Well I’ll update on my view of the process. I was an electrical maintenance engineer 54 years ago, when soldering was of larger items like resistors, so with my less nimble fingers I am also a bit aprehensive.
Fingers crossed then!
@Jason_Lefkowitz Hi Jason, sorry for your trials with your Framework laptop. As someone who has actually gotten his Framework laptops’ motherboard replaced, I can point you in the direction of “efforts needed”. Refer to my post here. Unfortunately it was a long and verbose process that took almost month of data collection as proof of issue.
TLDR;
- Charge laptop for 48 hours
- Un plug
- Leave overnight
- Try to start without plugging in next day morning. Repeat… If it doesn’t work reliably, you have a issue with the board.
(Take battery status screenshots and video of system not booting up on power button press)
If you have to leave it unplugged longer than 21 days, that’s a valid use case, but Framework laptop is not built for that They will not acknowledge it beyond this thread. Draw whatever conclusions you want from that.
If your laptop is dying before that, it could be either battery or motherboard or both. I managed to prove it wasn’t battery, (by chance).
Framework support can be iffy, specially their first line of support. After a couple of emails I just told them - look I have given everything you need in the above thread, either tell me what more you need or I’ll assume you don’t want to deal with this issue. That bumped me up to second line, who actually cared to go through all the stuff I posted. Things were very smooth there onwards.
I gave you a link right in the post. It points to a post right here in this thread! What more do you want?
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Since March of last year.
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Within weeks of purchase.
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I would daresay very few weeks have passed where it’s been plugged in 7 hours a week, since, as I already mentioned, it was purchased for light, infrequent use.
Please note that Framework never said anything at the point of purchase about the device being unfit for infrequent use.
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Per Framework Support’s instructions, I have on multiple occasions left the device plugged in for long periods. They used to tell me to do it for 24 hours, so I did that. Now it seems like the word is 72 hours, so I’ve done that. In all cases this brings the device back to bootable status… for a while. Then it croaks again.
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Framework Support linked me to this thread, but still did not offer me a replacement ML1220. I had to directly say to them “are you waiting for me to officially request a replacement, because I’m officially requesting one” for them to actually offer me one.
If the product requires a minimum of 7 hours a week of constant charging to be usable, then it is defective. No other laptop on the market requires that.
If the product is defective, but that defect has been worked out in subsequent production units (which seems to be the case, from Framework’s statements), what they could “reasonably do” is recall the affected units and replace them with later-production units that do not have the defect.
They are not doing this, and if this conversation is any indication, they never will. Because why bother, if your customers don’t care?
All I can tell you is: I took a chance on Framework, and they have made me regret it. They sold me a lemon, and when I tell them that, they just ask me why I don’t like the taste of lemonade.
Yes that’s a very important, but they weren’t aware of the issue until some users had the more casual use. If everyone was like me, 6 hours a day it would never have been noticed.
I understand the argument, but it is not defective as there was no mention either way, but yes not useful for some users.
My friend has just pointed out it’s like one of those feed my pet games it must be fed daily not put in the wardrobe and ignored for two weeks, it will die.
Why spend a $1000 on a pet you are not going to pet.
That’s children for you, they want the pet but don’t want to look after it.
2 posts were split to a new topic: Rework Instructions for 11th Gen Mainboards to enable RTC Battery charging from the main battery
Alternatively give us a really good discount on a 12th/13th Gen board? I mean a really good one.
I’m serious.
Unfortunately that is not an available option.
But maybe the ethical option?
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Does that mean, after this mod, the RTC battery only charges from the main and not from the ‘mains’ supply.
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It is not possible and simpler to use a DC to DC converter to output 3.3V to the RTC with a diode to stop reverse current ?
Even if I had an 11th gen board still, I’d pass on this mod. I have little experience with soldering and what little I have seems insufficient to perform this. This is where repair shops in customer areas can prove their worth. Seems to me that mod, while difficult shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Shouldn’t be too costly to get it fixed then.
This is where I fall - I’m interested in the modification, but it’s something that I will farm out, as it’s likely beyond my ability to pull off. I have two machines that I may have it done on, depending upon cost.
This. If anyone in the western half of Oregon is willing to do this mod, I’ll transport my machine to and from, and pay a fair price.
Maybe ask Louis Rossmann, he’d be certainly able to do such a job easily (and his soldering quality would look much nicer than the example pictures). He also seems to like the Framework and repairability.
It is not possible and simpler to use a DC to DC converter to output 3.3V to the RTC with a diode to stop reverse current ?
Yes this could be an option as well, you could add a small LDO that is rated for 21V input voltage with a diode on the output as shown in step 6 that is tied to the the main battery power rail.
You can attach it on the top side near the right side image shown above of step 6:
Note: I have not tried this, so cannot confirm it will work.
Thanks. 9 months ago I penned a letter with queries but this topic has brought answers to just about all. This extra DC to DC was my suggestion.
Still I’m happy as I use the laptop some 6 hours every day and am not likely to suffer the Intel chip and ML1220 dying soon.
I do like my idea as there is less wiring and hence much easier to DIY. If I ever need to I will post, but I still have 13 months of warranty so it’s all just head plans.
Thank you again for your help.
By the way, did Framework ever complain about the CPU spinning out to Intel
Oh there was another box inside that one too!
Good box for such a tiny lil battery!
We’ve reached out to our repair center partner in Germany to understand why this packaging was used. Given the battery’s classification, it might have required meatier packaging for protection during shipment, but I don’t know for sure.
I’ve done the same. When I couldn’t be bothered to recycle some bubble wrap I packaged something and posted it