STM32 series at a glance
Each STM32 board belongs to a specific family or series, which has its own individual specifications. There are a total of eight different versions.
The STM32 F0 series
The STM32 F0 series is the first family in the range. This version has a Cortex-M0 core with a performance of 2.33 MHz. Similar in name but with clear differences, the Cortex-M0+ core forms the basis for the C0, G0 and L0 series, which can be regarded as one family. At 2.46 MHz, the Cortex-M0+ core is slightly more powerful than the M0 and also has memory protection.
The STM32 series F1, F2 and L1
The Cortex-M3 is used for the F1, F2 and L1 series. The main difference to its predecessors is the additional hardware divider, which is not available on the M0 and M0+ variants. The Cortex-M4 is installed on the STM32 boards of the F3, F4, G4, L4 and L4+ series. In addition to the hardware divider, which was already used in the M3 model, the M4 also has a DSP extension and saturation arithmetic. A floating point unit is also available as an option. The M4 is based on the same ARM architecture as its successor, the Cortex-M7, which is used in the STM32 F7 series.
The STM32 series H5, L5, U5 and WBA
The Cortex-M33 is used in the H5, L5, U5 and WBA series. In addition to the hardware divider, the DSP extension and the saturation arithmetic, the modern Armv8-M architecture also offers a trust zone. A floating point unit can also be optionally used with the Cortex-M33.
The STM32 WB and WL series
Other series that belong to the STM32 family are the WB and WL series, which have an M4 and M0+ (2 core), as well as the H7 series, which can be equipped with an M7 (1 core) or an M7 and M4 (2 core).
The different STM32 dimensions
The different STM32 dimensions of the respective boards should also be noted. A Nucleo-L476RG with product dimensions of 10.16 x 7.62 x 2.54 cm has a total weight of around 280g. An STM32 Nucleo-144, on the other hand, only weighs around 120g in total. Both dimensions and weight may need to be taken into account here, especially if the STM32 board is to be installed in a housing. There may also be differences between the individual manufacturers, STMicroelectronics, Olimex, Sparkfun and Waveshare, in terms of design and therefore size and weight.
This list is intended to help you compare the series with your personal wishes and requirements in order to make it easier for you to choose the right STM32 board. Of course, we will also go into more detail in order to draw your attention to important features.
STM32 performance and specifications in detail
To give you a deeper insight into the technical intricacies of an STM32 board, we will take a look at an STM32 Nucleo Board. More precisely, the H745ZI-Q variant, which is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M7 core. With this version, you can assume a 480 MHz clock frequency, which is provided by the M7 32-bit core. The STM 32 board has a 2 MB flash memory, as well as an SRAM memory with 864 kB and a RAM memory of 1 MB.
There are three LEDs on the board that provide information about the status of a particular function. The first LED is responsible for signalling the supply voltage. LED 2 indicates communication and LED 3 is freely available to the user. Two buttons are also integrated. While the first button is used for resetting, the second button is also freely available to the user.
The H745ZI-Q model has a virtual COM port, a mass storage device and a programming / debugging port, providing a total of 3 different interfaces via the micro USB connection. AES 128, 192, 256, TDES as well as HASH (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2), HMAC and a random number generator are among the cryptographic standards of this STM32 board.
The H745ZI-Q is equipped with a 16-bit analogue-to-digital converter with 36 channels. 2x 32-bit timers and 17x 16-bit timers are also typical features of this STM32 board. With a total of 4x I2C, 6x SPI, 2x CAN, 4x USART, 4x UART, 3x I2S and USB OTG FS, this version is very versatile and can also be connected directly to Arduino shields, offering particular scope for customised setups. A special joy in progress, which is not only reflected here, but can also be experienced in a very personal way. With your idea and the modern possibilities of an STM32 board to the right result and the desired success.
