OSHE Framework Desktop Usage Display

The OSHE Framework Desktop Usage Display is a front display panel for the Framework Desktop, developed by the Open Source Hardware Enterprise (OSHE) team at Michigan Technological University¹². The display mounts to the front panel of the Framework Desktop and shows real-time computer statistics such as CPU utilization, providing a simple, cheap, and good-looking proof of concept for a status display¹.

The project was developed alongside OSHE's I2C expansion card and has evolved through two display technologies: an initial I2C LCD and a later SPI OLED with microcontroller-based architecture¹³.

In Development

The project has progressed through multiple iterations. The initial LCD version was feature-complete as of November 2025, and an updated OLED version was nearing completion as of April 2026¹.

Background

The Framework Desktop features a front panel with slots for 21 interchangeable tiles, and its CAD files enable creation of custom front tiles⁴. OSHE saw an opportunity to add a useful status display to the front panel, addressing the limited space available while providing at-a-glance system information¹.

OSHE is a student team at Michigan Technological University that develops open-source hardware projects for the Framework ecosystem. Framework Computer supported their development by providing a Framework 13 mainboard and Cooler Master case for physical and electrical testing²³.

Design Evolution

Version 1: I2C LCD Display (November 2025)

The initial version used an I2C LCD display from Freenove, chosen for its sleek design and ease of use through the I2C protocol¹. A Python script was developed to be easily editable, allowing users to choose which computer statistics to display¹. The display ran on Windows 11 and Linux Mint, and initially used a prototype of OSHE's I2C expansion card to drive the display¹.

Feature	Details
Display	I2C LCD (Freenove)1
Interface	I2C1
Driver	OSHE I2C expansion card prototype1
Software	Python script (easily editable)1
Platforms	Windows 11, Linux Mint1
Stats	CPU utilization and other configurable statistics1

Version 2: SPI OLED Display (March–April 2026)

OSHE later moved to a 128×64 SPI Black/White OLED display, which is significantly thinner than the LCD and enables a better-looking design¹. The architecture shifted from direct I2C to a microcontroller-based approach, allowing more customization and independent sleep detection by checking when the last serial packet was received from the host¹.

Feature	Details
Display	128×64 SPI Black/White OLED1
Interface	SPI (via microcontroller)1
Microcontroller	Pico-based boards (RP2040), supporting Adafruit TinyUSB1
Sleep detection	Checks last received serial packet timestamp1
Burn-in mitigation	Added1
Auto-exec	Works on Linux and Windows (no manual launch needed)1
Sleep screen	DVD-style screensaver animation1

The microcontroller requirements are flexible — any board supporting Adafruit TinyUSB works, though OSHE prefers pico-based boards for their processing power in a small package¹.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Organization	Michigan Technological University — OSHE1
Target	Framework Desktop front panel1
Display (v1)	I2C LCD (Freenove)1
Display (v2)	128×64 SPI OLED (Black/White)1
Microcontroller	RP2040-based (pico boards)1
Software	Python script (editable statistics)1
Platforms	Windows 11, Linux Mint1
License	Open source1
GitHub	OSHE-Github/OSHE-Framework1
Status	OLED version nearing release (April 2026)1

OSHE Projects

OSHE has developed multiple Framework-related projects:

Project	Description
Desktop Usage Display	Front panel status display for the Framework Desktop
I2C/UART Card	Expansion card with I2C and UART interfaces
Mouse Dongle Hiding Card	Recessed USB-A port for hiding wireless dongles
Magnetic Charger Card	MagSafe-style magnetic charging via expansion card

Related Projects

• Framework Desktop (AMD Ryzen AI Max, 2025) — The Framework Desktop computer this display is designed for
• OSHE Mouse Dongle Hiding Card — Another OSHE project for Framework laptops
• Forge Works Precision Tiles — Custom precision-cut tiles for the Framework Desktop

Footnotes

1. OSHE Desktop Display Progress Update — Framework Community (OSHE_Framework, November 2025 – April 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴

2. OSHE I2C Card Project — Framework Community (OSHE_Framework, November 2025) ↩ ↩²

3. OSHE Framework Mouse Dongle Hiding Card — Framework Community (OSHE_Framework, April 2026) ↩ ↩²

4. FrameworkComputer/Framework-Desktop — GitHub (Framework Desktop documentation and CAD) ↩