Blinking Red/Amber Side LED

Summary

The side LEDs on Framework laptops can blink red or amber for several unrelated reasons, each requiring a different resolution. The two most common causes are: (1) the chassis intrusion switch detecting that the input cover is not properly seated, and (2) an EC firmware bug (fixed in BIOS 3.08+) that caused the charging LED to blink amber when the battery was fully charged¹²³.

This page covers both the chassis intrusion blinking and the charging LED amber blink. For the separate diagnostic blink code sequence (12 red/green blinks followed by 8 blue/green blinks during boot failure), see Framework's Blink Code Diagnostic article⁴.

Symptoms

Chassis Intrusion Blinking

• Both side LEDs blink red continuously while the laptop is powered on (on battery or plugged in)¹⁵
• The laptop otherwise functions normally — charging, display, keyboard all work¹
• The blinking persists across reboots and does not stop on its own⁵
• The issue typically appears after opening the laptop for maintenance (RAM upgrade, SSD swap, etc.)⁵⁶

Charging LED Amber Blink (Fixed)

• The side LED blinks amber/orange only when fully charged and plugged in²³⁷
• LED turns solid white briefly at 100%, then switches to blinking amber²
• Occurs even with no battery charge limit set in BIOS²
• Only affects the side where the charger is connected⁷
• Affects BIOS 3.07 on Framework Laptop 13 (11th Gen Intel)³

Affected Models

Chassis Intrusion Blinking

• Framework Laptop 13 (all generations) — all use the same chassis intrusion switch mechanism¹⁵⁶
• Framework Laptop 16⁸
• Framework Mainboard used standalone (e.g., in Coolermaster case or custom builds)⁹

Charging LED Amber Blink

• Framework Laptop 13 (11th Gen Intel) with BIOS 3.07²³

Root Cause

Chassis Intrusion Blinking

Framework laptops have a chassis intrusion switch (labeled SW3 on the mainboard) located near the top rear center of the board, between the CPU cooler and RAM slots⁶¹⁰. This switch detects whether the input cover (keyboard deck) is installed. It is engaged by a small black foam pad on the underside of the input cover that presses against the switch when the cover is seated⁵⁶.

The blinking red LEDs are a safety feature — they warn the user not to disconnect any cables or components while the mainboard is powered¹. When the switch is not engaged, the EC assumes the chassis is open⁵.

Framework engineer DHowett confirmed: "The blinking red lights indicate that the input cover is not seated properly — or that it has been removed — and that the computer is powered on."⁶

The foam pad can become misaligned because it is only attached with adhesive. Even a 1–2 mm shift is enough to prevent it from contacting the switch⁵⁶. In some cases, the foam pad is missing entirely from factory replacement input covers⁶¹¹.

For mainboard-only users (no chassis), the intrusion switch will always be open, causing constant blinking⁹.

Charging LED Amber Blink

In BIOS 3.07, an EC firmware bug caused the charging LED to blink amber when the battery reached full charge, even without a charge limit set. The LED should have remained solid white when fully charged²³.

Framework engineer DHowett confirmed the fix: "This has already been fixed in the embedded controller firmware (commit) and it'll be out with the next firmware update."³

The fix was released in BIOS 3.08 for 11th Gen Intel³.

Diagnosis

1. Determine which issue you have:

   • Both sides blinking red all the time → chassis intrusion switch issue
   • Only the charging side blinking amber when at 100% → EC firmware bug (update BIOS)

2. For chassis intrusion blinking, verify the input cover is fully seated:

   • Ensure all captive screws are tightened, especially the middle screw along the hinge side¹²
   • If the laptop was recently opened for maintenance, the foam pad likely shifted

3. Locate the chassis intrusion switch and foam pad:

   • The switch (SW3) is a small silver button near the top rear center of the mainboard⁶¹⁰
   • The foam pad is a black square on the underside of the input cover, positioned to press against SW3 when closed⁵

4. Check BIOS version for the amber blink issue:

   sudo dmidecode -s bios-version

   If on BIOS 3.07 (11th Gen Intel), updating to 3.08 or later resolves the amber blink³.

Workarounds & Fixes

Chassis Intrusion Blinking

Solution	Effectiveness	Notes
Realign the foam pad on the input cover56	Fixes the issue	Open the laptop, locate the black foam pad on the underside of the input cover, reposition it over the engraved outline on the aluminum. Some users added extra adhesive to prevent it from shifting again
Replace missing foam pad11	Fixes the issue	If the foam pad is missing (common with replacement input covers), create a substitute from foam tape or similar material, approximately 3–4 mm thick, positioned to contact SW3
Tighten all captive screws12	May fix	Ensure the middle screw along the hinge side is fully tightened — this aligns the input cover so the foam pad contacts the switch
Enable Standalone Mode in BIOS11	Workaround	Disables the chassis intrusion check. Useful for mainboard-only builds or as a temporary fix. Access via BIOS → Security tab
Disable chassis intrusion detection in BIOS9	Workaround	Available under BIOS → Security tab on some BIOS versions. Does not work on all firmware versions

Charging LED Amber Blink

Solution	Effectiveness	Notes
Update BIOS to 3.08 or later3	Permanent fix	The EC firmware fix was included starting with BIOS 3.08 for 11th Gen Intel
Unplug and replug charger7	Temporary	Stops the blinking until the next full charge cycle

Resolution

Chassis Intrusion Blinking

For the foam pad misalignment issue, the fix is physical — realigning or replacing the foam pad. If the foam pad is missing from a replacement input cover, contact Framework Support for a replacement¹¹.

For mainboard-only users, enable Standalone Mode in BIOS to disable the intrusion check entirely⁹¹¹.

Charging LED Amber Blink

Permanently resolved in BIOS 3.08 and all subsequent releases for the Framework Laptop 13 (11th Gen Intel)³.

Related

• Fully Resetting the Mainboard State — Framework Guides (also uses blinking red LEDs as part of the reset procedure)
• Framework Laptop 13 Blink Code Diagnostic — Framework Knowledge Base (boot diagnostic codes)
• My Framework Laptop is not powering on — Framework Help Center
• The Framework Laptop's Embedded Controller (EC) — DHowett (EC reverse engineering documentation)

Footnotes

1. Blinking red LED on side? — Framework Community (Mar 2022) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Side LED blinking amber / red when fully charged, no charge limit set — Framework Community (May 2022) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Side LED blinking amber — Comment by DHowett — Framework Community (May 2022) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

4. Framework Laptop 13 Blink Code Diagnostic — Framework Knowledge Base ↩

5. [SOLVED] Constant Red Blinking Lights when Powered On — Framework Community (Apr 2023) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

6. Blinking red LED on side? — Comment by DHowett — Framework Community (Jun 2023) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

7. Charging indicator blinking red — Framework Community (Feb 2022) ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Framework 16 won't charge, side LED blinking orange — Framework Community (Feb 2026) ↩

9. Disable chassis intrusion blinking — Framework Community (Mar 2023) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. Framework 13 Ryzen — Point me towards the mainboard switch — Comment by Daniel_Schaefer — Framework Community (Jan 2025) ↩ ↩²

11. [SOLVED] Constant Red Blinking Lights — Comment by Victor_Gander and Morpheus636 — Framework Community (Oct 2024) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

12. Blinking red LED on side? — Comment re: captive screw — Framework Community (Nov 2024) ↩ ↩²