[Solved] - Trouble using the Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) as home server

Community Support
,
1

Hi folks!

I have recently received my Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) that I was looking to use as a home server (ie. no laptop, no battery, no wifi, etc.). I added a new/blank 8TB SSD (WD_BLACK SN850X) and 2x48GB of RAM (Crucial, DDR5-5600 SODIMM). Put it together in the CoolerMaster enclosure. Connected 2 USB-C, 1 HDMI, and 1 Ethernet expansion cards. Plugged it in to power, looking to boot from my Ubuntu server thumbdrive, but sadly, no HDMI output, only alternating red and blue lights on the left and right of the board.

I contacted support and waiting for their reply, but in the meantime, I thought I’d ask here in case others had experienced the same issue.
Since I have no OS on the SSD, no battery (just connected to a power outlet using the Framework charger via the top left USB-C expansion card), and that it doesn’t output anything via HDMI to my monitor, how can I access the BIOS or make any change to it?
Is there a procedure required to make the board work as a server?

This video from Framework made it look so easy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZs97pRqpRw

Would appreciate any pointers!

2

Have you tried booting it with 1 stick of RAM in slot 0?

3

@TheTRUEAsian Yes, same issue. The moment I plug in the power cable the red and blue lights appear.

4

Can you get a video of the sequence?

5

@TheTRUEAsian Sure can (I just sent it to the Support team too): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z3q2j6r2xpevc198uau26/20251001_183243.mp4?rlkey=ekk36f4f0qqf3qgwsjn17pc1q&st=6ha290k7&dl=0

Ignore me struggling to connect the power cable, doing it one handed while holding a phone isn’t easy lol.

6

Oh I see. lt normally flashes red because you don’t have the cover screwed in (there’s a chassis intrusion switch that when not depressed, causes the lights to flash). Do you still get it to flash blue and red when the cover is on?

7

yeah, same when enclosure is closed. Blinking red and blue.

8

Just checking but did you press SW3 on the board to turn it on?

9

@TheTRUEAsian I… don’t think I did? Should I?

11

I’ve mixed it up. It should be SW1 not SW3. Here’s an image of it

power switch
power switch750×1000 175 KB

12

oh yeah, the button you can click on the CoolerMaster enclosure. Yes I did. Nothing changes though. It continues to blink red and blue, with nothing else happening.

13

What do you currently have plugged into it?

14
  • top left: USB-C
  • bottom left: HDMI
  • top right: USB-C
  • bottom-right: Ethernet

Power connected to top left USB-C, using the 60W Framework charger

15

And after pressing the power button, how long have you let it run like that? What should happen is that the mainboard detects certain components are missing then switches over to standalone mode.

16

probably something like 2-3 minutes max. Do I need to leave it like this longer?

17

Try giving it 10 minutes. Would also recommend connecting a keyboard to it if you have one.

18

Thanks! Let me try that

19

oh my god, that did it (I think)! Thanks @TheTRUEAsian ! Took ~11min, then my monitor turned on with a screen giving me the option to enable standalone mode. I enabled it.
Unfortunately I didn’t have my thumbdrive plugged in this time, so I had to disconnect power and plug the thumbdrive. Upon re-plugging the power, I see the red and blue blinking lights again, so I’m guessing I need to wait another 11min? Will it be like this at every restart?
Is it because I don’t have that tiny battery to store the state of the machine?

20

Glad to hear you got it working. I believe the CMOS battery isn’t required for the lights to go away (at least for older generations) but support should have more info on that. As for the USB, after it boots, you can plug it in and it’ll be recognized by the BIOS but having it plugged in before boot is fine as well.