No, the RTC battery clip is perfectly fine, you just have to use the right technique. Some boards had too little solder but that is a completely different story.
1 Like
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.
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?
2 Likes
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.
And, it shouldn’t. However, it appears that it does and requires taking the top off and removing both batteries to reset.
If left unplugged for several days.
I found the post where it is acknowledged.
1 Like
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.
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.
1 Like
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?
1 Like
No one knows what they were thinking… So it was a question.
1 Like
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.
1 Like
The answer they gave relates to the question/issue I asked about battery drain and need for removal to reset the laptop. They didn’t go into any detail about what causes the issue exactly.
The link they gave takes you to a page with bios v 3.07 and a description that the issue of battery drain is resolved with v 3.07. v3.08 is still in beta, not officially released.
There is more here: Laptop Not Powering on With BIOS 3.07
1 Like
If you read my posts you can see I’ve had bios v3.07 installed, and it hasn’t resolved the issue.
1 Like
So I pulled my laptop out of my bag and tried to turn it on to no avail.
I plugged in the power and it turned on right away, I unplugged power turned it of and tried again and it powered without the power plugged in (the battery has 71% on it). Figured that was a fluke but now it has done the same thing 2 more times in a row since then. In other words I need power every time after it has sat for a day or so.
Any thoughts?
Yes, it’s version 3.07. I have tried a different order of things to see if can figure it out but no.
Right, a somewhat definitive answer from support that suggests this will always be a problem.
"The RTC battery can get drained when the computer is not in use and is not plugged into the charger. The RTC battery will last a maximum of 2-3 weeks in this state before being drained below a level where it can function properly.
The battery powers the real-time clock of the mainboard’s chip that wakes up the circuitry and is responsible for holding the status of the circuitry while it is turned off as well. That means that when the laptop is completely off, the RTC battery is continuously used by the MB circuitry and gets drained of its stored power.
With the RTC battery in a drained state, the RTC needs to be removed for at least 15 minutes and then placed back in (after the trickle charge of at least 24hrs). Removing the battery allows it to rest from the continuous drain placed on it by the MB circuitry. It can recover some of its charges to a minimal level where it can function and allow the laptop to be powered up and booted again. At this point, the laptop will need to be charged continuously for at least 24 hours for the RTC battery to regain a full state of charge.
The difference between rechargeable & non-rechargeable RTC batteries is their chemical compositions & their physical sizes depending on the motherboard that it is meant for.
The reason why we use the rechargeable one is that it inclines with our principle of reducing e-waste & be sustainable for our environment."
A design issue? To me, definitely. So, it seems, the only way around this is to upgrade to a 12th gen mainboard. Make of it what you will.
1 Like
I still don’t understand why a CMOS battery would experience such a high level of drain. It won’t even last longer because of the repeated charge/discharge cycles. This problem, in effect, makes the laptop semi productive. I still think Framework should make some real offers of redress. Swapping boards at half price is an option that I would accept, although people would still be out of pocket. I really want to support this company, but they should have made sure this kind of thing wasn’t an issue before production.
You’d hope so. But, if the boards are designed a certain way and you can’t stop the RTC battery from draining below a certain level, I don’t see how.
This suggests to me that it is predominantly a hardware issue.