Summer Internship 2025 at IIT

Jodhpur
-Under Prof. Nitin Bhatia

Report: Languages Used for STM32

Microcontroller Development

Submitted by
-Aryan Soni
-Aditya Narayan
Tiwari

The STM32 family of microcontrollers, developed by

STMicroelectronics, is based on the ARM Cortex-M cores and
widely used in embedded systems, IoT, robotics, automotive,
and industrial applications. Development on STM32 MCUs
typically involves low-level hardware control, real-time
performance considerations, and integration with peripheral
1. C
Supported IDEs:
 STM32CubeIDE
 Keil MDK
 IAR Embedded Workbench
 PlatformIO (with VS Code)
 System Workbench for STM32 (SW4STM32)

Setup Method:

 STM32CubeIDE:
 Download and install from STMicroelectronics website (free, requires account).
 Create a new project, select STM32 MCU/board, configure peripherals in STM32CubeMX.
 Write C code using STM32CubeHAL or CMSIS, compile, and flash via ST-LINK.
 Keil MDK:
 Install Keil MDK (free for STM32F0/G0/L0 up to 32 KB).
 Create a project, select STM32 MCU, add STM32CubeHAL or CMSIS libraries.
 Write C code, compile, and flash using ST-LINK or ULINK debugger.
 IAR Embedded Workbench:
 Install IAR (free version limited to 32 KB for some STM32 series).
 Create a project, select STM32 MCU, import STM32CubeHAL libraries.
 Write C code, build, and flash via ST-LINK or I-Jet debugger.
 PlatformIO:
 Install PlatformIO extension in VS Code, add STM32 board support.
 Create a project with platform = ststm32, write C code with STM32CubeHAL.
 Build and upload using ST-LINK.
 SW4STM32:
 Install System Workbench (free, Eclipse-based).
 Create a project, select STM32 MCU, import STM32CubeHAL libraries.
 Write C code, compile, and flash via ST-LINK.

2. C++
Supported IDEs:

 STM32CubeIDE
  Keil MDK
 IAR Embedded Workbench
 PlatformIO (with VS Code)
 SW4STM32

Setup Method:

 STM32CubeIDE:
 Same as C, but enable C++ in project settings (add .cpp files, configure linker for
C++).
 Write C++ code (e.g., classes for peripherals), compile, and flash via ST-LINK.
 Keil MDK:
 Create a C++ project, select STM32 MCU, include STM32CubeHAL libraries.
 Write C++ code, ensure C++ runtime support, compile, and flash via ST-LINK.
 IAR Embedded Workbench:
 Create a C++ project, select STM32 MCU, import STM32CubeHAL.
 Write C++ code, configure for C++ standard library, build, and flash via ST-LINK.
 PlatformIO:
 Same as C, but add build_flags = -lstdc++ in platformio.ini for C++ support.
 Write C++ code, build, and upload via ST-LINK.
 SW4STM32:
 Create a C++ project, select STM32 MCU, include STM32CubeHAL.
 Write C++ code, configure toolchain for C++, compile, and flash via ST-LINK

3. Assembly

Supported IDEs:

 STM32CubeIDE
 Keil MDK
 IAR Embedded Workbench
 PlatformIO (with VS Code)

Setup Method:

 STM32CubeIDE:
 Create a C project, add .s files for ARM Thumb/Thumb-2 assembly.
 Write assembly code (e.g., for interrupt handlers), compile with GNU ARM
assembler.
 Flash via ST-LINK.
  Keil MDK:
 Create a project, select STM32 MCU, add .s files for assembly.
 Write ARM assembly code, compile, and flash via ST-LINK or ULINK.
 IAR Embedded Workbench:
 Create a project, select STM32 MCU, add .s files.
 Write ARM assembly, build, and flash via ST-LINK or I-Jet
 PlatformIO:
 Create an STM32 project, add .s files for assembly.
 Write ARM Thumb assembly, build with GNU ARM toolchain, and upload via ST-
LINK.

4. MicroPython
Supported IDEs:
 Thonny IDE
 VS Code (with Pymakr or MicroPython extensions)
 Any terminal emulator (e.g., PuTTY, miniterm)

Setup Method:

 Thonny IDE:
 Install Thonny (free, cross-platform).
 Flash MicroPython firmware to STM32 board using dfu-util or
STM32CubeProgrammer.
 Connect STM32 via USB, write MicroPython scripts, and run via Thonny’s REPL.
 VS Code:
 Install VS Code with Pymakr or MicroPython extension.
 Flash MicroPython firmware to STM32 using dfu-util or STM32CubeProgrammer.
 Write scripts, upload to STM32, and interact via REPL.
 Terminal Emulator:
 Flash MicroPython firmware to STM32.
 Use a terminal (e.g., PuTTY) to connect via USB serial.
 Write and run MicroPython scripts in REPL or save to board’s filesystem.

5. Rust

Supported IDEs:

 PlatformIO (with VS Code)

 VS Code (with Rust Analyzer)
  STM32CubeIDE (with Rust plugin, less common)

Setup Method:

 PlatformIO:
 Install PlatformIO in VS Code, add platform = ststm32.
 Install Rust toolchain (rustup target add thumbv7em-none-eabihf for STM32).
 Create a project, add stm32-rs or embassy crates, write Rust code, build, and flash
via ST-LINK
 VS Code:
 Install Rust (rustup), Rust Analyzer extension, and cargo for STM32.
 Create a project with cargo, add STM32 HAL crates (e.g., stm32f4xx-hal).
 Build with cargo build --release, flash using probe-rs or ST-LINK.
 STM32CubeIDE:
 Install Rust plugin, set up Rust toolchain.
 Create a Rust project, integrate STM32 HAL crates.
 Write Rust code, compile, and flash via ST-LINK.

Notes

 STM32CubeIDE is the most versatile, supporting C, C++, Assembly, and (with plugins)
Rust, and is free with comprehensive STM32 support.
 MicroPython requires flashing specific firmware to the STM32 board, available from
the MicroPython website or ST’s repositories.
 Rust and Ada require additional toolchains (Rust, GNAT) and have smaller STM32
communities, so setup may be more complex.