To understand why Framework’s decision is radical, one must understand the status quo. For the last two decades, the trajectory of consumer electronics has been toward opacity.
When a component fails on a modern Logic Board from a major manufacturer (like Apple or Dell), even experienced independent repair technicians are often flying blind. Without the schematic—a map detailing voltage rails, capacitor locations, and signal paths—repairing a motherboard is like trying to navigate a city with all the street signs removed.
"Right to Repair" has long been a legislative battle, but Framework approached it as an engineering problem. Their thesis was simple: You cannot truly own a device if you cannot understand how it works.
Solid, but not perfect.
Framework’s decision to release schematics is industry-leading and deserves praise. It makes real repair possible and encourages a repair-friendly ecosystem. However, without layout files or full BOMs, independent board remanufacturing isn’t feasible. If you need component-level repair documentation for a modern laptop, this is your best — and almost only — option.
Rating: 4.5/5 – A gold standard in an otherwise closed industry.
Framework Computer provides a notable level of technical openness for their laptops, though they do not release full, "component-level" motherboard schematics to the general public due to trade secrets and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with partners like Intel and AMD
However, they offer several "feature-like" technical resources that bridge the gap for enthusiasts and developers: Partial Schematics & Pinouts framework laptop schematics
: Framework provides a 12-page PDF containing high-level board overviews and detailed schematics for Framework-specific connectors. Expansion Card Developer Program : To encourage modularity, they have released
for the motherboard and associated boards, along with pinout and connector information. Open Source Embedded Controller (EC) : They have released the source code
for the laptop's Embedded Controller, allowing users to customize low-level hardware functions like keyboard mapping and battery charging behavior. Mainboard Reuse
: The Framework mainboard is designed to function as a standalone, high-power x86 CPU module. Framework provides the necessary documentation to use it outside of the laptop chassis for custom projects. Github repositories for their open-source hardware files or more info on the Expansion Card developer kits?
Follow-up: Expansion Card Developer Program or Mainboard Reuse? How Framework Laptop Broke The Hacker Ceiling - Hackaday
Framework Laptop schematics are uniquely accessible compared to other manufacturers, though they are released strategically to balance open-source repairability with intellectual property protection. Types of Available Schematics Public Mainboard Interfaces : Framework provides interface schematics (e.g., for Framework Laptop 16 AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series To understand why Framework’s decision is radical, one
) on their GitHub. These cover critical connector pinouts for the eDP (display), camera, keyboard, and expansion cards. Expansion Card Developer Program
: Full reference designs and schematics are available for those developing custom Expansion Cards Repair Shop Access
: Detailed mainboard schematics and assembly drawings are provided to professional repair businesses upon request to support component-level repair. RISC-V Ecosystem : In partnership with DeepComputing
, schematics for the RISC-V mainboards are shared more openly to foster developer tinkering. Framework Community Deep Dive: Key Components 2nd gen RISC-V board announced by deepcomputing
The Framework Laptop represents a major shift in consumer electronics by providing public access to various levels of its hardware design documentation, ranging from high-level block diagrams to specific interface schematics. While full, component-level motherboard schematics are often restricted by third-party non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), the company maintains an open-source ethos through its developer programs and community repositories. Core Hardware Documentation
Framework distinguishes between "publicly available" documentation and "repair-specific" information: Framework laptop schematics reward a curious reader: the
Public Interface Schematics: Framework has published detailed electrical schematics for the connectors surrounding the Mainboard. This includes pinouts for Expansion Cards, keyboards, displays, and internal ports to enable third-party development.
Developer Repositories: The Framework GitHub contains 2D and 3D CAD drawings for the Framework Laptop 13 and 16, allowing creators to design custom chassis, skins, or modules.
Advanced Repair Access: Complete schematics and assembly drawings are available to professional repair shops upon request. This tiered access helps manage intellectual property constraints from partners like Intel or AMD while still supporting the right to repair. Key Informative Resources
For a deeper technical understanding of the hardware, the following official and community-driven papers and guides are essential:
Main logic board schematic and board view - Framework Laptop 13
Framework laptop schematics reward a curious reader: the more you explore, the clearer the system-level thinking becomes — and the more possibilities open up for repair, customization, and creative engineering.
Buried in the schematic is the location of the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) flash chip containing the BIOS/UEFI. For a bricked laptop, the schematic shows which pins to attach a CH341A programmer to. Without these details, recovering a corrupted BIOS would require desoldering the chip.