Intel Compute stick documentation

INTEL COMPUTE STICK DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
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1. INTRODUCTION
The Intel® Compute Stick is a new generation of computing that transforms any
HDMI display into a fully functional computer.
The Intel® Compute Stick is a new generation compute on a stick device that’s ready
to go out of the box and offers the performance, quality, and value you expect from Intel. Pre-
installed with Windows 8.1 or Linux, get a complete experience on an ultra-small, power-
efficient device that is just four inches long, yet packs the power and reliability of a quad-
core Intel® Atom™ processor, with built-in wireless connectivity, on-board storage, and a
micro SD card slot for additional storage. It’s everything you love about your desktop
computer in a device that fits in the palm of your hand.
The Compute Stick is essentially a complete PC, but in the compact form factor of a
slightly large pen drive. It connects to a TV via HDMI, but also has to be powered with a
micro USB cord.
The Intel Compute Stick is for more than just multimedia though. Essentially, this is a
complete PC you can carry around with you anywhere you go .Someone who likes to travel
but loathes toting a laptop around, keeping something like this with a Bluetooth keyboard and
mouse in my luggage would be a compact way to get a more robust computing experience
than iPad is going to offer, without tipping the scales or putting much of a dent in my wallet.
I don't expect to be able to edit photos or play World of Warcraft while I'm on the road, but
this could prove to be a great tool for toting vital files and Windows apps around, and getting
the full-PC experience wherever I can find a spare HDMI port.

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EVOLUTION

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2.1 HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
Computers were very expensive during the 1950’s. Computers of that time were used
in weather forecasting, plotting values of logarithmic functions and other complex
calculations. They were huge machines with little or no operating systems. They needed
dedicated air-conditioned rooms and special trained operators. Examples of these include the
ENIAC, the ZUSE Z3 etc. Then vacuum tubes were replaced by bipolar transistors, which
made those huge machines a bit smaller. The invention of Integrated Circuit(IC) gave
computers a huge leap in terms of computing power and a basis for personal computers.
In those days portable computers were available which were essentially payroll
machines or had other dedicated applications. Most of them were used for single purpose
such as printing bills, as calculators, digital diaries etc.
Apple released Lisa in 1983 and marked a new point in the history of computers. For
the first time a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was introduced in a computer that was cheap
and most small businesses could afford. Microsoft tried the same thing and released DOS
which was a huge success for the IBM PC. Now people could afford their own computer for
their home. IBM PC sparked a massive explosion of personal computers. People started
buying computers for their homes and offices like never before. Now kids could play games
on them, adults could do their spreadsheets etc.
During the decade of 80’s, the advent of laptops or notebook computers started. Many
companies and vendors released the then portable computers which were the basis for the
modern laptops. The first mass-produced microprocessor-based portable computer was the
Osborne 1 in 1981, which used the CP/M operating system. Then within a few years, in 1986,
Toshiba released the T1100, which they described as the “world’s first mass-market laptop
computer”.
As technology improved during the 1990s, the usefulness and popularity of laptops
increased. Correspondingly prices went down. Several developments specific to laptops like
improved battery technology, power saving processors, improved Liquid Crystal Displays,
improved storage etc. were quickly implemented, improving usability and performance.
There is active research to make computers out of many promising new types of
technology, such as optical computers, DNA computers, neural computers, and quantum

