I had a somewhat odd problem yesterday that I thought might benefit others to know about. I went to wake up my Framework like normal but it would keep waking up but then going back to sleep and the keyboard/trackpad were sporadically working.
After trying out a number of things I finally figured out that I had my Google Pixel Buds case, which have a small magnet to keep the lid closed, on the left side of my laptop. It turns out that if I slid the Pixel Buds case near the headphones jack it is enough to trigger the lid sensor which causes the laptop to go to sleep and if it is left there it disables the keyboard/trackpad.
TL;DR Keep magnetic cases away from the left side of your Framework laptop
After nearly a year of using the Framework Laptop in one form or another, I still accidentally do this every few weeks. I regret leaving the hall sensor in that spot!
Well it had to fit somewhere, at least we know where it is. I actually like the mid-case position.
I have one laptop where it is at the top of the screen and it is always coming on when bumped.
Another has it at the hinge and it is too sensitive. I often just fold the laptop up a bit while I have a long task running and don’t want it glaring at me but still running.
I just got my Framework yesterday and I was starting to freak out having the same issue with random sleep/wake this morning. I just read your post and realized that it was only happening when it was sitting on top of an old laptop case that has a magnetic closure!
Thanks for the tip about the magnetic sensor. Just saved me a bunch of hassle and lots more messing with the power management settings!
@FrameworkSupport It may be worth adding something to the wiki/faq about where the magnetic sensor is located and how the sleep/wake works, if you haven’t already.
Glad I found this right as my Framework is supposed to show up. I’ve run into this magic sleep issue with some Moft cases/stands where even their weak magnets can trigger the sensors in my Chromebook that tell it to switch to tablet mode (it is a convertible) or to go to sleep, extremely annoying if you are in the middle of a video on YouTube or in a conference call!!!
Thanks so much for this. This single issue was preventing this from being a perfect laptop for me. I was convinced it was a loose cable and thanks to this post I now realize it is the Galaxy Buds case in my front left pocket.
I had a similar problem with the lid sensor. I got the DIY edition framework, put it together and after loading kubuntu (flawless install), I would get an intermittent screen blank and then return to the login screen. I figured I had a loose connector. I opened my laptop, put a piece of black electrical tape over the connector for the touchpad and figured that solved the problem. Spent a week with it on my bedroom desk without issues, moved it down to the office and had the “glitch” happen again. I had contacted support by this time and was worried I’d be sending it back. Then I described the problem to a friend, who immediately knew the problem from experience; I was setting the framework laptop on top of a dell xps laptop. The in just the right position, the dell XPS magnets in the display would trigger the lid sensor!! DOH! So I felt stupid, but relieved that the laptop was rock solid. Since then I’ve had zero issues with my framework, I’m pleased to say.
Thanks for sharing this! This randomly started happening to me today and I immediately thought something like a short in the input cover, but then read this and realized I had my pixelbuds in my pocket by the headphone jack!
I’ve been having the same issue as well on my Framework 13 DIY, and saw a number of issues here linking back to this one. My system logs reveal that the device does indeed think the lid is being closed while I’m typing on it, with one small difference: there’s nothing magnetic nearby. It’s occurred while the laptop was, for example, on a wooden desk with no metal parts]. And it always seemed to happen while I was typing, especially modifier keys on the left side.
Because it only started happening after replacing the mainboard, it makes me suspect that some internal component is triggering the magnetic lid sensor. However, nothing looks awry there when I pop the hood. Perhaps this is something too subtle for my untrained eye. Where exactly is the sensor?
In the mean time, I’ve configured the OS to ignore the lid being closed, since I prefer to put it in suspend mode manually instead, but it’d be better not to get the spurious signals.
The lid sensor is located on the board that holds the headphone jack. You can see the board here Audio Board Replacement Guide - Framework Guides It should be the chip at the left edge. Which I think puts it next to the top corner of the shift key?
If there’s really nothing you can find that could be triggering it, you try replacing the board, in hopes that it’s a malfunctioning sensor. Framework | Audio Board Kit
Excellent thought!
I know some stainless steel can become slightly magnetized, and remain like that. Also become more magnetized while close to a magnet. Looks like there is a magnet next to the lower left expansion card slot. Which is not far from the lid sensor. A steel ring could be transferring over enough magnetic energy to the sensor, like a bridge. Or a ring could just be magnetic enough on its own to do it.
