diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'blog/post')
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/post/2023-11-13.html | 197 |
1 files changed, 194 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/blog/post/2023-11-13.html b/blog/post/2023-11-13.html index 83b9625..411fb12 100644 --- a/blog/post/2023-11-13.html +++ b/blog/post/2023-11-13.html @@ -49,7 +49,9 @@ function ol() <li id="tocouter"> <span>Table of Contents</span> <ul id="tocroot"> - <li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch0">“Repasting” with PTM 7950</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch1">Semi-long term review</a></li><li><ul class="tocnode"><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch2">Disassembly reveals …</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch3">Other early adopter issues</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch4">How well did it hold up?</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch5">Random rants</a></li></ul></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch6">Contemplating upgrades</a></li></ul> + <li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch0">“Repasting” with PTM 7950</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch1">Semi-long term review</a></li><li><ul class="tocnode"><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch2">Disassembly reveals …</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch3">Other early adopter issues</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch4">How well did it hold up?</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch5">Random rants</a></li></ul></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch6">Contemplating upgrades</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch7">RTC +battery substitute module installation and upgrades</a></li><li><ul class="tocnode"><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch8">Troubleshooting the modded +laptop</a></li><li><a class="toctarg" href="#tocanch9">Other upgrades</a></li></ul></li></ul> </li> <li style="margin-left:-0.5em"><a id="prevp" href="2022-11-27.html">Prev post</a></li> <li style="margin-left:-0.5em"><a id="nextp" href="Privacy.html">Next post</a></li> @@ -59,6 +61,8 @@ function ol() <h2 id="titleh" class="TText" style="font-wight:normal;">Framework Laptop: Repasting & Two Year Report</h2> <div id="datetags" class="TText" style="margin-bottom:1em;">2023-11-13<br>#device-review #computer-repairing</div> <hr><div id="article" class="TText"><article> +<p>Updated 2023-11-27: Added stuff on the RTC battery replacement module +installation and part swap.</p> <h2 id="tocanch0" class="tvis">“Repasting” with PTM 7950</h2> <p>I’ve been reading testimonials from people replacing thermal paste in their laptops with @@ -241,16 +245,203 @@ replacement any day of the week. The price is a little steep though.</p> <p>There’s another upgrade that I’d love to get. A trackpoint keyboard with proper mouse buttons. I’m sure Lenovo would do anything to sabotage it, but I can always dream.</p> +<h2 id="tocanch7" class="tvis">RTC +battery substitute module installation and upgrades</h2> +<p>The battery module was sent out the day before US Thanksgiving. I +also decided to treat myself with the aforementioned matte screen +upgrade and a proper Chinese keyboard, which were sent out on the same +day.</p> +<p>Following the official guide linked above, the installation was +pretty straight forward. I don’t have stellar soldering skills or very +stable hands, but here are a few photos from the installation plus my +commentry.</p> +<table> +<tbody><tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtcmp.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtcmp.jpg"></a> <br>RTC battery +substitute module packing. Unassuming. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtcmi.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtcmi.jpg"></a> <br>The module itself. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtcmt.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtcmt.jpg"></a> <br>After soldering. I +applied a <em>little</em> bit too much solder. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtcmf.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtcmf.jpg"></a> <br>Final position. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +</tbody></table> +<h3 id="tocanch8" class="tvis">Troubleshooting the modded +laptop</h3> +<p>Unfortunately, as things usually are for me, it didn’t go right after +this point. Immediately after finishing the mod the machine still +refused to turn on with the AC adaptor unplugged. It could boot with the +adaptor plugged in and stay on after unplugging it while the laptop is +running. Unplugging the machine with it turned off would erase all CMOS +data. This was the exact same behavior exhibited before I performed the +RTC battery modification.</p> +<p>So I had to start the troubleshooting process. The power wire to the +RTC battery substitute module measured 17.5 V to ground when the machine +was powered on, so I didn’t mess up the soldering <a id="n4" href="#note4" class="note">[4]</a>. The outer ring of the module measured 3.2 V to ground, +so the module itself is good. Neither values changed when I turned the +machine off or had it unplugged after that. At this point pretty much +all hardware faults that I could think of have been ruled out.</p> +<p>Then I remembered that my machine is on BIOS version 3.17, while the +latest release was 3.19 for this motherboard. So I decided to give that +a shot. I quickly grabbed the update from their website and installed +it, and voilà: the machine was able to turn on without the AC power +attached once the BIOS has been updated.</p> +<p>I still felt a bit iffy with my installation though, so I decided to +go through the official installation guide again to make sure I followed +everything – and of course I did not. There is apparently a specific +orientation requirement for the module (a working one is shown in the +second picture of step 3 in the guide). So I adjusted mine to match the +picture for good measure, which resulted in the final installation photo +shown above. There was also a comment under the official mentioning the +module orientation issue.