I haven’t needed to use my internal mic for a few months now, so I have no idea when this began, but I can no longer get proper audio in from the internal microphone. Has anyone else experienced issues with the internal mic not working/suddenly only outputting static on Linux?
System details at the end of the message. Things I’ve tried:
- Checked that the optical switch for the mic (on the webcam module) isn’t obstructed by dust
- Made sure the internal mic was actually selected & made sure no other mics were plugged in during testing
- Ensured microphone volume is at a reasonable gain in GNOME settings &
alsamixer (set to 30, but I’ve tried various levels and only gotten different levels of static in test recordings)
- Done multiple reboots after changes (haven’t tested other kernels yet since the only stable kernel versions I have on my machine are 6.12.9 and 6.12.10, and the last time I used the internal mic was long before I was running those kernel versions)
I can use headphone mics via 3.5mm jack, but the internal mic was still not detecting input when I manually switched to it.
Software Info
- Distro: Fedora Linux Workstation 41
- DE: GNOME DE
- Linux Kernel: 6.12.10
- BIOS: 0.0.3.6
Hardware Info
- Framework Laptop 13 AMD
- CPU: Ryzen 7 7840U
- RAM: 32GB
- 1st Gen Camera Module
Is there anything I can do to keep troubleshooting? Has anyone else had their 1st gen camera module’s mic die? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Edit: moved post to the more appropriate Community Support board
UPDATE: I saw something in another post while I was searching around and I got the bright idea to test recording audio while moving the laptop lid. While slowly moving the lid back and forth, the audio cut back in when the lid was pulled down towards me (~45 degree angle with keyboard).
This narrows it down to a hardware issue, presumably with one of the cables routed by the hinges. It’s a relief to know what the problem is, but now I was wondering if those familiar with similar issues had any advice on what to do next. When the lid is at a < ~45deg angle, it sounds exactly as I’d expect it to, no signal fuzziness/integrity issues. Does this mean I can get away with just rerouting one of the cable bundles better, or should I get a replacement cable, or some other possibility?
I have almost the same setup as you and my microphone has not picked up audio for months (I think ever since I bought the laptop). Based on your post, I tried to lower the laptop lid while recording on the “camera” app and, amazingly, my voice was audible on the recording when the lid was sufficiently low, maybe 45 degree angle as you said. Did you ever find out if it was a cable problem and did you fix it?
Yeah, I went through a few days of communications with the support team and ended up confirming that it was the webcam ribbon cable that runs behind the screen and joins into that fabric-wrapped cable + connector.
Unfortunately, I only noticed/reported this issue one and a half months past the warranty period, so the only advice they had was to buy an entire top cover replacement for ~$90. There’s unfortunately no webcam cable alone that can be bought from the store, and the reasoning was:
…we do not sell the webcam cable separately, as it is preinstalled and securely fastened to the Top Cover. Removing or replacing it could lead to issues such as electrical shorts or further damage to the display assembly.
Kind of a bummer, considering that from my understanding the cable is just adhered to the back with some double-sided adhesive, and silly as it is, I have slapped a bunch of stickers on the back case that I’d rather not have to transfer or lose by replacing the cosmetically/structurally intact case itself.
The biggest kicker is that this is a nearly $100 surprise expense if I decided to properly fix this (and I don’t want to experiment with removing and swapping the cables when the Top Case is that expensive), so I’ve settled for just making sure I have some earbuds with a mic with my laptop at all times.
So yeah, unfortunately there isn’t really a cost-effective solution at the moment. I’d like to think that if this can be established as a common enough failure that maybe Framework would be convinced to offer a better solution for this issue.