I added some tape on the midplate where the rubbers would be (I think the tape was ~0.1mm thick), did some engineered tapping to try and bend the panels flatter, and deburred the top edge (scrape with a hardened metal edge, then buff with cloth).
It’s a lot better now. The feel by the bottom keys went from “Eeek!” to “meh”, and the panels are also much better fit with no more rattling when I use the touchpad.
I personally think this is something they could easily improve for later batches. Literally apply more strategic tape to the midplate and debur the top edge.
The panels are quite thin, so I feel that getting them consistently flat is a really hard thing to do.
On Linux, you’ll need proper privileges to communicate with the bootloader device. You can either use sudo when flashing firmware (not recommended), or place this file into /etc/udev/rules.d/.
Once added, run the following:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger
It helped someone else on Fedora 39 KDE who was also failing to connect. If it fixes that for you, let us know. Might turn out to be something all Fedora 39 users need. Or maybe it’s just Fedora KDE.
A lot of my disappointment stems from the fact that these feel like easy wins and fixes. Some bevelling here, more padding there would go a long way. And we as customers shouldn’t have to be filing, bending, padding or using a hammer (sorry, I mean engineered tapping ) to get up to the expected level of quality.
I feel like they got 90% of the way there, and needed to ship.
I hope they can improve this as a “1.1” refresh.
If we consider something like the car industry, those guys spend a lot of time and money on tuning things like how the doors feel and sound like when they close, because they affect how a customer perceives the quality of the product.
If Framework wants to break out from the world of us hobbyists and enthusiasts, this is the sort of thing that they need to fix.
If you consider the car industry, the first models using a new chassis tend to have NVH issues too. Some of the NVH stuff can only be determined when its been through customers hands.
I agree this is the sort of thing they need to fix, but if we don’t tell them, then how will they know it’s an issue?
So… don’t be too hard on them, yet.
[quote=“Sean_Whalen, post:134, topic:44921”]
I will most likely be returning my batch 3 Framework Laptop 16[/quote]
Please do !
One other happy folk will get this baby with a better price because of you !
But … my friend … you’ve been told that this is new model and a first gen, right ? You’re batch 3 and you got plenty of time looking at the review all over the web, right ?
A device being first generation doesn’t mean someone isn’t justified in their reasons to want to return it. There are some physical aspects which become more clear only when you use the device personally. And the two main things he mentioned were not pointed out by any major reviewer as far as I can remember, either because it wasn’t important to them or they didn’t get to encounter them (likely because of not using the laptop on their lap).
I think Framework tried to do way too much at once with a modular GPU and input. I was only interested in the Framework 16 for the additional screen real estate and ports. If Framework made a 15 inch version of the 13 with the extra ports, I’d buy that in a heartbeat.
Finally got clarification about the Dell. It’s last year’s model XPS 15 9530. The ram is absolutely upgradable in that one, there are YouTube videos of it. I’ve updated my comparison post again.
Only a personal choice, but I’ll take Framework’s “palmrest spacers not aligning perfectly” (with the hope that FW release a single piece, full width touchpad some day) over Dell’s “sticky palmrest that forces me to replace it every 2 years or cover it with a skin”
If you want to return your FW16, I think that you’d find better alternatives from Lenovo.
I’ve had my FW 16 for less than 24 hours, and I can say the visual lines from the palmrest spacers have already faded into the background as something I don’t notice. I wouldn’t stress too much about them.
) to get up to the expected level of quality.
