If you have been following us over the years, you will have definitely noticed our focus on modularity and customizability. Starting with the Classic Reform, it was clear that we would aim to make all of our devices as compatible and modifiable as possible. Ever since, our users have been swapping processor modules, motherboards, keyboards, battery holders, and pointing devices to keep their devices up-to-date and, of course, to their liking.

With the MNT Reform Next, we wanted the most flexible device possible, one that leaves a ton of room for creation and customization. Here’s what Lukas, director and engineer at MNT Research, came up with:

Modular Port Boards

This feature is completely new and we consider it a game changer: for the first time, you can completely create and/or modify your own port boards. This was made possible due to the changes Lukas made to the Reform Next motherboard; usually, our motherboards have been designed in such a way that the ports are built-in. This meant while it was possible to swap your old motherboard for a newer one, users didn’t really have a choice on the decisions we made regarding ports. Taking all of this into account, the Reform Next’s motherboard and port boards are now separate entities. They look like this:

Fig. 1, MNT Reform Next Motherboard

Fig. 2, MNT Reform Next Port Boards

MNT Reform Next houses two external port boards and one internal port board. Fig. 1 above shows the motherboard, a small PCB that sits at the bottom of the case. Fig. 2 shows the internal port board on the left, and one of the external port boards on the right. Both of the port boards are connected to the motherboard, a part of which is visible at the bottom of the image.

Having the port boards separate from the motherboard means you can make changes to every board, e.g., changing the order of the ports, removing a port and replacing it with another, or even designing your own ports. Accordingly, you can change the port covers to match your modification. Since all of our design documents and schematics are public, you can study them and customize your device however you like.

At the time of writing, these are the Reform Next’s default port boards.

Left Port Board

• USB Type-C with USB 3.0 + 2.0 signaling
• microSD slot (bootable)
• 1 gigabit Ethernet (ix Industrial connector)
• TLV320AIC3100 sound chip with internal speaker driver/connector
• Headset TRRS jack (stereo headphone driver and mono microphone support)

Right Port Board

• USB Type-C with USB 3.0 + 2.0 signaling and USB Power Delivery
• 1x USB Type-A with USB 3.0 + 2.0 signaling
• USB Type-C with USB 3.0 + 2.0 signaling
• Full-size HDMI

Internal Port Board

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chipset, with antennas (on a third internal port board)

Mounting Grid

As mentioned in last week’s update, you already know we integrated a mounting grid that allows for you to make any modifications you want, for example:

• Extra ports on the back of the laptop
• An additional radio module such as LoRa or NFC
• An FPGA processor module
• A logic analyzer

In fact, there are two modules that already exist for this grid:

• A display adapter board that converts HDMI from the processor to eDP for the internal display
• A camera acquisition board. This one is optional and it converts the camera's MIPI CSI signal to standard USB video.

There are many possibilities and lots of space that can be filled with your customization ideas, (a.k.a., PCBs). We are already curious about what you will come up with!

Future Processor Modules

Since it is so extremely modular, you can swap out MNT Reform Next’s processor module to upgrade to a newer one. We are constantly researching the latest ARM-based processor modules to provide upgrades for our devices and keep them fresh. Since the Classic Reform came out in 2020, we’ve released several processor modules, such as the NXP i.MX8MPlus, NXP Layerscape LS1028A (in cooperation with rbz), Kintex-7 FPGA, Banana-Pi CM4 Amlogic A311D, and, last but not least, RCORE with Firefly iCore-3588Q. All of these modules are compatible with every MNT laptop, ranging from the Classic Reform to the Pocket Reform to the Reform Next.

You can follow our design and release process by following MNT on the Fediverse and/or subscribing to Crowd Supply’s newsletter for MNT’s future product launches.