STMicro extends feature integration and flexibility of STM32F4 Access Lines

Two new microcontroller lines from STMicroelectronics increase energy efficiency, flexibility, and feature integration at the high end of the STM32F4 Access Line for high-performance embedded designs. Qualified up to 125°C, these latest STM32 devices target always-on sensor acquisition and general-purpose industrial applications, and present a robust and cost-effective upgrade from STM32F1 MCUs.

The STM32F413 and crypto-enhanced STM32F423 integrate up to 1.5MB Flash and unusually dense SRAM of 320KB. These are the most highly featured of the STM32F4 Access Lines, with rich audio capabilities including a Serial Audio Interface (SAI) and an enhanced voice-acquisition interface with multi-channel Digital Filter for Sigma-Delta Modulators (DFSDM) that enables low-power sound localization and beam forming. The devices also provide superior peripheral integration, with two 12-bit Digital-Analog Converters (DACs), up to 10 UARTs, and three CAN 2.0B Active interfaces. The crypto-enhanced STM32F423 also has a True Random-Number Generator (TRNG) and AES-256 cryptographic hardware accelerator.

Sitting at the top of the STM32F4 Access Lines, the new MCUs introduce a 100MHz dual-mode Quad SPI for connecting serial off-chip memory, 16-bit Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) for external SRAM, PSRAM or NOR Flash, up to 16-bit QVGA or 8-bit WQVGA LCD interface, and USB OTG with Link Power Management (LPM) and dual power rails that save external level shifting.

In addition, both lines feature a new RAM-access scheme that uses the instruction and data (I/D) buses and the system bus (SBUS) to connect to separate RAM1 (256KB) and RAM2 (64KB) areas thereby minimizing contentions. A new, enhanced DMA Batch Acquisition Mode (BAM+) takes advantage of these separate RAM1 and RAM2 areas to process code and data extremely efficiently in sensor-hub applications.

Delivering high performance with best-in-class energy efficiency, the new STM32 microcontrollers combine the 100MHz 125DMIPS/339 EEMBC CoreMark ARM Cortex-M4 core with ST’s power-saving Dynamic Efficiency technologies that cut RUN mode current to as little as 112µA/MHz. These Dynamic Efficiency technologies include the ST ART Accelerator for zero-wait execution from Flash, and the supply-voltage extending down to 1.7V, to maximize the battery life of always-connected devices.

Designers can immediately start their projects using the NUCLEO-F413ZH development board. This STM32 Nucleo-144 board comes with the ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer, software libraries and examples, and can be used directly with ARM mbed online resources. Scheduled for launch in early 2017, the STM32F413 Discovery Kit will introduce unique and innovative support for customer application development.