MXM GPU + Dell E-Port Expansion Bay Adapter

The MXM GPU + Dell E-Port Expansion Bay Adapter is an open-source community hardware project by WifiCable (GitHub: a-little-wifi) that combines an MXM GPU slot with a Dell E-Port dock connector on a single board designed for the Framework Laptop 16's expansion bay¹. The project was started when the Framework 16 was announced, but the author states it is "very unfinished" and they do not plan to continue development since they did not purchase the laptop¹.

The board's primary purpose is to add Dell E-Port dock support to the Framework 16, with the MXM GPU slot added because the dock requires display outputs¹.

Unfinished / Abandoned

The author states: "This is a very unfinished project that I started when the 16" Framework laptop was announced, but I probably won't be working on it much anymore since I don't plan on actually buying the laptop. I'm putting it here for anyone who might be interested."¹

Design Overview

The board fits in the Framework Laptop 16's GPU expansion bay and integrates two distinct subsystems¹:

Dell E-Port Dock Connector

The Dell E-Port dock uses JAE WD2 series dock connectors. The author manually created the E-port dock connector footprint from the JAE WD2 datasheet¹. Part numbers commonly found in Dell laptop schematics include¹:

• JAE WD2F144WB5R400 (M4800)
• JAE WD2F144WB1R300 (E6440)
• JAE WD2F144WBHR500-DT (E7470)
• JAE WD2F144WD3 (E4300)
• JAE WD2F144WD4 (E4200)
• JAE WD2F144WB3R300 (E4310)
• JAE WD2F144WB7-DT (E7440)
• JAE WD2F144WB1 (E6400)

A Foxconn alternative (FOX_QL01723-D265G1-8H) was used in some of the last Dell models, such as the Precision 7510¹.

RP2040 Dock Interface Handler

An RP2040 microcontroller handles dock port interfaces including¹:

• PS/2 (for keyboard/mouse)
• I2S audio
• Other control signals required for dock functionality

MXM GPU Slot

The MXM portion is based on the author's separate MXM Immobilizer project — a PCIe-to-MXM adapter¹². The MXM Immobilizer exposes the full MXM feature set including 6 DisplayPort outputs, DP++ support, VGA output, dual-channel LVDS, full PCIe x16 link, and up to 190W of power².

Distinction from the Framework 16 to MXM GPU Adapter

This project is distinct from the Framework 16 to MXM GPU Adapter by Joe Shapiro (JJ-Shapiro):

Aspect	MXM GPU + Dell E-Port Adapter	Framework 16 to MXM GPU Adapter
Author	WifiCable (a-little-wifi)1	Joe Shapiro (JJ-Shapiro)3
MXM only	No — also includes Dell E-Port dock1	Yes — MXM only3
Dock support	Dell E-Port (JAE WD2)1	None3
Microcontroller	RP2040 for dock interfaces1	EEPROM for EC identification3
Status	Unfinished / abandoned1	Active development (V0.5 PCBs ordered)3
Basis	Author's MXM Immobilizer project1	Original design3

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Target platform	Framework Laptop 16 expansion bay1
GPU form factor	MXM (based on MXM Immobilizer)12
Dock connector	Dell E-Port (JAE WD2 series)1
Microcontroller	RP2040 (dock interface handling)1
Dock interfaces	PS/2, I2S audio, control signals1
MXM features	6× DisplayPort, DP++, VGA, LVDS, PCIe x16, up to 190W2
GitHub Stars	141
Source	a-little-wifi/frmw-16-MXM-E-port (GitHub)1

Related Projects

• Framework 16 to MXM GPU Adapter — Joe Shapiro's MXM-only adapter for the FW16 expansion bay (distinct from this project)
• OCuLink eGPU Expansion Bay Module — Community OCuLink eGPU adapter for the FW16 expansion bay
• FW16 PCIe x16 Expansion Bay — Raw PCIe x16 slot for the FW16 expansion bay
• MXM Immobilizer — The author's standalone PCIe-to-MXM adapter project (GitHub)²

Footnotes

1. a-little-wifi/frmw-16-MXM-E-port — GitHub (README, connector details, project description) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³

2. a-little-wifi/mxm-immobilizer — GitHub (MXM to PCIe adapter, basis for the MXM portion) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Framework 16 to MXM Gpu - V0.1 Prototype design — Framework Community (Joe_Shapiro, August 2025) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