How NOT to do a Framework Laptop 13 keyboard replacement

Framework Laptop 13
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The “Difficult” difficulty rating of the guide is no joke. This video is a recording of my own experience during the 30-minutes-turned-into-3-hours-long keyboard replacement process:

Key takeways

  • Not sure about the Framework screwdriver, but for other brands use the PH000 bit instead of PH0 noted in the guide.
  • Stripping screws are HIGHLY LIKELY, only apply force after the screwdriver bit fully fits within the drive(top cavity) of the screw head.
  • You need the precision of unscrewing and securing 73 screws in total without stripping any of them in order to do this repair, otherwise you may be left in a dread state where the laptop has no usable keyboard for days/weeks. Be prepared!
  • The keyboard itself does not come with any replacement screws, you have to use the existing ones from your old keyboard and two(?) spare ones shipped with your chassis.
  • The official Keyboard Replacement Guide isn’t error-free, make sure to take a look at the comment section of each step! Hope Framework staff can check the comment section and do necessary clarifications.
  • Check out the Fasteners Guide in the Framework Guides website for the spare screw locations for replacing the stripped keyboard/keyboard bracket screws.
  • Double check whether you’re fastening the correct screw into the correct threaded hole, while the holes can be clearly distinguish from each other you may unintentionally mixing them up during the repeated, tiring fastening process.

Credits

  • Jim Barron for hinting the proper screwdriver bit to use.
  • Jehan Suleman (and 3 other contributors) for the original guide.
  • Framework Inc. for making manual keyboard replacement possible in the first place.
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Thank you. A thread like this has been needed. And you even did a video, for anyone who has trouble believing.

Yeah. 73 combined with Phillips bits (notorious for cam-out) and tiny shallow heads, recipe for pain. And a decent chance of failure.

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Philips head is the devil.

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That looks nightmarish. There certainly should be a higher level than just “difficult” for all of that!

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I wonder why framework decided for philips head for those. Is it a cost factor?
Maybe its an option to change to someting else in new versions?

Also, just out of curiosity, does anyone know why it needs so many screws? In other laptops, i’ve seenn that with just a handful of screws.

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Speculation (and, hopefully, a conversation starter): alternatives (e.g. torx or hex) require that the screw head loses more metal. If the screw is not intended to be removed this might have been seen as a reasonable trade-off.

I’ve observed that discussions about keyboard reassembly often mention “stripping” which I take to mean thread damage. The issue with a Phillips drive is that it burrs the socket making successive undo/redo actions less capable of achieving the required torque before the drive slips.

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Yeah, for tiny screws with extremely low profile heads, I think Phillips is just the only option. When the head is so thin, the bit socket needs to extend into the shaft of the screw. At this tiny size, there’s only enough room / material for the triangular socket of a Phillips.

I believe it ultimately comes from the need to compete in the 13" market segment. Thin and light is expected. To stay thin but structurally stiff enough, the aluminum input cover weaves between the keys of the keyboard. And attaching the two firmly at many points makes it closer to one piece, increases strength and stiffness.

Other 13" laptops can save space by soldering on RAM, even the SSD sometimes, and generally not needing to be concerned with being easy to open and work in.

And just making it thicker has consequences. Make it chunkier than the competition and some reviewers will surely notice and comment, “It’s nice, but it’s too thick and chunky”. Bad points in reviews looses sales. To be successful you have to balance so many things. Can’t have everything.

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