Archive:Chromebox

Chromebox
Released	2014-03-14 (US)
OS	Chrome OS
CPU	Intel® Celeron 2955U (M004U) / Intel® Core i3-4010U (M075U)
Storage	16GB internal SSD
RAM	2 GB (M004U) / 4GB (M075U), Dual Channel, DDR3 at 1600MHz
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (M004U) / Intel® HD Graphics 4400 (M075U)
Connectivity	HDMI, Displayport, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 2 -in-1 Card Reader, Audio jack
Dimensions	4.88 x 4.88 x 1.65 inch (WxDxH)

Asus Chromebox Rear Ports

Asus Chromebox Side/Front Ports

Devices

x86 hardware

Chromebox

The ASUS and HP Chromebox PCs are small lightweight intel PCs that runs Chrome OS and can be made to boot into other linux versions. It features HDMI, Displayport, USB 3 ports, gig ethernet, SD card slot, and internal wireless-n networking. This page is a collection of links, information, tips, and guides related to running XBMC on the Chromebox line of computers.

Note: A lot of this page was written for the ASUS Chromebox, but nearly all of these steps will be the same on the HP Chromebox. The hardware is almost identical except for only having 1 dimm instead of the 2 the ASUS has.

Device Preparation

Put in Developer Mode

Putting the ChromeBox in developer mode will allow you to access the underlying Linux operating system features necessary for installing XBMC.

WARNING: This will erase all user data on the device.

With the device powered off:

1. Insert a paperclip into the hole left of the SD card slot and press the recovery button
2. Power on the device, then remove the paper clip
3. When greeted with the recovery screen, press [CTRL-D] to enter developer mode
4. Press the recovery button (with paperclip) to confirm.

After confirming, the device will reboot and wipe any existing user data - this will take ~5 minutes. Afterwards, the ChromeBox will be in developer mode (as opposed to standard/verified boot mode), and the developer boot screen will be shown at each boot.

The developer boot screen has some scary text about OS verification being off, with instructions to hit [SPACE] if you want to re-enable it. This will return the device from developer mode to standard/verified boot mode, so don't do that. The developer mode boot screen has a ~30s delay, followed by two beeps, before booting. You can skip the delay by pressing [CTRL-D] to immediately boot into ChromeOS.

Disable Firmware Write Protect

Disabling the firmware write protect will allow us to shorten the developer boot screen timeout (from 30s to ~1s) in a dial boot configuration, and optionally boot directly to the legacy BIOS (and into Ubuntu or OpenELEC). This is also necessary for standalone setups so that the stock firmware can be updated.

With the device powered off and unplugged:

1. Remove (4) rubber feet from bottom of unit
2. Remove (4) screws under rubber feet
3. Separate two halves of unit. Tip: partially insert the screw removed from the notched end, but do not re-thread it. Use it to help separate the two halves.
4. Remove write-protect screw circled below:

   

5. Reassemble in reverse order

The write-protect screw can be left out permanently.

Perform a Factory Reset

A factory reset is not needed on a Standalone setup, but must be performed prior to any dual-boot installation.

Google's recovery tool seems to be picky about what kind/size of USB/SD media you use. I've had the best luck with 4GB/8GB media, but YMMV. Anecdotally, creating the recovery media from within ChromeOS seems to be the most reliable method.

1. Create recovery media using step 2 of Google's instructions here: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1080595?hl=en or open chrome://imageburner on the device
2. With the device powered off, use a paperclip to press the Recovery button and power on the device
3. Insert the recovery media (USB or SD) when prompted

Note that this will re-partition the internal hard drive and restore the original copy of ChromeOS, erasing anything else on the drive. The ChromeBox will still be left in developer mode, and if you changed the boot options they will still be set.

If you're having trouble creating the recovery media using Google's recovery tool above, you can manually download the recovery image and write it to a USB stick:

• Download Recovery image:

  Asus: https://dl.google.com/dl/edgedl/chromeos/recovery/chromeos_5841.98.0_panther_recovery_stable-channel_mp.bin.zip

  HP: https://dl.google.com/dl/edgedl/chromeos/recovery/chromeos_5841.98.0_zako_recovery_stable-channel_mp-v2.bin.zip

• Download Win32 Disk Imager: http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/
• Unzip the recovery image; the file should be ~1.5 GB
• Rename the recovery image extension from .bin to .img
• Write the image to your USB media using Win32 Disk Imager

Installing XBMC

XBMC can be installed via OpenELEC or Ubuntu+XBMC, in either a standalone or dual boot configuration. This is accomplished via the ChromeBox E-Z Setup script, which must be run from either ChromeOS or ChromiumOS.

