We’ve built the simplest possible board based on the Maple Mini, now it’s time to verify that it works, and that we have an operational toolchain to go from an idea to actual software running on actual hardware.
New ! Basic Prototype Board
A module like the Maple Mini has almost no use on its own. It’s really barebones. It needs to be connected to peripheral hardware so it can interact with the world. It’s something I do so often that I’ve developed efficient ways to go from a simple module to a board. This is an example of how to get started. It’s by no means the only way or even the best way, it’s just a way that works really well and saves me time. Your mileage may vary.
New ! Programming
An STM32 microcontroller is traditionally programmed through its JTAG interface. That interface, when used with actual, works-for-a-living professional development software, will let you flash code into your MCU but also debug with breakpoints and even analyze your code’s variables in real time as it executes. That’s how we roll.
New ! The Electronics
The Maple Mini is essentially a one-to-one breakout for the STM32F103CBT6, which is a 48-pin variant of the STM32F103. Its features are summed up in this eloquent diagram :
New ! Vanilla Headless Setup
This setup is the basis for getting a Raspberry Pi to boot and then being able to use it remotely through your local network.
New ! Headless Setup
A Raspberry Pi is very easy to setup : it’s only a matter of downloading an operating system image from the official site and writing it to a microSD card. But if you stop there, all you’re getting is a desktop PC. That means you’ll need to add a keyboard, a mouse and a display to the Raspberry Pi to actually complete the installation of Linux and use it. For projects where your SBC will be embedded into a larger system, possibly a mobile one, this is unacceptable.
New ! Maple Mini
The Maple Mini, such as it currently exists, is a Chinese version of a discontinued Arduino-like STM32 module based on the STM32F103CBT6. For the sake of brevity, I will henceforth refer to those Chinese modules as “Maple Mini” but it should be clear that I’m not talking about the original module. Anyway, I’m more likely to just call it “the module”.
New ! Python Development Tools
Bad news : finding out how to program the M5Core is really, really unintuitive.
New ! M5Core
The first ESP32 device I’ve bought is the M5Stack Core, which I shorten to M5Core. Here’s the official product page. The “5” is supposed to mean “5 centimeters”, which should be the dimension of the device (it is square) but in reality that’s the dimension of the circuit boards inside. The module itself measures 54 x 54 mm.
Update : Nucleo and STM32CubeIDE
Now that you know what an STM32 is and what it looks like, it’s time to get your hands on one and get it to do stuff. Ambitious stuff. Like blinking an LED. Dizzying heights of human achievement.