Have you contacted support properly about this, making a complaint here, when it seems so important to you, may serve you well 
I haven’t contacted support, because it seems to be a well known issue. There have been acknowledgments, but, no definitive answers. I’m not the only one affected by this problem, which is why I think there should be a response in the forums laying out the issue in detail and the chances of a complete fix or not.
There is an issue with depleted RTC/BIOS batteries being discharged on receipt but there is a guide to remedying that.
If if happens repeatedly there would appear to be a problem that isn’t so common. Well known to some on the forum but is there any reason to think Framework have that under consideration?
I’ve found this topic (and seen others) since it’s also affecting me. I’ve used my laptop every few days since I got it a few months back (batch 8 - so assuming BIOS 3.07) and have just come across this issue. The laptop wouldn’t power on until I plugged in the AC cable, then there was a long green light, then orange, then a pulsing green light as it powered on. I’ve not always had it plugged into the charger when using it since I’ve not had to - the main battery performance has been excellent - but I’ve never let the main battery level get below 50% or so.
This problem regarding the RTC battery is unacceptable however. Every time it happens I have to correct the system time manually (since the BIOS hasn’t retained it) and my custom BIOS settings are lost. I shouldn’t have to be plugging the laptop in overnight every few weeks just to make sure the RTC battery retains charge. I absolutely should not be having to open the laptop and internally disconnect the battery routinely. I don’t even know whether there’s any indicator that the RTC battery is properly retaining charge - is there one?
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Yes. I read a post from nrp stating that this problem was resolved with 12th gen boards, but, I can’t find that post now. I was just perusing the forums and didn’t make a note of where it was. I had already decided to buy another framework, but, I’d like the one I have to function correctly. Otherwise it means buying a new board to solve the issue with my existing framework. Which is what I’ll do if I have to, although, it obviously, won’t make me happy. Even if they offered to swap the boards at a reduced price would be something.
Welcome to the forum
I also have a batch 8 but had to update the BIOS manually to get 3.07
Wow! You only plug in less than every few weeks generally.
Whereas I don’t keep mine plugged in overnight, regularly I use it whilst plugged in.
For the first couple of months I just let it run down and charged it, which meant every other day at least.
So I don’t see how the RTP/BIOS battery would have a chance to discharge to such a degree.
But I will be careful in removing it if I have to.
The laptop was designed not to power on the first time until plugged in. That’s in the basic instructions ??
The Framework Laptop ships in a mode where the battery is disabled until power is first plugged in, so you really do have to plug in power at this step!
Framework Laptop 13 Pre-Built Quick Start Guide - Framework Guides
And, it shouldn’t. However, it appears that it does and requires taking the top off and removing both batteries to reset.
So under what circumstances does it do that. I note you also say Framework are aware of an issue
So I’d be interested in how long Framework designed the RTC/BIOS battery to survive without the laptop being plugged in.
If there is no such detail on the forum maybe a direct question to Framework would not go amiss.?
If left unplugged for several days.
I found the post where it is acknowledged.
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Changing code to avoid removing the RTC doesn’t really help me as I wonder why and under what circumstances the RTC can get so low.
Looks like I may have to ask support
It sounds as though maybe there was an issue at the design stage, draining the RTC cell quickly, otherwise, you’d have thought an ordinary non rechargeable button cell would have been used. They usually last years until you need to replace them.
There’s something wrong, I had to do the reset thing yesterday, and my main battery was 60 percent charged. It was plugged into the mains around five days ago.
Yes that sounds like a serious issue/pain. Have those exact detail been passed to Framework ??
That it can’t be charged from the main battery seems like a serious design flaw ??
In the ‘old fashioned’ desktop it was only there as a power source for the BIOS, with a laptop it’s not really necessary but useful if the main battery gets cut off.
I would have thought given the battery is present in the laptop then the RTC would only be used when the battery is dead.
It seems archaic to have an RTC on a laptop that goes flat. In fact I can see why it may be rechargable but only if it’s being charged from the on-board battery.
Now my head’s beginning to spin and wonder who’s crazy idea was it not to have it topped up by the internal battery.
The mind boggles ??
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Thanks. I just checked the BIOS and I have the InsydeH2O version as GFW30.03.07 which I assume means 3.07. I’ve not run a BIOS update, only the driver pack, so it seems some devices from batch 8 in February got the BIOS update in the factory just in time before dispatch.
Well I’ll plug it in occassionally to keep it between 50% and 80% but I won’t always plug it in while I’m using it. It’s definitely seen the charger quite often though, usually an hour or so every few days to keep it between 50% and 80% as mentioned above. It seems though that this is not enough to charge the RTC battery and that it must be kept charging overnight to properly charge the RTC battery or keep it charged? The whole issue just seems very unclear. The problem is that if the main battery has sufficient charge I expect the laptop to be able to start normally every time, not have to always be within reach of a power outlet just in case the RTC battery has suddenly drained without warning thus requiring AC power before the laptop will start.
I may have been unclear. The laptop has been working properly for 4 months or so since I got it. Just this week I encountered the problem whereby there was no response at all when pressing the power button - no lights at all and no activity from the laptop. Only when I plugged in the charger did I see the side lights as I described and the laptop powered on, clearly showing symptoms of the BIOS battery having drained (for example the clock had stopped).
I contacted support about the issue a few hours ago. It may take a while for them to respond and it depends on how clear their explanation is. I’ll let you know what they say. I still, however, think these boards should be replaced, if the problem can’t be resolved with some kind of patch. It wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to strip the machine down to reset it. Having to remove the battery plug and replace it will eventually lead to failure or a broken CMOS battery holder.
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Does that mean Framework has been aware of this battery drain issue all this time, and the rechargeable button cell was put in place as a ‘workaround’? And now that Framework ‘improved’ the reset mechanism means this drain button cell drain isn’t hasn’t be resolved?
In that case, the ‘indication’ that the issue is really fixed is when we see the board can be used with a non-rechargeable button cell battery?
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That doesn’t make sense, although I follow the logic. I would have thought the idea was to have a more ‘sustainable’ battery but the charging mechanism is not up to it use ~ not that it should be ‘used’ much.
For example I wonder what the capacity of a ‘normal’ RTC cell is and the rechargable one.
How can such a battery be drained in a few weeks, according to anecdotal evidence. From years to weeks ???
No one knows what they were thinking… So it was a question.
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Just received this from support:
“We rectified this issue in our most recent firmware update, and it should no longer be an issue if you’ve previously done so. If you haven’t already, we recommend that you upgrade the firmware. You can follow this guide: Framework Laptop BIOS and Driver Releases”
The thing is, I already had 3.07 installed, so, that doesn’t fix the issue at all. I updated to 3.08 yesterday, I’ll see how that goes. Not holding out much hope though.
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Thanks but ‘this issue’ isn’t defined as it relates to your question and how they interpreted that.
- The battery drain
- The need to remove the RTC battery
- ??
‘Most recent’ is that the 3.07 official or the 3.08 ??