I am learning about ARM development on my STM32F7 Discovery Kit (w/ STM32F746NGH6 Microcontroller) and I'm trying to write a "blinky" program without using high level libraries.
Reading the documentation, I couldn't figure out which MCU pins are all those onboard LED's connected to? What is the right document to check?
Looking at the board I can see some LEDs (LD1, LD2, ...), but how can I reach them in program? I don't see them in header files and if they are controlled via GPIO pins, how to I know which ones?
In the user manual there's no mention of any LED, except in the electrical schematics (where none of the LEDs is connected directly to the MCU afaik- they serve mostly as hard-wired board status indicators).
Is it possible that an advanced board like this doesn't have a single general purpose LED on it?
From the schematic in that document, it looks like you should be able to use LED LD1 on PI1 (GPIO port I pin 1).
Download the STM32CubeF7 software package. It should include a blinky program example specifically for your board. Then see which LED/pin they use in the example program.
Related
I'm trying to connect to stm32f401rbt6 with st-link utility.
The MCU has 6 pins connected, as on the image below.
The target is powered by a lab power supply, target GND is connected to the ST-Link GND
When I plug it to the computer, st-link utility says it can't connect.
Tried:
Update ST-Link firmware
Connect under reset is by default, tried all available methods
Checked connectivity for the pins on the image
Connected with the same ST-Link to other MCU
Desoldered the MCU and soldered another one
The issue is still remain. Please suggest what I'm doing wrong, or how to check that my MCU is alive.
I once had similiar issues and i figuered out, that decoupling capacitors were vital. After soldering this onto the pcb, it worked like a charm.
(Similar question: Stm32CubeProgrammer not connecting (no error msg) using ST-LINK V2 dongle and Lora E5 mini board)
You can try the following suggestions. Some ST devices are a lot more sensitive than others when it comes to programming. I have had some ST devices programming without issues and then using practically the same setup on other devices it just won't work.
Place a 22ohm resistor in series on the SWDIO and SWCLK lines. This link suggests only placing it on the SWDIO line but I found that I needed it on the SWCLK line as well. Typical SWD Circuit
For the ST Link Settings try using these:
Reduce the frequency from 4MHz to a lower frequency
Use SWD
Use connect under reset
Don't use an external pull-up on the NRST line.
Make sure that your programming wires between the ST-LINK and the target board are as short as is conveniently possible.
(This one I must stress as being important) Make sure that your processor's ground pins are all connected very closely together (i.e. the tracks between them are as short as possible) and that very importantly your programmer ground is also connected to the same ground pins very closely.- At high programming speeds a thin or long unbalanced (different length) ground track to the processor can cause a problem with some devices.
Whatever you are using to supply power to the processor must have a supply with a similar voltage as the ST-LINK (mine is 3V) - (although I have found that if the processor supply is 3.3V programming seems to still work most of the time.) (Remember the original ST-Link does not supply power only reads the power level.)
A dodgy programming setup can accidentally set the protection to LEVEL 2 bricking your device - so if you have been trying and not getting any further, it might be time to replace your IC.
Prior to changing / erasing a device that had been programmed to LEVEL 1, you might need to first enable the PCROP_RDP option byte. - Once enabled, you should be able to change from LEVEL 1 to LEVEL 0 that will automatically erase the device.
Some people have suggested holding the device in reset until just after pressing the erase button to enable erasing it.
I hope these suggestions help...
I'm learning about embedded systems and have an idea about one small project and I want to use Cortex M0+ based MCU STM32G081KBT6. I saw a lot of tutorials with this MCU type, but all of them are based on developer board and with them it is very simple to upload code with USB cable. I want to make my custom PCB for this. So my question is what I have to do so I can upload my code to this microcontroller?
From a datasheet I think I have to use SWDIO (PA13) and SWCLK(PA14) ports for Boot, but if someone can help me do I have to use also some resistors, can I make it USB to wire transfer with this, or I have to use some external device to make it possible? Or there is some easier and better solution to upload code from my laptop to microcontroller?
Thanks for the replies.
There two main options:
SWD
Implement an SWD programming connector. Basically the pins GND, SWDIO, SWCLK and preferably 3.3V are made available. No resisters are needed. You can fit a 4 pin header, an official 10 pin SWD connector or just 4 pads (for connecting using an adapter with pogo pins).
This option requires an SWD debug adapter like ST-Link or J-Link. In addition to uploading firmware, this option supports debugging.
USART
Make the USART (RX, TX) pins plus GND and 3.3V available on the board. This option requires a USB-to-serial adapter.
It's also possible to use I2C or SPI instead, though there are no standard solutions for connecting to your board that I'm aware of.
USB isn't an option for this particular chip. It is supported on many of the more expensive STM32 chips though.
I strongly recommend the first option. It is far more versatile than the other options. And an ST-Link adapter isn't expensive.
Details regarding the bootloader capabilities and pins:
https://www.st.com/resource/en/application_note/cd00167594-stm32-microcontroller-system-memory-boot-mode-stmicroelectronics.pdf
I have a microcontroller STM32F051 and I want to program it. I looked for IDE that I would be able to use and I found TRUESTUDIO that I'm using. I wanted to know how should I do to send the program I made into the microcontroller. Do I need any specific programmer (like an electronic device for Microchip Pics) ? When I clic the button debug, I get an error
"Error in initializing ST-Link device. Reason: Failed to connect to device. Please check power and cabling to target."
I'm not sure if I misunderstood something. I download the software and I selected my specific version of microcontroller, but it seems that it doesn't recognize it...