To run the ChromeBox E-Z Setup script, perform the following steps:

1. Power on and boot to ChromeOS/ChromiumOS. Do not log in, but ensure a network connection is established.
2. Hit CTRL-ALT-F2 to open command prompt
3. Login with user chronos (no password required for ChromeOS; ChromiumOS uses 'password')
4. Download and run the ChromeBox setup script with the commands:

   curl -L -O http://goo.gl/3Tfu5W

   sudo bash 3Tfu5W

Full instructions and explanation of the script's usage can be found at the following forum thread: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=194362

Updating XBMC

OpenELEC

The Chromebox is a pretty run-of-the-mill x86_64 Intel system (albeit, like the NUC, with an ultra low power processor). The standard OpenELEC builds - labeled 'Generic x86_64' - work perfectly well, and it is recommended to use OpenELEC's auto-update feature (System --> OpenELEC --> System --> Automatic Updates: auto). If that doesn't work for some reason, you can manually update using the instructions on the OpenELEC wiki.

Recommended Settings

OpenELEC

This assumes you are using the default skin (Confluence); others may differ slightly.

• System-->OpenELEC-->System: Automatic Updates:Auto
• System-->OpenELEC-->Services: Enable Bluetooth:Selected (if using Bluetooth)
• System-->Settings-->System: Settings Level:Expert
• System-->Settings-->System-->Video Output: Vertical blank sync:Enabled during video playback
• System-->Settings-->System-->Power Saving: Shutdown function:Suspend (sets IR power toggle to suspend)
• System-->Settings-->Videos-->Acceleration: Use VC-1 VAAPI:Selected
• System-->Settings-->Videos-->Acceleration: Use SW Filter for VAAPI:Selected

Known issues + Fixes/Workarounds

Installation:

• Some keyboards seem to have issues working on the ChromeOS developer boot screen (before the OS is booted), and therefore cannot be used to setup/install XBMC on a ChromeBox. The Logitech K400 is one of these, so use another keyboard to install if yours doesn't appear to be working.

Color Range Selection:

• This topic is a bit of a minefield, but this post on the forums is a good read. It's for a NUC, but it applies to the ChromeBox as well. On some displays, the display and Intel video driver are not able to automatically sync up (in terms of which color space is being used), leading to incorrect black/white levels. You can download/play the following video clip to test: Grayscale Ramp test (file courtesy of avsforum.com). The correct output will show the grayscale ramp having a smooth transition (rather than stair steps) from 16-235, with solid black/white past the dots at the ends. See: correct grayscale ramp.

  Solution: add the following line to the autostart script and reboot the device:

  xrandr --output HDMI1 --set "Broadcast RGB" "Full"

  Use 'DP1' instead of 'HDMI1' if connected via the DisplayPort output. See the OpenELEC Autostart wiki page for more info.

  You may also need to select the XBMC option 'Used limited color range' under Settings-->System-->Video Output. Use the video clip and image above as a guide.

No Audio on Wakeup

• Some displays/AVRs don't successfully handshake when resuming from suspend, leading to no audio output until the audio output device is changed or the device rebooted.

  Solution: add the following line to the autostart script and reboot the device:

  xrandr --output HDMI1 --set "audio" "on"

  Use 'DP1' instead of 'HDMI1' if connected via the DisplayPort output. See the OpenELEC Autostart wiki page for more info.

Video Playback:

• An Intel Linux video driver bug ( https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=78960 ) causes intermittent freezes/pauses.

  Workaround: (OpenELEC) enable the 'Use SW filter for VAAPI' option Settings-->Video-->Acceleration.

  Workaround: (XBMC 13.2+?) disable the 'Prefer VAAPI Rendering' option Settings-->Video-->Acceleration.

