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Just got an STM32F4 discovery board.. Needing a little help :-)

Joseph Villa
Note: This was originally posted on 17th June 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the world of microcontrollers. After some research, I bought my first ARM based Microcontroller; the STM32F4 Discovery.

Now, I have a few questions for the community, hopefully someone can answer me.

The first question has to do with the memory on the STM32F4. I was wondering if there was a way to expand the memory? Maybe have the memory on CPU, but then secondary dynamic memory (non flash) that could be added to the 192KB as extended memory.

the second question is which compiler should I start with? I normally run Ubuntu Linux 12.04, but I also have Windows on a virtual machine via Virtualbox that I'm able to load up Keil, and some of the other compilers on. I would personally like to have something that I can run on Ubuntu 12.04. Then again, I'd like to start with something that I can focus less on the software and more on the coding. I'm doing this independantly, so I'm on a budget. Which compiler would be best for me?

the third question is where should I start? I was a little confused as to what I should do first or how to set up a project. Where should I start to figure out how to code for this microcontroller? Are there any great books to read on this?

Thanks,
3vix6
Parents
  • Arm Employee Badge
    Note: This was originally posted on 18th June 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

    [color=#222222][size=2]When I learn design and how to interact with the chip and other components, I'd like to use the same CPU, but with a bit more memory (2 - 4MB max). Would I be able to do that with this CPU?
    [/size][/color]
    [color=#222222][size=2]
    [/size][/color]
    [size=2]ARM just provides the CPU design, and it is integrated by a manufacturer into each MCU design; they can decide how much RAM, flash, peripherals, clock-speed, external memory and I/O pin-out, etc. There are quite a few companies providing Cortex-M-series MCUs, so there is a lot of variety out there. [/size]
    [size=2]
    [/size]
    [size=2]2-4MB is quite a lot of RAM for an MCU, so it is unlikely you'll get all of that inside the package (from what I can tell you can get quite a lot of flash, but RAM tends to be under 512KB). Remember that you can execute you code and RO data from flash, so that frees up some space. If you need more RAM than that then I think Joseph is right; you'll need to look at an MCU with an external memory interface.[/size]
Reply
  • Arm Employee Badge
    Note: This was originally posted on 18th June 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

    [color=#222222][size=2]When I learn design and how to interact with the chip and other components, I'd like to use the same CPU, but with a bit more memory (2 - 4MB max). Would I be able to do that with this CPU?
    [/size][/color]
    [color=#222222][size=2]
    [/size][/color]
    [size=2]ARM just provides the CPU design, and it is integrated by a manufacturer into each MCU design; they can decide how much RAM, flash, peripherals, clock-speed, external memory and I/O pin-out, etc. There are quite a few companies providing Cortex-M-series MCUs, so there is a lot of variety out there. [/size]
    [size=2]
    [/size]
    [size=2]2-4MB is quite a lot of RAM for an MCU, so it is unlikely you'll get all of that inside the package (from what I can tell you can get quite a lot of flash, but RAM tends to be under 512KB). Remember that you can execute you code and RO data from flash, so that frees up some space. If you need more RAM than that then I think Joseph is right; you'll need to look at an MCU with an external memory interface.[/size]
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