I found this thread on the same topic, but have some outstanding questions if anyone can help.
TL;DR: What are the specific consequences of running with no RTC battery?
My 11th gen Intel laptop has, like apparently many others’, been plagued with problems as a result of the RTC battery dying or otherwise going screwy. My issues have been manifold - USB staying in overcurrent (and the laptop not sleeping as a result, nor the USB ports working for anything but power in), the machine working except the keyboard, the machine not powering on at all, etc. Every time, the solution has been “do the full mainboard reset dance,” and I’ve done this probably a dozen times over the past 18 months.
So finally, of course, I managed to snap off the delightfully fragile RTC battery holder. I am nowhere near good enough at soldering to try to fix it, and I don’t want to pay a pro to repair what is now my secondary machine (replaced with a much more reliable AMD model).
Hunting around, there seem to be a few opinions on the consequences of running without the RTC battery. From what I can tell, those are:
Sleep/standby, when disconnected from wall power, will be unreliable (machine may power off instead of remaining asleep)
Power-on, when disconnected from wall power, may fail even with a charge in the main battery
After full power-off, you’d better be fond of the default BIOS and keyboard settings and the clock being wrong until it updates (or you update it)
After full power-off, power-on will be slow because of memory training (or whatever Intel calls its process). In my case, this is very slow (64GB)
These fall firmly into the category of “serious annoyances” but nothing that crosses into “this thing is useless” territory.
Am I missing anything? Are there any more weird behaviors or actual risks to running with no RTC battery while still being something approximating a laptop?
On 11th Gen, without an RTC battery or board-level rework, the system may fail to boot when disconnected from AC as you mentioned. Sometimes this requires a mainboard reset even after connecting to power, just like with a low voltage RTC battery.
Thanks for the reply. So worst case, I guess, is that I have to pop the top cover off and pull the main battery connection to reset the board and get it to turn on? I can live with that. If it were still my primary computer it would be a problem, but as a second machine, well, okay. My laptop bag has a pen holder. A Framework screwdriver will just take up permanent residence there.
Rather than replacing the RTC battery holder, you could get the RTC battery replacement module Framework offers, solder 2 silicone wires just to positive and negative on the mainboard, connecting the wires to the RTC battery replacement module. Might that be doable for you?
Perhaps still not the easiest, but it at least feels easier than replacing a surface mounted RTC battery holder.
You could use some quality electrical tape; (ideally kapton tape) or even masking tape to hold a replacement battery in place. I believe support is still supplying replacement ML1220 cells as well as the battery replacement module. Just request the original ML1220 battery and tape away!
I would probably never do this for a customer or a friend; for myself though it would be “Job Done!”
Thanks to both of you for your replies. I don’t know any details about this replacement and the machine is long out of warranty, so I assumed contacting Support would be pointless. I’ll give it a try. If that doesn’t pan out, I’ll either tape down the old module or just live with it.
Framework will provide replacement RTC cells regardless of warranty. Certainly worth a try if tape might hold it in place.
And the RTC battery replacement module is provided to anyone, also regardless of warranty. Even those that have bought used 11th gen laptops or mainboard from ebay, etc.
If you have an 11th Gen system or Mainboard, you can now reach out to support to request a free RTC Battery Substitute module. To make the request process go smoothly, enter the email address that you ordered the 11th Gen product on and/or include photos of the system and Mainboard serial numbers.
Note that there are no constraints making this request other than being an 11th Gen system or Mainboard owner (whether or not you are in warranty). We ask that you really make sure you are comfortable with performing soldering on expensive electronics items before performing the installation, as we won’t be able to provide advice or support around soldering or provide fixes for failed soldering attempts. We also ask that you only make the request if you’ve faced needing to perform a Mainboard reset, as we want to avoid waste.
Commit history for the text (the readme.md file) says upload and edits are by Nrp / Nirav Patel, Framework Founder.
Huh. Thank you very much for that link. It is baffling that this is not in the Knowledge Base as far as I can tell. When I’m looking for product information, troubleshooting, etc., my first thought is not “I should go check the manufacturer’s Github page.” While I think that having this anywhere other than the official Knowledge Base is a pretty serious miss for Framework, I am extremely pleased to have this information. Thank you so much for linking to it, and I will review it thoroughly.
It is, it’s just at the end of a rather long article about troubleshooting this issue.
If you’ve needed to perform the Mainboard reset procedure more than once on your 11th Gen system or the laptop will not power on even after following the steps above, your RTC/CMOS battery may no longer be holding a charge. There are a couple options available that the Framework Support team can provide to resolve the issue:
Framework Support can provide a replacement RTC/CMOS battery to you, free of charge, regardless of the status of your warranty. Simply request this option and provide a clear image/photo of the serial number of your mainboard and your Framework Order Number. If you do not have access to the Order Number, please provide the email used to complete the purchase on the Framework website. To access the mainboard serial number on the top side of the part, please follow the steps in the guide HERE. Also, please verify your shipping information/address (only in supported countries/regions) to avoid unnecessary back and forth communications. For information on acceptable shipping addresses, please see the following article HERE.
If you receive a replacement RTC/CMOS battery it is important to make sure to let it fully recharge by keeping your laptop plugged into power for at least 24 hours. We also recommend keeping your laptop plugged into power during long periods of non-use to avoid letting the RTC/CMOS battery fully discharge. Note that even a normal 5V/900mA USB-C power adapter will sufficiently trickle charge the system and RTC/CMOS battery.
Framework Support now has an alternative option for those with the technical skills to solder electrical components. This alternative RTC/CMOS Battery Substitution is a single solder point component which replaces the coin cell battery with a circuit that keeps the RTC subsystem powered off of the main battery. You can find the step by step instructions for installing this module in this guide. PLEASE NOTE: You should NOT request this option if you or the person designated for this rework do not have sufficient electronics soldering experience. While it is only a single solder point, failing to solder this correctly can result in damage to the system and is not covered under Framework’s Limited Warranty. If you accept the associated liability, please request this option and provide a clear image/photo of the serial number of your mainboard and your Framework Order Number. If you do not have access to the Order Number, please provide the email used to complete the purchase on the Framework website. To access the mainboard serial number on the top side of the part, please follow the steps in the guide HERE. Also, please verify your shipping information/address (only in supported countries/regions) to avoid unnecessary back and forth communications. For information on acceptable shipping addresses, please see the following article HERE.
I believe support is still supplying replacement ML1220 cells as well as the battery replacement module. Just request the original ML1220 battery and tape away! 
