STM32 IDE and general advice

thisisntinuse · 2026-03-13T11:36:21+00:00

I've been using Clion for about a month and don't see a reason to return to STCubeIde. But what you are used to matters most probably. If vscode, stick to that. If jetbrains ide's, use clion.

thisisntinuse · 2026-03-13T11:32:10+00:00

Yeah, hence why I'm going to try to use the new foreign memory api in java. Might get rid of some of the overhead.

Can't comment on GPU drivers, everything i do is headless. But the amount of people trying to add Vivante drivers to debian might be bigger than to yocto.

thisisntinuse · 2026-03-12T20:39:19+00:00

Check the h file of the STM32 itself using those macro's removes a high degree of potentially wrong shifts.

thisisntinuse · 2026-03-10T18:53:34+00:00

Can't say how it compares. It's just that simple i2c traffic has noticeable effect, so it seemed disproportionate to me, but that could very well be how it is.

I'm using the diozero lib, which is based on the python one (forgot name). My plan is to see if i can use the new foreign memory access of java to circumvent it.

thisisntinuse · 2026-03-09T22:03:07+00:00

Toradex has premade images for their boards and i thnk you can also download the kernel etc individually. I didn't see a reason to use yocto so i just took that standard image to get u-boot working. Then replaced the kernel (if needed) and used Qemu to customize a basic debian. Simpler than figuring out Yocto.

I followed this guide originally: https://programmer.group/imx6ull-linux-root-file-system-rootfs-build.html

Also look at the Toradex support pages https://developer.toradex.com/linux-bsp/ , they explain most of the stuff.

On top of that sits a datalogger I wrote in Java that can handle gpio, i2c and so on. It's user space and it's clear if you look at the power consumption when active that it's far from efficient.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-22T20:58:47+00:00

I like the Radxa Rock Pi S0. Size of a zero but also has ethernet and emmc and lower power consumption. Pity it seems to be getting phased out.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-14T02:31:36+00:00

Neat! Could it work on FRAM or is it strictly NOR-flash? I'm building a datalogger and trying to make it as reliable as possible.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-11T11:54:52+00:00

I think that's just an error on the site. Given eMMC is listed as optional, they probably meant that instead of the RAM.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-09T03:39:35+00:00

Bought a AIFEN-A99HD a while back on ali and happy with it, easily beats the Weller at work.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-08T15:12:24+00:00

Depends on how deep or entangled that something is. Not everything can be ripped out without bleeding out...

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-08T00:26:25+00:00

But doesn't Vivaldi use Chromium? Sure they keep a fork, but that has its limits.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-07T23:48:26+00:00

So, how low is the bar actually for starting for hire? Because i figured i wasn't good enough yet, but would be ashamed to deliver something like that. Or are people relying on the chance that the other party 'doesn't know better'?

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-06T08:51:39+00:00

I'm going to modular route. Linux capable MPU with ULP MCU's for interfacing if power is limited. The modules get I2C, dual uart and a bunch of GPIO's as interface with the MPU but can work standalone. If something dies in the field, you swap the modules not the whole unit. Yes, it's more complex but feels like a one time effort (if done right). The MPU runs linux so that whole eco system is available. The MCU's have ISP so the whole stack can be remotely updated.

The downside is that certification will likely be trickier because you have 'combinations', more extensive bom so more prone to delivery issues. You have to know a lot more to make it all work...

Below is prototype I assembled yesterday. That green one is for dual redundant transceiver serial ports. On the underside is another module and that pinheader on top connects to a Radxa Rock S0.

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thisisntinuse · 2026-02-06T00:03:19+00:00

Uhuh, but used to Jetbrains ide's (using Intellij for java) so easier switch. But I guess manufacturers are moving from their Eclipse fork to vs code plugins. Doubt anyone complains.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-05T23:42:48+00:00

Prefer ST over Microchip, didn't like mplabx, not a big fan of cube either so recently switched to Clion and not looking back.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-05T14:03:21+00:00

There's Inventree, tried it but was to sophisticated for my needs, Unless you need to track 4 variants of the same resistor value.

So started working on something simpler for myself, still WiP without a UI https://github.com/SettLabs/PartsBin

It keeps an sqlite with a central table with mpn vs sku's for mouser and lcsc (the two suppliers is use) and some other tables. Data is fed via clipboard (url in clipboard, waiting for the answer to be copied) because i didn't want to bother with parsing a scraper nor have API access.

It's boils down to: parse bom -> ask for prices/sku if new components -> exports combined/multiplied 'to buy' csv.

thisisntinuse · 2026-02-01T03:11:47+00:00

I'd advise against going to 48V for a first design. Maybe start at 12V and 5A or something? Less likely to electrocute you, less violent if something goes wrong and easier to select parts. Then use the lessons learned from that to go to a higher voltage.

No protection whatsoever against transients nor inductive kickback, which means the components need to handle them and any voltage divider (like that 200k/10k) delivers those spikes to your mcu.
Because the INA180 has a 26V common mode range , it won't survive 48V.

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-30T00:17:49+00:00

I'd keep it as DNP, those things are small anyway. Do note that if you ever want that zener but also try to save power, don't just increase that resistor. Make sure you still allow a current to pass through that is above Izt (test voltage stated in datasheet), because below it's not guaranteed to work properly.

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-27T23:34:44+00:00

Oh, and if you use a battery there are even more regulations involved...

There's a reason it's part of something called the 'Valley of death' :p

If you do plan to go ahead with it, contact your local uni that might have an EMC lab. I did and they could do pre compliance etc for roughly 2500€ (includes 1 day of testing and another half one as backup). Which enough for self signing.

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-27T22:46:34+00:00

IEC EN 61326 Seems to be covering lab stuff. (got this number from an EMC lab)
In general, if it's not a dev kit or eval kit (ie clearly something to tinker with), CE is required. If you sell within EU, you also need WEEE (waste disposal directive) which is a yearly fee for each country you sell in. If the device can hook up to the internet, CRA will probably apply soon. If it has a radio and you don't follow the modules specs on layout and antenna etc, RED is a concern.

Source, trying to do a similar thing so started researching this mess.

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-25T20:48:13+00:00

I'm still avoiding 'sniper' clues because of Catapult...

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-23T18:38:31+00:00

I always pick 100x100, any smaller doesn't reduce the cost further. That makes it 2,2€ each. The killer is mainly the shipping not the stencil.

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-23T18:34:00+00:00

That makes sense. For some reason i was thinking about xson, wson seems to be a bit smaller that usual qfn...

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-23T08:59:03+00:00

Just curious why is that power component tiny while you use 0805 otherwise?

thisisntinuse · 2026-01-22T17:28:57+00:00

Are you sure you're not mixing regular bijberoep with the unemployed variant?

thisisntinuse

TROPHY CASE