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computers. Most computers are universal, and are able to calculate any computable function,
and are limited only by their memory capacity and operating speed. However different
designs of computers can give very different performance for particular problems.
2.2 HISTORY OF EMBEDDED DEVICES
In the earliest years of computers in the 1930–40s, computers were sometimes
dedicated to a single task, but were far too large and expensive for most kinds of tasks
performed by embedded computers of today. Over time however, the concept of
programmable controllers evolved from traditional electromechanical sequencers, via solid
state devices, to the use of computer technology.
One of the first recognizably modern embedded systems was the Apollo Guidance
Computer, developed by Charles Stark Draper at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. At the
project's inception, the Apollo guidance computer was considered the riskiest item in the
Apollo project as it employed the then newly developed monolithic integrated circuits to
reduce the size and weight. An early mass-produced embedded system was the Autonetics D-
17 guidance computer for the Minuteman missile, released in 1961. It was built from
transistor logic and had a hard disk for main memory. When the Minuteman II went into
production in 1966, the D-17 was replaced with a new computer that was the first high-
volume use of integrated circuits. This program alone reduced prices on quad NAND gate
ICs from $1000/each to $3/each, permitting their use in commercial products.
Since these early applications in the 1960s, embedded systems have come down in
price and there has been a dramatic rise in processing power and functionality. The first
microprocessor for example, the Intel 4004, was designed for calculators and other small
systems but still required many external memory and support chips. In 1978 National
Engineering Manufacturers Association released a "standard" for programmable
microcontrollers, including almost any computer-based controllers, such as single board
computers, numerical, and event-based controllers.
As the cost of microprocessors and microcontrollers fell it became feasible to replace
expensive knob-based analogue components such as potentiometers and variable capacitors
with up/down buttons or knobs read out by a microprocessor even in some consumer
products. By the mid-1980s, most of the common previously external system components had
been integrated into the same chip as the processor and this modern form of the

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microcontroller allowed an even more widespread use, which by the end of the decade were
the norm rather than the exception for almost all electronics devices.
The integration of microcontrollers has further increased the applications for which
embedded systems are used into areas where traditionally a computer would not have been
considered. A general purpose and comparatively low-cost microcontroller may often be
programmed to fulfil the same role as a large number of separate components. Although in
this context an embedded system is usually more complex than a traditional solution, most of
the complexity is contained within the microcontroller itself. Very few additional components
may be needed and most of the design effort is in the software. The intangible nature of
software makes it much easier to prototype and test new revisions compared with the design
and construction of a new circuit not using an embedded processor.
2.3 IDEA TO CREATE MINI COMPUTERS
The idea behind a tiny and affordable computer for kids came in 2006, when Eben
Upton, Rob Mullins, Jack Lang and Alan Mycroft, based at the University of Cambridge’s
Computer Laboratory, became concerned about the year-on-year decline in the numbers and
skills levels of the A Level students applying to read Computer Science. From a situation in
the 1990s where most of the kids applying were coming to interview as experienced hobbyist
programmers, the landscape in the 2000s was very different; a typical applicant might only
have done a little web design.
Something had changed the way kids were interacting with computers. A number of
problems were identified: majority of curriculums with lessons on using Word and Excel, or
writing webpages; the end of the dot-com boom; and the rise of the home PC and games
console to replace the Amigas, BBC Micros, Spectrum ZX and Commodore 64 machines that
people of an earlier generation learned to program on.
There isn’t much any small group of people can do to address problems like an
inadequate school curriculum or the end of a financial bubble. But those students felt that
they could try to do something about the situation where computers had become so expensive
and arcane that programming experimentation on them had to be forbidden by parents; and to
find a platform that, like those old home computers, could boot into a programming
environment. Thus came the idea of creating the device which kids could buy and learn
programming or hardware.

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WORKING

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3. WORKING
3.1 OPERATING SYSTEM
Compute stick comes with two models, Windows latest version Windows 8.1 and
Linux. We can change operating system according to our need. The processor is so powerful
to handle any task and it is powered with 2 GB of RAM. The small form factor makes it
easier t handle. It is capable of handling more than one task simultaneously at the same time.
3.2 RECORDING OF DATA
Recording of data is easier because compute stick come with a mass storage of 32 GB
in Windows model and 8 GB in Linux model. We can expand the storage capacity of the
stick according to our need, it provides a slot for Micro SD in order to increase storage. The
expandable storage limit is 128 GB that is a huge limit for such a small device. We can
record data by plugging into a computer or an external storage device.
Recorded data can is easier to delete and keep the storage space. Compute stick provides
different slots in order to input different storage devices like Sticks, Hard disks etc.
3.3 VISUALISATION
Fig: 3.3 Visualisation