• With the stock firmware, some kernels have high idle CPU usage on one core with a single channel/single 2GB stick of RAM; 4GB (2x2GB, or any dual-channel configuration) has no issue. Standalone setups running coreboot firmware do not have this issue regardless of memory configuration.

Remote Controls:

• Most MCE IR receivers work properly now when connected to USB3 ports with kernel 3.16.x, though older kernels will require patching. OpenELEC is fully up to date and good to go. The version of Ubuntu installed by the ChromeBox EZ setup script in a dual boot setup also includes the necessary patch. However, some MCE receivers still do not work properly (at all), as noted below in the Hardware/Remotes section.

For standalone Ubuntu (or any other distro) installs, you will need to update to a 3.16 kernel, or a custom kernel will need to be compiled with the patched/fixed driver. A patch is available for 3.14 kernels here, but the application of the patch and installation of the fixed driver is beyond the scope of this wiki. A user on ubuntuforums has made a precompiled fixed driver available with instructions here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2203116&p=13007838#post13007838

Power Management:

• Suspend/resume is generally problematic with the stock firmware (dual boot setups - OpenELEC will reboot on resume), but seems to work reliably in standalone setups running the coreboot firmware. Resume via IR remote (USB) and wake-on-lan (eg, via YATSE) work perfectly well.
• WOL only works when the ChromeBox is suspended, not fully powered off

Windows 8:

• HDMI audio doesn't work, at all, even with the proper drivers loaded. Either use the analog audio output, an external USB sound card, or run Linux.

Recommended Accessories / Hardware Upgrades

RAM:

The ChromeBox has two (2) 204-Pin SODIMM slots, which accept 1.35V DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) modules. Known working modules include:

• Crucial CT25664BF160B (2GB, 1.35v/1.5v)
• Crucial CT2CP51264BF160B (8GB [4GB x2] 1.35v/1.5v)
• Crucial CT2KIT102464BF160B (16GB [8GB x2] 1.35v/1.5v)
• Hynix HMT351S6CFR8C-PB (2GB, OEM)

Crucial also has a list of 1.35v-only compatible modules here: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-memory-for/ASUS/chromebox

SDD:

The ChromeBox uses a single M.2 NGFF SATA III SSD (42mm); stock is a 16GB SanDisk unit. Compatible upgrades include:

• MyDigitalSSD MDM242-SC2-128 (128GB)
• MyDigitalSSD MDM242-SB-064 (64GB)
• MyDigitalSSD MDM242-SB-032 (32GB)

Remote Controls:

The ChromeBox does not have a built-in IR sensor, and must therefore use an external USB receiver. In general, any remote listed on the XBMC wiki as fully working under Linux should be fine. A Microsoft eHome compatible remote/receiver is one of the most compatible, subject to the limitations listed in the 'Known Issues' section above. Specific models tested as working include:

• Flirc

  Flirc users need to set the "sleep detection" bit and program a wake key when setting it up, otherwise absolutely any IR signal will wake up your box from sleep.

• HP IR receiver model 5188-1667 (MCE/eHome)
• HP IR receiver model 5187-4593 (MCE/eHome)
• Microsoft IR receiver model 1040 (MCE/eHome)
• Sony IR receiver model PCVA-IR8U (MCE/eHome)
• HP IR remote/receiver kit OVU400102/71 (MCE/eHome, includes 5187-4593 receiver)
• Ortek IR remote/receiver kit VRC-1100 (MCE clone, receiver also works well w/Logitech Harmony remotes)
• Microsoft XBOX 360 IR remote (with MCE/eHome receiver or Flirc)
• Microsoft XBOX One IR remote (with MCE/eHome receiver or Flirc)
• Logitech Harmony remotes (programmed as Microsoft Media Center Extender, with MCE/eHome receiver or Flirc)
• Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) bluetooth remote (works with built-in BT receiver)

Currently non-working:

• HP IR receiver model 5070-2584 (MCE/eHome)
• AVS Gear HA-IR01SV (MCE/eHome)
• All Topseed manufactured MCE IR receivers

USB Audio Devices:

As the ChromeBox only has HDMI and analog audio outputs, if you need SPDIF, then either a converter or external device must be used. The following devices have been tested/confirmed working:

• Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II (plug/play in both OpenELEC and Win8.1)

Troubleshooting

Dual Booting

The most common issue with dual boot setups is being stuck on the black SeaBIOS boot screen, with the "booting from hard disk" text displayed. 99% of the time, this is due to not having performed a factory reset using the recovery media, as listed in the Device Prep section above. Simply perform the factory reset, then re-run the dual boot setup using the script as before.

