STMicroelectronics STM32F407VET6

STM32F407VET6 is one of the most common microcontroller of a series of STM32 family of microcontrollers manufactured by STMicroelectronics having the best performance and flexibility. It has a high-performance ARM Cortex-M4 core, programmable up to 168MHz, and a wide range of functionality capable of fulfilling embedded requirements as well as high-performance computing needs. So, in this article we cover the STM32F407VET6 pinout, available development boards and projects you can do with Arduino IDE.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to STM32F407VET6 Microcontroller
• STM32F407VET6 Pinout
• STM32F407VET6 Projects
• STM32F407VET6 Dev Boards
• Programming the STM32F407VET6
• STM32F407VET6 Schematic And Circuit Design
• STM32F407VET6 Package and Footprint
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction to STM32F407VET6 Microcontroller

STM32F407VET6 is a popular general-purpose microcontroller with a wide range of applications from motor control to multimedia. The features of the microcontroller can only be fully utilized if you have knowledge about its pinout and development environment, in which you use development boards and software tools like Arduino.

Key Features

ARM Cortex-M4 core and Floating Point Unit (FPU)

168 MHz clock speed

512 KB Flash memory

192 KB SRAM

Multiple different interfaces like -> UART, SPI, I2C and so on

82 I/O pins (Maximum) for peripheral connectivity

STM32F407VET6 Pinout

STM32F407VET6 Pinout

So before going to specific projects, we should first see about the pinout of the STM32F407VET6. PinoutYou should know the layout and function of each pin on the microcontroller, which will connect to sensors, displays, and other peripherals.Detailed pinout is available in the datasheet and reference manual.

STM32F407VET6 Projects

This makes the STM32F407VET6 suitable for many projects. Here are a few examples:

LED Blinking

Controlling an LED is the quintessential embedded programming "Hello World." GPIO pins are easy to blink an led with the STM32F407VET6. This project is a great way to get started with the microcontroller and the Arduino IDE.

Digital Thermometer

Simple Digital Thermometer using STM32F407VET6 and a temperature sensor like DHT22 Configuring Wi-Fi in Arduino provides us with the ability to do so easily.

Motor Control

The PWM and timer capabilities of the STM32F407VET6 is very powerful and suitable for motor control applications. It can be used for DC motors, stepper motors or even servos.

Bluetooth Data Logger

The STM32F407VET6 retrieves sensor data and wirelessly transfers them via Bluetooth modules such as the HC-05 to a smartphone or computer. If anybody wants to learn about wireless communication and want to combine it with embedded systems, this project is recommended.

Audio Processing

The Integrated DSP (digital signal processor) of STM32F407VET6 makes it suitable for Audio applications. This can be used to manipulate audio signals to generate sound effects or to build a simple voice recognition system.

STM32F407VET6 Dev Boards

Although you aim to use the STM32F407VET6 directly on a breadboard or custom PCB, development board is often selected for its convenience. These boards have the STM32F407VET6 microcontroller soldered on, and they also include power regulation, debugging interfaces, and access to all of the microcontroller's pins.

Commonly Used Development Boards: STM32F407VET6

Blue Pill Board

STM32F407VET6 based very popular and cheap Development Board.

That is with the necessary peripherals such as a USB bootloader, power supply, and basic pin headers.

Working with the STM32 family of microcontrollers is facilitated by the Blue Pill, which can even be programmed using Arduino IDE via a supported package called STM32duino.

STM32F4 Discovery Kit

More features than the Blue Pill, such as onboard debugger, LEDs and sensors.

This one is great for more complex projects and testing all features of STM32F407VET6.

Indispensable Guides to Development Boards

Things to consider when choosing a dev board: Price, size, ease of programming. Straightforward and affordable, beginner users, the Blue Pill is a great choice. But, if more features for complex projects are your thing, then the STM32F4 Discovery Kit may be the better option.