</p> +<table> +<tbody><tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtctv0.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtctv0.jpg"></a> <br>3.2 V present on +outer ring of the module with the computer powered on and plugged in. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtctv1.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtctv1.jpg"></a> <br>17.5 V going into +the module with the computer powered on and plugged in. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtctv2.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtctv2.jpg"></a> <br>3.2 V still +present when the machine is turned off but remain plugged in. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-rtctv3.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-rtctv3.jpg"></a> <br>3.2 V still +present when the machine is both turned off and unplugged. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +</tbody></table> +<p>By now I have the RTC battery substitute module fully working as +Framework intended. However I couldn’t help but notice that this still +doesn’t give the laptop the normally expected behavior according to the +schematic of the module and a statement from Framework themselves, both +of which can be found +<a href="https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/RTCRework">here</a>. For a +normal laptop one would expect when its main battery runs out it would +still be able to keep time and the BIOS configuration. However with this +modification being essentially just a voltage regulator (NCP718) and +having no significant energy storage at all, the machine +<strong>will</strong> lose all CMOS data once the main battery cuts out, +which functions more like a normal laptop with a dead CMOS battery. But +I guess it’s probably better than losing CMOS data even with a fully +charged main battery…</p> +<h3 id="tocanch9" class="tvis">Other upgrades</h3> +<p>I actually performed these part swaps between soldering the battery +module thingy in and the troubleshooting process. But that didn’t really +matter because these upgrades went pretty smoothly without any drama. +There were a lot of screws to undo and screw back in though (25 black +ones and <strong>48</strong> silver ones?? I couldn’t really keep track +of the number.) <a id="n5" href="#note5" class="note">[5]</a> These screws are pretty annoying to +handle because they have incredibly short shanks and are incredibly easy +to strip. With the official screw driver they easily stick together and +the ifixit screw driver couldn’t reliably pick them up. The sheer number +of them only added to the trouble I had to go through to replace my +perfectly working keyboard with one that has additional legends on the +keys that I will barely look at. Is it really worth the trouble? (Yes… +if it had a trackpoint goddammit!)</p> +<table> +<tbody><tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-scr.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-scr.jpg"></a> <br>The screen. Wanky +Apple-esque packaging. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-scp.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-scp.jpg"></a> <br>Screen unboxed. +Apparently the newer 13 inch AMD model comes with this type of screen. +<br>(which is objectively superior btw) +</div> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-kbp.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-kbp.jpg"></a> <br>Keyboard unboxed. I +can type Chinese using bopomofo at like 3 ch/min and I barely remember +anything about Cangjie. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-ksc.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-ksc.jpg"></a> <br>National guild of +screws. Nobody will get this reference. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-scc.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-scc.jpg"></a> <br>The screens side by +side. Original screen on the left. The matte screen actually looked very +good for what it is. +</div> +</td> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-scb.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-scb.jpg"></a> <br>Back of the screens. +Original on the left. Both made by BOE. +</div> +</td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td> +<div style="text-align:center;max-width:98%;"> +<a href="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/fw-kbb.jpg"><img style="width: 50%;" src="//filestorage.chrisoft.org/blog/img/ssbsthumb_1024x1024_fw-kbb.jpg"></a> <br>The new keyboard +with backlight on. Fun fact: practically all computers sold in mainland +China come with a standard US ANSI keyboard. +</div> +</td> +<td> +</td> +</tr> +</tbody></table> </article> </div><br><hr> <div class="TText" id="notediv" style="font-size:80%;"><span class="TText"><a id="note1" href="#n1">[1]</a>: <a href="https://community.frame.work/t/touchpad-clicking-issues/37059">[1]</a> <a href="https://community.frame.work/t/touchpad-click-not-working-and-getting-loose/16408">[2]</a> -<br></span><span class="TText"><a id="note2" href="#n2">[2]</a>: their +<br></span><span class="TText"><a id="note2" href="#n2">[2]</a>: Their crappy GPU driver being a major PITA for me – my experience with AMD graphics seems very inconsistent with most Linux users. No I refuse to elaborate here because that would derail the entire post.<br></span><span class="TText"><a id="note3" href="#n3">[3]</a>: Because I -run Gentoo. Now laugh at me as you wish.<br></span></div> +run Gentoo. Now laugh at me as you wish.<br></span><span class="TText"><a id="note4" href="#n4">[4]</a>: Even +admittedly it looked pretty bad as all my soldering jobs have been so +far.<br></span><span class="TText"><a id="note5" href="#n5">[5]</a>: So many that they actually forgot to circle +out two of them in their official guide. Multiple comments under the +guide already pointed this out, but Framework hasn’t modified the guide +at the time of writing.<br></span></div> <div id="insanch" style="height:3em;"></div> <div id="footer" style=""> <div id="pagesw" class="TText" style="width:100%;height:0.5em;"></div> |