Can't start up on just battery

Framework Laptop
#1

I just installed BIOS 3.07 about three weeks ago and since then I’ve run across a very weird issue. My Framework (1st batch) won’t start up any more when I’m not plugged into power. I can press the power button once or hold it down for a while, and get no response whatsoever. As soon as I plug in the power cable and the side LED lights up, pressing the power button starts the boot cycle as expected. If I disconnect the power afterwards the laptop stays on with no issues. I can even shut down and restart after disconnecting from power for a little while afterwards (I only tested up to 10 minutes after shutting down and I could still start up on battery only at that point) but eventually I have to plug back in again to get it to start.

Anybody else see anything like this?

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#2

Batch 2 Laptop for me, I updated my BIOS to 3.07 as well and I have not seen this issue. I would look at the BIOS’ battery settings to see if the “battery disconnect” option got selected. If it’s not on and the laptop should be running on battery then I would submit a ticket to Framework Support.

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#3

I would create a support request with Framework. But I wonder if maybe your CMOS battery is not charging.

Out of curiosity are you using the battery threshold option 3.07 made available?

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#4

@IPGentlemann I hadn’t messed with any of the BIOS settings after the update but I checked through it last night. The battery disconnect menu defaulted to “yes” so I switched it to “no”, saved changes, and rebooted. Same results as before, booted from battery power for a while and then wouldn’t boot anymore.

@2disbetter As stated above, I haven’t messed with any of the BIOS settings since the update, so the battery threshold value is set to 100%. I did read through the release notes for the 3.07 BIOS which led to the guide for resetting the mainboard in case of issues with the side LEDs not lighting up correctly/showing errors during boot, and it did mention in there that the RTC/CMOS battery should be charged for 24 hours afterwards. I’ll try keeping the laptop on the charger today and overnight to see if that helps, and if not I’ll file a ticket with Framework Support tomorrow.

Thanks to you both for your suggestions!

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#5

I think @2disbetter has nailed the problem. After charging the laptop for about 20 hours or so, I pulled the plug and then let it sit off wall power for another two hours. Just popped it open and it started right up. So I’m guessing it was likely the CMOS/RTC battery being run down after not using the Framework for a couple of weeks. That seems like a very weird failure state but at least it’s not completely unrecoverable.

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#6

I noticed a very similar issue with my Framework. I posted about it here. My difference is that mine only sat for a week before it’s last use, and the problem still occurred.

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