Mini PCIe radio module

[jasonharper]

Has Synapse considered offering a radio module in a Mini PCIe form factor? This seems to be the most likely form of internal expansion to be available in a portable electronic device these days - it would be oh so convenient to have a completely self-contained SNAP network tool for field troubleshooting or configuration. (A tablet or laptop with a bridge hanging out the side is just an accident waiting to happen.)

Mini PCIe includes USB data lines as a (mostly) standard option, so this would basically be a SN220 in a different shape - actually a bit simpler than that, as an onboard regulator and LEDs would no longer be needed.

[tylercrumpton]

Hey!

I know we've thrown around the idea, unofficially, because that would indeed be pretty useful and really neat. It's a little tricky because the mPCIe standard doesn't allow for much room above or below the board, and our module thickness with the metal shielding and the mPCIe board it self pushes us over the limit a bit, if I remember correctly.

That hasn't stopped me from giving it a shot though:

https://github.com/tylercrumpton/stow

I had a few issues when I put that board together by hand and haven't revisited it to give it another shot, but I may do that soon and see if that is indeed a feasible option!

Disclaimer: I'm no hardware engineer, so I'm not sure if there are other considerations that need to be taken care of, officially. This was just a free-time project I spun off a while back.