Yes, no matter what the mcu you will need some interface, be it as simple as a usb connector tied to the chip, or a debug header using some other device or electronics. For an stm32 chip many of the discovery boards and the nucleo boards (in particular the ones with a breakaway end, you dont have to break it off, just remove some jumpers to use it on other devices (not necessarily ST devices)). These parts also have a serial bootloader inside that you cant change so it is always there, and can sometimes use one of the nucleo stlink debuggers (do some research as to ones that offer a virtual uart, not all of them do, cheaper than the dedicated stlink dongles) or say an ftdi usb breakout board (under $2 on ebay).
There are numerous options for programming these parts as in writing software, can just use gnu tools and roll your own drivers (pretty easy the documentation is pretty good), get one of the ST libraries that they offer (for free) or if you have a Nucleo you might be able to use mbed or arduino to develop.
We really need to know more about the board you have this part on, is it just a breakout board or as asked in the comments did you buy a nucleo board or a discovery board? Are you running linux, windows or mac or other or are flexible on what host?
I am planning on doing a small arduino project and would like to know if what I'm thinking would work with a regular arduino board. I'm thinking of buying an Arduino Uno for my project, along with an IR LED and an IR sensor. So here's what I want to go with this:
I want to point the LED towards the sensor, so that the sensor is always detecting light. Then', I'll start "cutting" that light (say, with with my hand) several times. I want the arduino program to time the intervals between the times the light is "cut" and send these times to my computer via USB, so I can process this data.
I've seen many people talk about serial communication between an arduino board and a computer, but I'm not sure how that works. Will it use the same usb connector I use to upload programs to the board, or do I have to buy anything else?
EDIT: tl;dr: I guess my question, in the end, is twofold:
1) Am I able to "talk" to my computer using the built-in USB connector on the board, or is that used solely for uploading programs and I need to buy another one? and
2) Is this project feasible with an Arduino Uno board?
Thanks for the help!
Yes, your project is very feasible.
You use the built in USB connector to both program the device and communicate with it. Check out some examples on the Serial Reference Page
For reading the sensor, you'll want to use either a digital or analog input. For a digital input, you'll likely have to external components to control the light threshold, but it will provide a simple yes or no if something is in front of it. With an analog input, you can use a threshold in code to determine when your hand passes.
Timing can either be done on device with the Millis() function or on the connected computer.
I'm looking to control a mains powered light from a simple relay switch connected via USB to the computer.
The relay switch isn't even a USB device, it's just a simple switch that requires the USB voltage to turn it on. When the voltage drops below a threshold, the switch will turn the light off.
My problem is that I can't control the power output of a USB port. I'm happy to do it using any language on Windows or Linux (but preferably Java because I'm used to it).
Unfortunately, in most cases you cannot control the power supply to the USB port. The power supply is usually hardwired through, and not switchable in software. You can send a reset to a USB device, but that won't work in your case.
There are a number of projects on instructables that do similar to what you describe, but unfortunately they seem to either be quite complicated or require expensive parts.
EDIT: There is actually a product currently in the news which would do want you want, but it doesn't appear to be shipping yet: http://www.pwrusb.com/
EDIT (again): Apparently you can do this with some usb hubs. This post sugggests the Linksys USB2HUB4 is one that works.
EDIT (and again): Apparently there are a number of similar questions, but there don't seem to be any more useful answers:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/405269/custom-usb-device-that-disables-power-to-usb-devices-plugged-into-it
Power off an USB device in software on Windows
Is there software or code to alter USB power output
Can I write a program that swiches USB on/off
Most of the USB to Serial or USB to RS232 $10 converters support hardware handshaking. Use one of those as a single channel digital io.
Connect your transistor that will drive the relay to DTR on the converter board and command DTR ON/OFF with the converters driver.
A 2N7002 is a good transistor to use (FET actually) since it will work from 3V and doesnt need any resistors anywhere.
Here is a complete solution.
It uses an Arduino board, with a USB connection, (and Uno for example) to control the relay and combines this with pfod (Protocol for Operation Discovery) www.pfod.com.au which will let you control the board/relay from either the Arduino IDE SerialMonitor, or a terminal window (TeraTerm) or a Java program. The message protocol encloses commands in { }, think simplified html for micros, and provides numerous screens, menus, sliders, text and numeric inputs, etc. A detailed protocol spec is available
See Garage Door Remote for a detailed example, with full Arduino code and an example of controlling the relay from TeraTerm as well as the Arduino IDE SerialMonitor.
There is also an Android app, pfodApp, which will do general purpose control via bluetooth, or wifi/internet with 128 bit security. The pfodApp does all the Android stuff, you only need to code some simple strings in your Arduino code to get any menu system you want. See www.pfod.com.au for numerous examples.
You need a USB-GPIO microcontroller:
Adafruit FT232H (about $15)
Arduino Nano ATmega328 (about $7)
See this answer
I would suggest placing a separate Raspberry Pi unit with a wake-on-lan feature activated so you can ping it off and on.
You could do it by combining these two products from Pololu, for about $25:
Micro Maestro (assembled)
Basic SPDT Relay Carrier with 5VDC Relay (Assembled)
The Maestro is mainly a servo controller but you can set any of its channels to be simple digital outputs instead. The output can be controlled from the Maestro Control Center software or you can write your own software. A digital output from a Maestro is suitable to turn on the relay on the relay carrier. The relay could be powered from USB through the Maestro; I think it draws about 100 mA of current so that probably will not be a problem for most USB ports, though it would not be USB-compliant because the total current drawn by the Maestro and the relay would be over 100 mA. You could supply your own power source for the relay if you are worried about that.