[TRACKING] FW12 cracking issue

Framework Laptop 12
363

Probably not in use by end-users yet. And the end-users don’t care much as they’re likely not personally owned? Likely some edu pilot rollout.

364

I’ve had my grey batch 5 FW12 for a week now, no cracks as of yet.

One difference though from some of the accounts I’ve read is I was extremely careful when tightening the screws (turned until I met resistance and stopped), and I have not disassembled my FW12 since I put it together, nor removed/inserted any of the modules past their first insertion, with the exception of one that I took out once to show a friend.

3 Likes
365

The user with four said it was for their family, so, no, these are personally owned and in use. The other redditor didn’t say. Yes, it’s almost certainly a deployment of some kind, but they didn’t say whether they’re in use yet or not. Nonetheless, it’ll be interesting to look out for the incidence and progression of any cracks with this particular delpoyment.

366

Good to know it’s not too much of a pain to replace. I rather just replace the bottom cover myself rather than send back the entire machine if I can fix it myself.

I noticed when taking out the mainboard that the cracks I had at the expansion slot corners are visible on the inside and extend directly toward the mainboard standoffs on both sides.

This is concerning. :frowning:

2 Likes
367

Yeah this is bigger than I thought. I couldn’t see the crack all the way through mine.
If it goes all the way through, that’s a serious structural problem that’ll likely lead to the thing becoming more unstable and falling apart over time. Even my 13 isn’t as solid as it used to be and its made of aluminum.

1 Like
368

Little update on my situation: Framework is sending me a new laptop that will be here on the 27th. It was nice that they did this because it means I won’t be without a work laptop or be forced to move my work back to my 13. (Takes forever and its annoying.)

So I’m like 95% satisfied with my support from Framework. :]

7 Likes
369

If it goes all the way through, that’s a serious structural problem that’ll likely lead to the thing becoming more unstable and falling apart over time

Nothing some tape and loctite glue can fix. /s :sweat_smile:

3 Likes
370

And maybe some prayer. XD

1 Like
371

:slight_smile: I’ve been thinking similar, but with using acetone…

1 Like
372

So to clear up the facts, it appears that loosening the screws near the corners of the laptop will significantly reduce or prevent the cracks from progressing, right?

373

Not necessarily. That’s a strategy I’m going to use as an experiment but we don’t have any hard evidence that it’s the tightening of the screws. It could also be that the plastic some how flexes around the screws or something. However, it does seem more likely that it would be the screw torque combined with the weak plastic causing the issue.

Also there are more types of cracks than screw cracks. There are also expansion card and hinge cracks, so there’s no way it’s exclusively the screws.

2 Likes
374

I don’t think that’s going to be the case for all the cracks that have been shown in this thread. However, it is the case for the front corner crack on my sage unit. The last little bit of tightening the screw noticeably deforms the plastic, and it is cracking right around the deformation. With the screw tight, the crack seemed to get a tiny bit longer every day or two. About a week ago I loosened that screw a bit. The crack is barely visible with that screw loose, and the crack hasn’t spread any further. It isn’t hanging loose, but it’s just screwed in enough to touch the case, but not really put any pressure on it.

5 Likes
375

I used a torque screwdriver to get them all even. One week later no cracks.

2 Likes
376

what torque setting did you use?

2 Likes
377
4 Likes
378

I asked FW support about this. And they said that no torque spec can be given or they don’t have it and just to put it finger thight. Which I find a bit odd, since generally within assembly you only use torque drivers to avoid these issues.

Sadly I don’t have any torque driver for this, my smallest goes to 0.5 nm which is still way to much this applicaiton

2 Likes
379

While it seems that screw torque is tangentially related, I don’t think it’s the cause, per se. If the screw stand-offs were seating against each other before starting to deform the case around the screw, then even if the screw was severely over-tightened, it wouldn’t crack in the ways that it is. The plastic directly under the screw may get so smashed that it cracked, and maybe cracks would eventually radiate out from under the screw, if it got bad enough.

