt – So depending on what is available to breakout on the GPIO connector, it feels to me as a non-engineer that my suggestion is at least plausible if someone had the skill and inclination to do it.
