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Thread: Intel Atom based 'compute sticks' - as per description

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    Default Intel Atom based 'compute sticks' - as per description

    These things are as per this listing (sans the win10 OS - units are installed with Debian 11) --> Hmm, I just noticed they don't say all 3 USB ports operate in 'host' mode (even the microUSB port marked 'power'), and I'm not sure but there ?might? be a 128gb limit on the microSD card slot ... but in any event, the HDMI, microSD slot and all USB ports work fine, and the units operate fine....but...

    ...they have a fault -- the TX section of the BT/WIFI module is fuxxored. I did the triage on a 3rd unit ~ they all display the same fault, no WIFI transmission ; with linux installed you can hook up to the module just fine, and at the kernel interface you see incoming/outgoing packets just fine, but the module itself produces no RF energy that I can measure. The BT/WIFI module they've used, is this widget -> On the unit I disassembled, the solder joints between the carrier PCB and PCBA didn't look real flash, but reworking same & reflowing with leaded solder did nothing to fix the fault...in fact, I think RX improved a little =) But no TX... =(

    Just considering the kernel module communicates with the rtl8723 just fine, and that IC isn't returning any fault flags, I tend to speculate that something external to the IC on the RF amplifier circuit has gone byebyes, and the fix as it were is just to replace the BT/WIFI module. Is that possible? Depends on how comfortable one is with SMD rework...even though we're talking about a carrier board, not a component as such. The DRAM chips are under the area where the wifi module is on the bottom of PCBA, but there's a big groundplane around/under the module location, so that'll help if you wanted to hotair it all the way -- in my mind though, I'd flood/reflow all the solder joints between module/PCBA with lowmelt solder, and remove it with hotair (temp up/low flow), then clean the area, sit the new module in place with good flux, and there's enough room to go around and hand-solder the module to PCBA with your favourite thin hot pointy thing (pencil iron) ; it's doable....(I can show you where/what type of hidden plastic clips they used, to aid disassembly of case =)

    The intel atom z37xx SoC is a bit of an odd thing, in that it only supports 32bit UEFI boot addressing, and you install your 64bit OS of choice ontop of that as it were. Ergo (debian centric) the amd64 install image will not boot.. the i386 install image will boot (image = cd/dvd ISO flashed to USB stick). The way around this, is to use the multiarch install image, which handles this scenario and gives you an option to install 32bit OS, instead of the default 64bit OS (based on CPU type)...but as the multiarch install image is a netinst image, you have to get networking up, or you're headed for a base system only ending. To that end, I used both a USB->ethernet adapter, and a USB->wifi dongle (that has linux drivers/support), and both methods worked fine -- ergo, you don't really need to fix the builtin BT/WIFI module to use them 'as intended' ; there are other ways to obtain network connectivity.

    The units were deemed BER due to the cost of repair exceeding their 'used condition' worth fully functioning. They work just fine, only internal bluetooth/wifi is broken. Each come with a 200mm female-2-male HDMI cable, no power supply (any 5v/2A supply with microUSB plug will do, but for instance I installed/tested using the HDMI input of a teevee display, and powered the stick via a USB2->microUSB phone charging cable plugged into a USB port on the teevee as well, and it works fine like that =) I only have 2.... one black, one blue...(same specs)



    I'm only looking to recover postage costs really, so $10/unit which includes postage to anywhere in AU - limit 1 per buyer, message me if interested.



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    These have been sold ~ closing thread

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