I’d like to explore Librem 5 USA accessory design…
I’m most concerned with the antenna locations and their types (Cell/wifi/BT etc) at the moment, but would love a CAD drawing with that info right on it!
Possible Purism could start a document like this? and a CAD repository for each new mobile device sold? (apologies if this exists, I did search the topic prior to posting here)
Apple has a fantastic document with this info for almost every mobile device they’ve ever built, and they add to it regularly:
I think Purism has made a conscious decision not to release the CAD and similar documents at this time. So the schematics are available but that’s it. (Also, technically, I think the schematics are of the Librem 5 vanilla edition, not the Librem 5 USA edition - and I have no idea whether there are any pertinent differences.)
And they refused to support and confirm GPS antenna shape nor to provide information at which sub-revision it has changed and there is mismatch between schematics and delivered HW. I have invested some amount of money to adapt GPS antenna matching circuit according to the Purism provided ECO, but GPS is hardly usable on my piece still. It is more shame, that I have access to colleague doing development on further GNSS generations at ESA ESTEC and we could help with real measurements. But after cooperation dismissal from Purism and classifying information as secret, it has no reason (less motivation) to invest time. Basically if they provided working solution, why not, but providing backers non working solution and refuse cooperation is real shame and no response on ping to representatives, HW and SW experts at Purism tried to help but it has been found that they even do not know date and actual changes of antenna shapes later. Documented there https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/OS-issues/-/issues/252
Anyway, I have already negotiated X-ray imagining at our university labs to have more insight in that mess. But I have not time to proceed due to teaching, ESA and other projects…
Attempt to gain more information about antennas and other information which are intentionally held back by Purism - new X-rays imagining of assembled Librem 5
Librem 5 disassembly in attempt to enhance GNSS reception according to Purism’s ECO last year
Still not much helpful to investigate GNSS antennas production variant on my Liberm 5. Anyway, because ECO did not helped in my case, I need to disassemble the phone again and I plan to take front panel, displays and antennas sandwich alone to our university electronic assembly and rework labs http://lvr.fel.cvut.cz/ . It can take some months when I find time in my teaching and company work for ESA and others schedule, but I will share progress. I hope that tuning X-rays imagining intensity with front alone will reveal more and result image can be even usable for above mentioned accessory/pockets etc. designs.
X-rays imagining of the final Librem 5 was yet another Purims’s unfilled promise and misbehave to the community principles.
I really appreciate work of enthusiastic developers on Librem 5 and even if the whole business side of the the Purism’s management fails, I do not regret my money to fund Gnome, kernel and imx8 development. But I consider and confirm management and their proclamations as really broken after years of silence even to direct pings, extravagant claims etc.