But at least on my units, the plastic is deforming and pulling in around one or two of the screws, before the screw stand-offs seat together. The cracks are forming at the deformation, which is 1/8"-1/4"+ away from the screw. I can leave the screw loose enough that this deformation doesn’t happen, but it’s not even what I’d call finger tight at that point. In order to avoid that deformation, I have to stop turning the screw the moment it touches the case and has the very slightest resistance. I don’t have a torque screwdriver to put a number on it, but I ordered one over the weekend. Hopefully it gets here before I have to send my sage unit back. But to put in into perspective for folks, the tightest I ever made the screws (and the level of tightness that “caused” the cracking) I can easily do with just the torx bit pinched in two fingers, no screwdriver.

Ultimately, I’m not surprised there isn’t a specific, public torque spec. I’m sure Framework wasn’t aiming to end up with a machine that had to be assembled with a precision torque screwdriver. I really hope the solution isn’t ultimately something like, “From now on, tighten the screws in this pattern to 3.5 inch ounces, +/- 5%.”

5 Likes
380

The screw torque doesn’t cause it just like opening the lid doesn’t cause it. These are normal things you’re expected to do with a laptop, and cracks result from it, which shouldn’t happen. Especially not after a one week of use.

The true cause is either a bad design flaw or some manufacturing issue.

I also hope they don’t go that route because it’s not just screws, and it wouldn’t solve the expansion card and lid crack issues.

1 Like
381

Thanks for the callout on this!

We reached out to iFixit and it should be updated on their end now. If it does not appear this way, please let us know and we will investigate further.

As for it not currently being available on our guide portal/ with the QR Code - it is setup correctlty that when the guide goes live on our end, the QR code will go to the correct guide. So for now it will show a 404 error, but when we publish it; should be no issues.

  • For full transparency of why it is not on our guide portal yet (or appearing when scanning the QR code), it is because guides with a lot of steps take a significant amount of time to copy over. Each guide is made of multiple smaller guides (we call them “pre-requisite” guides) which we have to copy over.
    • So with the Bottom Cover guide, it may be made of 15 smaller guides for example.
    • The reason this is done is because we can use these same “pre-req” guides across multiple normal guides. So if we update something in that “pre-req” guide, it will update in all normal guides it is part of.
      • In the long term, this helps us out save time and be scalable. If we did not do it this way, things could be missed or not updated correctly when they should be.
  • For additional context, the guides that iFixit has which we have not replicated on our end are guides for “low volume” parts; or parts that are typically not replaced soon after delivery. Guides (I personally think) that fall under this are ones like;
    • Bottom Cover
      • 55 Steps
    • Antennas
      • 82 Steps
    • Hinges
      • 80 Steps
    • Webcam Cable
      • 87 Steps
    • eDP Cable
      • 86 STeps

We do plan to copy these over, it will just take time/ bandwidth as it is available to me - so in the meantime; I personally apologize for any inconvenience this causes your or anyone else :heart_hands:

This was probably more information than what you were looking for, and that is my bad; but hopefully the context does make sense of things. If there is anything else, please let us know. Thanks!!!

15 Likes
382

Thanks for the info about the guides.

The ifixit guide for the bottom cover replacement is indeed updated now to include moving the speakers over. Doesn’t look like anything else is missing from their guide compared to when I did the replacement.

Also just want to point out that the bottom cover replacement came with a little bag of extra screws. The extra screw holders in the new bottom cover were also already populated with more extra screws. So many extra screws and I didn’t need any of them for the replacement.

Captive screws and pogo pin attachments make the FW12 very intuitive to disassemble even without a guide. Definitely the easiest full laptop disassembly I’ve done.

I knew what I was getting into with a batch1 FW12. Although I didn’t expect needing to transfer over all the internal components after just a month. The bottom cover isn’t even available to purchase, so understandable the guide isn’t there yet.

Hopefully I’ll get to use the guide when I feel like I want a different color in a year or two.

1 Like