About MCU Development board

If you are a total beginner and don’t have any boards with you and are looking for some best MCU development boards, then take a look into the NUCLEO-F446RE based Nucleo board.

Both the NUCLEO-F446RE and STM32F4 discovery board are based on a microcontroller, which is based on the STM32F4x family of the microcontroller. You can also put Nucleo code on the discovery board. No problem. But you would need either one of these boards.

If you are a beginner, then NUCLEO-F446RE is the best choice since it is of very low cost compared to the discovery board. Now that would be sufficient for the beginner. 

Remember that, whenever you want to buy a board then you should always keep in mind a couple of factors, as follows:

• Manufacturer’s Reputation:

The first one is, see who is manufacturing that. All these boards are manufactured by ST, a well-known brand in the industry, ensuring reliability and quality

• Documentation and Support:

The second thing is, check whether documentation and code support is available or not. ST provides comprehensive documentation, including user manuals, application notes, datasheets, reference manuals, and sample codes. This information is available on their official website (Figure 1).

Additionally, ST maintains a own discussion forum for addressing any queries related to the boards or software.

• Onboard Debugger:

Apart from that, check whether the board has an onboard debugger or not. That is very important. For example, if you take a look into the board shown in Figure 2, at the top, you will see a debugger. That means it has an onboard debugger which will be mentioned by the vendor who is selling that. In the description, you have to read that.

The STM32 Nucleo board does not require any separate probe as it integrates the ST-LINK debugger and programmer. This is really important for any embedded engineer who is getting started with microcontroller programming because debugging is very essential, and you should always have an onboard debugger. Otherwise, you have to spend more money to buy an external debugger, which is generally not preferred.

For example, if you consider Arduino boards, then they don’t have an onboard debugger. For that, you have to spend a lot of money to acquire an external debugger.

• Peripheral Support:

If you are using the microcontroller for a learning purpose, then you should check whether the peripheral you require is supported or not. For instance, if you plan to use the CAN peripheral, confirm its compatibility with the chosen microcontroller. Most STM32F4x and STM32F7x microcontrollers support a wide array of peripherals.

• Flash and RAM Size:

One more important thing is to check the supported flash size and onboard RAM size of that microcontroller. For example, in the STM32 Nucleo board, the STM32F446RE microcontroller is used. Just google the microcontroller name. It will take you to the description of that microcontroller, where you can read all the descriptions like flash size, CPU speed, and various other features like RAM size, etc. 

Always buy a RAM which is close to 100KB or more than it because tomorrow you may be putting lots of middlewares like USB stack, low power IP stack, you may be playing with graphics or running space-consuming application. At that time, you need not switch to some other board. There are boards available with a flash memory of 1MB also.

Some people will blindly buy a board, which has very low RAM and low flash. And tomorrow they will find that it doesn’t hold their application, at that time they want to change the board. All these things are not good, and it is better to go for 512KB or above that.

In summary, the NUCLEO-F446RE based Nucleo board is your go-to choice as a beginner in MCU development. With affordable pricing, solid manufacturer support, onboard debugger, and ample memory, this board sets the stage for a successful learning journey. Always remember to prioritize documentation, compatibility, and capacity when making your selection, ensuring a smooth and rewarding experience in the fascinating world of microcontrollers.

In the following article, let’s see STM32F4 Discovery and Nucleo Board Details.

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