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Visualisation is possible with the help HDMI port, Stick is plugged into a HDMI
display the display is transformed to a computer by loading OS as same as the process that
happens on computer system. Generally HDMI ports are seen on the back side of devices like
Television, CPU etc.
HDMI port is generally used for Digital audio/video/data connection. In Compute Stick it is a
medium for connecting to the port. In HDMI the resolution is limited by the availability of
Band width. HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a proprietary audio/video
interface for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital
audio data from an HDMI complaint source device such as a display controller, to a
compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device.
Fig:3.4 Stick plug into a TV

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The Compute Stick is essentially a complete PC, but in the compact form factor of a slightly
large pen drive. It connects to a TV via HDMI, but also has to be powered with a micro USB
cord.
Intel wants to help you turn any TV into a Windows PC, for the low cost of $149. All it takes
is a little stick, Meet the all-new Intel Compute Stick.
Here’s a quick look at the important specs:
o 1.33GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F processor
o 2GB DDR3 RAM
o 32GB internal storage
o Micro SD slot (up to 128GB)
o Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
o Bluetooth 4.0
o Full-size USB port
o HDMI Port
o Windows 8.1 OS
It will also be available with Linux, but that version will come with 8GB of storage and 1GB
RAM. That model will retail for $89.
While smart TVs are on the rise, you probably won’t use all of their features. That’s because
it’s not a full-fledged desktop operating system running there. You can’t run Microsoft Office
on your smart TV, after all.
But the Compute Stick will just need a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or some fantastic
wireless all-in-one keyboards to be up and running.
The current lot of Android Stick PCs are good for gaming and multimedia, but Android itself
can’t compare to Windows when it comes to getting work done in a desktop environment.
complete PC you can carry around with you anywhere you go. In fact, it’s your PC on a
stick—connectable to any device with an HDMI port.

As someone who likes to travel but loathes toting a laptop around, keeping something like
this with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse in my luggage would be a compact way to get a
more robust computing experience than my iPad is going to offer, without tipping the scales
or putting much of a dent in my wallet. I don’t expect to be able to edit photos or play World
of War craft while I’m on the road, but this could prove to be a great tool for toting vital files
and Windows apps around, and getting the full-PC experience wherever I can find a spare
HDMI port.
Figure 3.5 Intel Compute Stick
Stick is plugged into a HDMI display the display is transformed to a fully functional
computer. It is powered with 1.33GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F processor and 2GB
DDR3 RAM. Wi-Fi provides internet access and Bluetooth provides connectivity of input
devices like Keyboard and mouse. We can connect any USB device to the USB port.
Compute Stick provides only one USB port. There is an inbuilt storage of 32GB for storage
of application and media.

3.6 PHYSICAL STRUCTURE
Figure 3.6 Physical Structure
1. HDMI CONNECTOR
2. POWER BUTTON
3. USB PORT
4. MICRO USB PORT
5. MICRO SD
6. POWER LED
HDMI CONNECTOR
HDMI port is generally used for Digital audio/video/data connection. In Compute Stick it is a
medium for connecting to the port. In HDMI the resolution is limited by the availability of
Bandwidth.
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a proprietary audio/video interface for
transferring uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital audio data
from an HDMI complaint source device such as a display controller, to a compatible
computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device.

POWER BUTTON
Power button is used for starting and stopping the device. It is on placed just upper side of the
Compute stick.
USB PORT
USB port is used for plugging the input devices in the USB port. Their only one USB port for
input devices like Keyboard, Mouse, Joysticks etc.
USB VERSION: 2.0
MICRO USB PORT
Micro USB Port is used for input power to the Compute Stick. There is only one way to
charge the device it does not charge when plug it in to the HDMI port.
MICRO SD
Micro SD is a non-volatile memory used extensively in portable devices such as mobile
phones, digital cameras, tablet and computers.
In Compute Stick a micro SD slot allows you to expand additional storage if you're interested
in expanding the storage capacity of the stick Intel provides a micro SD card slot with the
capacity of 128 GB.
POWER LED
Power LED displays current state of the device

