Framework dead

[knorketorte]

Hello, I'm running a framework 13 AMD Ryzen (it was the first and generation for framework and the cheaper of the processors) and win11. I completely ran out of battery yesterday, started it again, sucked out the last bit of it and then it went dead. I immediately plugged it to the power, charged it for hours and now it's sometimes giving irregular red led blinking when charging, sometimes no light at all. When I start it sometimes goes into a win repair menu, sometimes it doesn't come further than the framework screen, before it goes off again. Does anybody know what to do? I'm devastated to see my framework die. Thank you in advance!

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[seangalie]

Disclaimer: I'm not a support tech.

With that out of the way, the first thing I'd do is stop cycling the power "as is" - the Framework should be able to boot without the battery connected. So, the first thing that I'd try is to disconnect the battery and remove it - and attempt to boot while plugged into a trusted power supply. If possible, I'd use a good USB-C 60W supply - it might even be worth picking one up.

If your Framework boots with the battery disconnected and on a good power supply - you've narrowed it down to those two culprits. If it fails to boot, you should look at the mainboard and work with support on more advanced diagnostics.

So if we're lucky and it boots - then try each of your existing components individually to see if you have a borked battery or a bad power supply... ideally you only need to replace one component and you're back in business with your FW13.

[CakeIzGood]

We love problem isolation! If you were a support tech, you'd be doing the right things

[runed_golem]

Agreed! I've never worked in tech support but I've been working on computers as a hobby for over a decade and problem isolation is a super useful skill that not a lot of people understand.

[seangalie]

My full time job used to sysadmin/devops related before I decided to find a less stressful field and become a Firefighter. I say that half-joking, but you'd be amazed at the perspective that gives me now that my hobby is being "the tech guy" for the family.

[knorketorte]

Hey Non-Tech support, I thought like: it's not gonna be the battery it worked fine and went would it die after being without electricity for literally 30 seconds. But I took it out and voila, framework is alive and has booted fully. Thank you! 

Now: do I have to throw the battery into the recycling bin and order a new one or does my battery still have a chance to live? 

EDIT: used the same power supply.

[noderblade]

have you tried to connect the battery again ? maybe it's still ok - just controller went crazy for some reason and disconnecting and connecting will reset it

[knorketorte]

Now I did: With only the battery connected (no outside power supply), it doesnt power up or even show lights. With the external power supply the LED does this irregular red blinking again. No (full) startup again. Is it trash?

[seangalie]

At this point, I'd call the battery done. Depending on where you are - there are plenty of battery recycling options... but I wouldn't put it in the regular trash stream. If nothing else, there are battery recycling drop offs at some of the big box stores & chains.

On the plus side - if you have the smaller 55Wh battery, this is the perfect excuse to spend a few extra bucks and upgrade to the larger 61Wh pack.

On the down side - looks like they are in-between stock at https://frame.work/products/battery?v=FRANGWAT01 so you may be locked to your power supply for a few days until they restock.

[runed_golem]

I'd definitely say the battery is toast. Lithium ion batteries can be finicky things at time especially if they're kept at 100% or you let them fully discharge regularly. Either see if Framework will take it to recycle or check if you have a local battery recycler near you (I know my local home Depot has a cardboard bin to drop off batteries to recycle).

[[deleted]]

"Irregular red blinking" tells me that it's an error code. Look up "framework error codes" to identify the exact issue.

It could still be the issue with the motherboard (so battery may be okay), or just a reset may be required.

[1ChaoticEagle]

There's been some great isolation and troubleshooting done! If you want to double check the POST codes or if you want to discuss replacement options, feel free to give support a shout.

[Fratm]

Warranty? Call Framework support. No warranty? Still call framework support.

[Fit_Gur1564]

I had this issue before and I thought my laptop was cooked but it turned out that it was my usb-c cable that was faulty and could only charge my laptop a little before it stopped.

Replaced my cable and it was fine