Programming the STM32F407VET6

The STM32F407VET6 is programmed using the C or C++ programming language and writing the code to the microcontroller. Some tools to write code are: STM32CubeIDE, PlatformIO and Arduino IDE.

STM32F407VET6: Using Arduino IDE

STM32F407VET6 Arduino

Possibly, the most interesting point of the STM32F407VET6 is that it can be programmed using Arduino IDE. Arduino is an ecosystem that offers a relatively high-level environment for programming microcontrollers, making it useful for hobbyists or beginner embedded systems programmers.

To use the STM32F407VET6 with Arduino you will need to install the STM32duino kernel, which will add support for STM32 microcontrollers in the Arduino IDE. This allows you to write sketches just like you would for an Arduino development board, which makes it a great choice for beginners.

Flashing the Bootloader

A bootloader is a fundamental part that gives you the ability to upload your program into a microcontroller from a serial or usb port, etc. The device already comes with a general bootloader to flash the STM32F407VET6 with different firmware. For example, we can use the built-in bootloader of the Blue Pill board, and we can program our board over USB without requiring an external programmer.

STM32F407VET6 Schematic And Circuit Design

STM32F407VET6 Typical application Circuitry Schematics

How to use the STM32F407VET6 microcontroller The schematic of STM32F407VET6 is very important when you design your custom circuits with it. The Schematic is a graphical representation of the circuit indicating how the components are connected. You need to go through the datasheet and reference manual as it contains everything that is needed to design your circuits such as voltage levels and connections, any additional requirements that the microcontroller may have.

If you are making a circuit design on the soldering board, make sure you power your circuit properly and check the voltage levels, especially if you are using an external component that is different from the board. Some peripheral components need 5V while STM32F407VET6 can run at 3.3V.

STM32F407VET6 Package and Footprint

Package Type: Low Profile Quad Flat Package

STM32F407VET6 Package

Pins: 100

Pin Pitch: 0.5 mm (distance between the centers of neighboring pins)

Package Size: 14x14 mm

Lead Style: Surface-mount

Footprint Specifications:

STM32F407VET6 Footprint

For the STM32F407VET6 device (100-Pin LQFP), the footprint would look like this:

Pad Layout: 100 pads (the 100 pins of the microcontroller)

Pad Size: Generally ~0.35mm x 0.35mm for a 0.5mm pitch but design-specific.

The 0.5mm pitch should be maintained while designing the footprint and sufficient space should be provided around each pad to ensure proper soldering.

Conclusion

October 17, 2021 |In this article, we are going to take a look at one of the most common microcontrollers, STM32F407VET6 by STMicroelectronics. The rich feature set thanks to its affordability to development board availability such as Blue Pill make it a great choice for many embedded projects. Whether you prefer programming through the Arduino IDE or using highly advanced tools such as STM32CubeIDE, the STM32F407VET6 allows you to experiment with a plethora of uses.

The STM32F407VET6 has a potential ranging from blinking a simple LED to an advanced Bluetooth data logging system. Consulting the datasheet, reference manual and schematic will help guide you with this project and before you know it you will be on your way to developing some really cool projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is external memory supported?

Answer：Support, use SPI or FSMC interface to connect external memory, such as SD card.

How is the PWM signal generated?

Ans: It outputs PWM waveform through its timer (TIM), which is widely used in applications such as motor control.

What timers are supported by STM32F407VET6?

Answer: STM32F407VET6 supports several timers, including basic timer, general-purpose timer and advanced timer, which can be used for PWM, frequency measurement and other applications.

How does STM32F407VET6 realize serial communication?

Answer: Serial communication can be performed through its UART interface, which supports asynchronous and synchronous modes and is widely used for data transmission and debugging.

Does STM32F407VET6 support floating point operation?

Answer: Yes, the Cortex-M4 core has a built-in floating point unit (FPU), which allows for efficient floating point operations.

How to connect Wi-Fi with STM32F407VET6?

Answer：Connect the Wi-Fi module (e.g. ESP8266 or ESP32) via SPI or UART interface to realize the wireless communication function.