What packages to install to build ENTIRE firmware Archer C60?

[paranoidone]

OK, my TP-Link Archer C60 can't be flashed via the webGUI or TFTP so I unsoldered it and put it on a CH341a. I was able to read the flash and make a copy and then reflashed the BIOS with OpenWRT. Then I resoldered it on the router board.

Now my flash is dead. I think that I used too high a heat setting on the hot air gun because I can't read the flash at all.

So, I ordered another flash chip, costs $1 and want to reflash it but AFAIK OpenWRT doers not come with a boot loader so I'm thinking that I will need to compile my own BIOS to include the boot loader.

My question is what packages do I need? I see a huge list but being new, I'm not sure what packages to install to use the router, run OpenVPN and make the router as bulletproof as possible.

Boot loader, Dropbear, MIPS74K library, LuCi, Ufirewall, Network-VPN, opkg what else? I couldn't find a cheatsheet presumably because anyone building their own firmware knows what they want. I'm pretty sure that I can compile myself.

[slh]

OpenWrt relies on parts of the original vendor content of your flash, in particular u-boot (this you might be able to extract from a vendor firmware or build yourself based on the OEM's GPL tarball, either way OpenWrt won't help you with this) and wireless calibration data, which is unique to your device and based on its calibration results - if it's gone (without you having a backup), it's non-replaceable and the WLAN will remain dead forever.

[paranoidone]

@slh, OH. I didn't know about the antenna calibration. Good to know. Thanks.

[paranoidone]

I know what I did wrong. I used a cheap CH341A programmer and wrote OpenWRT to the BIOS but I believe I overwrote the Boot-loader. Learned something new again.