3.7 DESIGN AND SPECIFICATION
Figure 3.7 Design & Specification

3.8 COMPUTE STICK MODELS
Figure 3.8 Models

APPLICATIONS

4. APPLICATIONS
PC-on-a-stick also known as Compute Stick, it is a term describing PC technology
characterized by a small form factor, generally using ARM or Intel Atom system on a chip,
low energy usage which offers portable convenience and low prices.
Mini PCs with Intel Inside® bring full PC capability to small spaces. And that opens up
possibilities. Replace your end-of-life PCs, drive multiple displays, power digital signage,
and more.
Applications of the Compute Stick can be given as follows:
Figure 4. Stick Logic Application
 Transforms any HDMI display into a fully functional computer.
 Transform a normal TV to a smart TV.
 Compute stick can be used in homes, office, manufacturing lines or any Business
environment.
 Great device for Education and Emerging markets.
 Compute Stick being very cost effective can be deployed in large numbers in
underdeveloped and developing countries like Africa, India, China, Brazil etc. to
schools and colleges and to everyone who is interested in computers and electronics.

 Run your favourite Software and Applications—just as you would on today’s
traditional full-sized computers.
 Serious work can be done in small spaces.
 It can be used as a machine replacing desktop computers.
 A reliable low-power solution for developers creating light digital kiosks with no-
effort installation and delivering streaming or static HD content on displays located
anywhere.

ADVANTAGES

5. ADVANTAGES
It is important for customers and business owners that want to get the Compute Stick to
consider whether it fits with their business strategy and are willing to go through the process
of putting it together and tailoring the product to their own needs. The benefits that this
products offers are
 Transforms any HDMI display into a fully functional computer.
The Intel Compute Stick is a new generation of computing that transforms any HDMI
display into a fully functional computer. It is a power-efficient device that is just four
inches long, yet packs the power and reliability of a quad-core Intel® Atom™
processor, with built-in wireless connectivity, on-board storage, and a micro SD card
slot for additional storage. It’s everything you love about your desktop computer in a
device that fits in the palm of your hand.
 Compute Stick can be used in homes, office, manufacturing lines or any business
Environment.
For Consumers or Home users:
A solution with plenty of storage and performance needed for light productivity,
social networking, web browsing, and streaming media, or games.
With built-in wireless connectivity, on-board storage, and a micro SD card slot for
additional storage. It’s everything you love about your desktop computer in a device
that fits in the palm of your hand.

For Business Users:
Enable solutions for small to medium sized businesses, delivering ultra-portability
and reliable plug-and-play simplicity, with Windows Remote Desktop access for on
the fly support.
 A Great medium for Education purposes.
Intel Compute Stick has many chances in the field of Education. It is generally for
aimed for the younger generation to help in their learning and studying. Programming,
Presentation, Collecting data from Internet etc.
 Small size and very cost effective.
With the low price and small size it is easy for the buyers to cache, so that it can be
deployed in large numbers in underdeveloped and developing countries like Africa,
India, China, Brazil etc. to schools and colleges and to everyone who is interested in
computers and electronics.
 Run your favourite Software and Applications—just as you would on today’s
traditional full-sized computers.
It comes with an Intel Atom 1.33GHz quad core processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB
internal storage, running either Windows 8.1 or Linux. Because of the Intel powered
processors all the applications are run smoothly and flawlessly.
Perform more than one task does not affect neither the performance nor the speed of
the computer.
 Serious work can be done in small spaces.
Small form factor provides good processing power and efficiency so we can run
serious task in any place.