OpenELEC

If the system isn't shutdown cleanly, sometimes a filesystem check (fsck) will be automatically performed. In some cases, the automatic repair is unsuccessful, and an error will show:

***Error in check_disks: could not repair filesystem, dropping to debug shell, try to run 'fsck' manually: ***

### Starting debugging shell... type exit to quit ###

sh: can't access tty; job control turned off

#_

In this case, simply run fsck manually as instructed, using the following commands, hitting [enter] after each:

For a standalone setup:

fsck /dev/sda1

fsck /dev/sda2

For a dual-boot setup:

fsck /dev/sda6

fsck /dev/sda7

After the fsck is run, type 'reboot' then hit [enter] and the system should boot normally.

Firmware/BIOS Updating

The ChromeBox's firmware consists of two main parts: the firmware itself (coreboot), and the Legacy BIOS (SeaBIOS). Users running a dual-boot configuration only need be concerned with updating the Legacy BIOS portion. Users running a standalone setup should update the custom coreboot firmware only, as it already contains an updated Legacy BIOS, which is not able to be updated separately.

Updating the Legacy BIOS

Dual-boot users should simply boot to ChromeOS and re-download/re-run the setup script, choosing the Update Legacy BIOS option under the Dual Boot heading.

Updating Coreboot

Standalone users should also re-download/re-run the setup script, but instead choosing the coreboot firmware install/update option under the Standalone heading. Since standalone users can no longer run ChromeOS, the firmware update must be performed using ChromiumOS, the open-source version of ChromeOS. Follow the instructions in the section below to create the ChromiumOS USB stick, boot it, and then run the setup script as per above to update.

Restoring the Stock Firmware

If you have used the ChromeBox Setup Script's Standalone setup option, or otherwise manually updated the ChromeBox's firmware with a custom Coreboot build, it is necessary to restore the stock firmware before performing a factory reset to re-load ChromeOS.

In order to do this, we will create a bootable USB stick with ChromiumOS (the open-source version of ChromeOS) and use that to re-flash the stock firmware, which you backed up before flashing the Coreboot firmware. If you didn't make a backup, we can use a copy extracted from Google's recovery image, but an actual backup is preferred.

1. Create ChromiumOS USB Stick

   • Download the latest AMD64OS daily build from http://arnoldthebat.co.uk/wordpress/chromium-os/. Be sure it's the 64-bit (AMD64OS) version, and the image version (.img.7z) and not the virtual machine version (.vdi.7z). Example: Camd64OS-20140527010101.img.7z
   • Follow the instructions at the link above to extract and copy the image onto a USB disk. You will need at least a 4GB drive, and the contents of it will be erased. Do NOT use the same USB stick that you used for your firmware backup

2. Get a ChromiumOS Shell Prompt

   • Connect the ChromiumOS USB stick to the ChromeBox, power on, and select the USB stick from the boot menu. Boot into ChromiumOS
   • Open a shell the same way as in ChromeOS: [CTRL]-[ALT]-[F2] and login as user 'chronos' with password 'password'

3. Copy firmware backup file

   • If you have your firmware backup on USB, connect it now, then run the following commands from the shell prompt

     mkdir /tmp/usb

     sudo mount /dev/sdc /tmp/usb (If this fails, use /dev/sdc1 instead of /dev/sdc)

     cp /tmp/usb/stock-firmware.rom ./

     sudo umount /tmp/usb

   • If you don't have a firmware backup, then run the following command to download one extracted from the recovery image

     (Asus) curl -L -o stock-firmware.rom https://db.tt/sLQL9i1p

     ( HP ) curl -L -o stock-firmware.rom https://db.tt/8NmzlrZ6

4. Restore stock firmware

   • After completing the above, then run the following commands from the shell prompt

     sudo flashrom -w stock-firmware.rom

   • Assuming it is successful, then:

     sudo poweroff

You can now remove the ChromiumOS USB drive (and firmware backup USB drive). Proceed to Perform_a_Factory_Reset above to restore/reload ChromeOS.