Intel Compute Stick - No video

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I tried to install OpenWrt on two Intel Compute Sticks that I got. Both work well since they came with Win 10, and I installed xUbuntu 24 and later Debian 12 without any issues. However, when I tried to install OpenWRT, I saw the boot menu (grub-like), but when the typical booting process output should appear, the screen just goes blank. I waited a few minutes to check for slowness, but nothing happened. I also tried changing the OS type in the BIOS (32 vs 64-bit and Linux vs Windows), secure boot is disabled, and I tried burning the image to both an SD card and the eMMC (I haven't tried USB, but I suppose it wouldn't make a difference either). BTW, I just need the video to complete the installation (ensure wifi is working, etc).

These are the models:

  • Intel Compute Stick STCK1A32WFC, 1st Gen 2015, Intel Atom CPU Z3735F @ 1.33GHz, 2GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz - HDMI 1080p capable

  • Intel Compute Stick STK1AW32SC, 2nd Gen 2017, Intel Atom CPU X5-Z8330 @ 1.44GHz, 2GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz - HDMI 4k capable

Images I tried:

  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-64-generic-ext4-combined-efi.img
  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-64-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img
  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-generic-generic-ext4-combined-efi.img
  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-generic-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img

Do someone knows how to solve it ?

I read somewhere that these CPU's are 64bits but with 32bits UEFI, I'm thinking that is highly probably due to that, could we get somehow an image that way? maybe if I try to image the 32 UEFI and then I backup the partition and then image the 64bits one and restore the 32bit boot partition ?
Would be great to have such image 64bit image like that:

  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-64-generic-ext4-combined-efi32.img
  • openwrt-23.05.5-x86-64-generic-squashfs-combined-efi32.img

PS: I just want to install OpenWrt (otherwise use it as headless Debian boxes) since the CPU and eMMC are so underpowered that even the lightest Linux runs terribly slow. I guess with WiFi will work well.

Thanks.

2

That is not going to be easy to accomplish, while technically possible, it's going to be quite a challenge for you to implement.

3

may I ask why?
I already saw that the image has splitted the boot and the ext4 in two separate partitions.

4

Because for OpenWrt packages it isn't that easy to cross target/ arch barriers (no multilib).

5

I guess it only needs to have the boot as 32bits and then when boot happens would just work as 64 flawlessly? or it wont?

6

Possibly, but that would require testing. The problem is more building it.

However what you can try now, would be an i386 image with 32 bit UEFI https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/23.05.5/targets/x86/generic/openwrt-23.05.5-x86-generic-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img.gz - yes, that's not ideal, but at least an easy first test.

These devices are a weird and fortunately short-lived combination, born from Intel's inability to provide 64 bit drivers for their Imagination/ PowerVR licensed GPU core (the dreaded GMA500) and probably in part in an attempt to skimp on RAM as a second thought. No 64 bit graphics driver --> no 64 bit OS/ kernel possible --> 32 bit bootloader required, while linux and grub2 found a way to load a 64 bit kernel from UEFI32, Windows never did (and fortunately these devices remained exotic, a glitch in the matrix).

7

I already tried that one, maybe I missed changing the bios flag but I guess I tried it and changed it also...