 It can be used as a machine replacing desktop computers.
It is a great solution against the large desktop computers, compute stick perform all
tasks that a desktop system runs. With the low price and small size it is easy for the
buyers to cache.
 Solution for mobile employees.
Only need public monitors in the office. Great security and cost saving on office
space and computer equipment for mobile employees
 Micro SD slot for extra storage.
A micro SD slot allows you to expand additional storage if you're interested in
expanding the storage capacity of the stick Intel provides a micro SD card slot with
the capacity of 128 GB.
 Energy efficient Processor
Intel uses powerful energy efficient processors in compute stick. Mini PCs using a
power supply rated at 75 percent2 less wattage than average full size desktop towers
free your budgets for other priorities. The product is energy efficient and provides a
greener ethical alternative to small businesses.

DISADVANTAGES

6. DISADVANTAGES
 Does not useful for large Business.
This product will not be a great useful for bigger businesses that already have big
servers, which would already do everything that the Compute stick does, so it would
not be worth it to take the time to get someone to put it together.
 One or two USB ports just aren’t enough.
The only foreseeable issue with the Stick is the single USB port. One or two USB
ports just aren’t enough. If you’re using the Stick as a traditional desktop, you need a
port for a mouse and another for a keyboard. You can solve this by attaching a
USB hub, but that’d almost certainly compromise the stick-on-the-back-of-the-TV
form factor, assuming it didn’t weigh down the Stick jutting out of the TV’s HDMI
port in the first place. A keyboard with a USB pass-through would work, but then
you’d not only be limited in your peripheral choices, but wouldn’t have another USB
port for anything else.
 No slot for USB 3.0/3.1
Faster USB 3.0/3.1 connectivity and more technology that will make the stick PC
format attractive to some professionals.
 Powered with a micro USB cord.
Compute stick does not charged when it is plugged into a HDMI port it is charged
with a micro USB cord.

FUTURE SCOPE

7. FUTURE SCOPE
 Replacement Desktop Computers.
It is a great solution against the large desktop computers, compute stick perform all
tasks that a desktop system runs. With the low price and small size it is easy for the
buyers to cache.
 Solution for Mobile employees.
Only need public monitors in the office. Great security and cost saving on office
space and computer equipment for mobile employees

CONCLUSION

8. CONCLUSION
The Intel® Compute Stick is a new generation of computing that transforms any HDMI
display into a fully functional computer.
The Intel® Compute Stick is a new generation compute on a stick device that’s ready to go
out of the box and offers the performance, quality, and value you expect from Intel. Pre-
installed with Windows 8.1 or Linux, get a complete experience on an ultra-small, power-
efficient device that is just four inches long, yet packs the power and reliability of a quad-
core Intel® Atom™ processor, with built-in wireless connectivity, on-board storage, and a
micro SD card slot for additional storage. It’s everything you love about your desktop
computer in a device that fits in the palm of your hand.
The Compute Stick is essentially a complete PC, but in the compact form factor of a slightly
large pen drive. It connects to a TV via HDMI, but also has to be powered with a micro USB
cord.
complete PC you can carry around with you anywhere you go .Someone who likes to travel
but loathes toting a laptop around, keeping something like this with a Bluetooth keyboard and
mouse in my luggage would be a compact way to get a more robust computing experience
than iPad is going to offer, without tipping the scales or putting much of a dent in my wallet.

APPENDIX

9. APPENDIX
FIGURE NUMBER FIGURE NAME PAGE NUMBER
3.3 Visualisation 14
3.4 Stick plug into a TV 15
3.5 Intel Compute Stick 17
3.6 Physical Structure 18
3.7 Design and Specification 20
3.8 Models 21
4 Stick Logic Application 23

BIBLIOGRAPHY
10. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Intel Compute Stick,
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html
Quanta Embedded System,
http://iotsolutionsalliance.intel.com/solutions-directory/nh1-%E2%80%93-smallest-
windows-compute-stick-intel%C2%AE-atom%E2%84%A2-processor-z3735f
Intel's Compute Stick puts Windows 8 in the palm of your hand
http://www.cnet.com/products/intel-compute-stick/
History of computers,
http://www.discussionsworld.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=42603
Intel compute stick takes budget PCs
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech-news-intel-compute-stick-takes-budget-pcs-
whole-new-level
Stick Computing
http://www.stickcomputing.com/

Intel Compute stick documentation

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