Summary of SPARKFUN THING PLUS – STM32 (DEV-17712)
SparkFun Thing Plus – STM32 is a compact development board powered by an ARM Cortex-M4 STM32F405 (up to 168 MHz) with FPU and DSP instructions. It includes a DFU bootloader, 1 MB Flash (device), 16 MB external Flash, microSD slot, USB, Qwiic connector, 3.3V regulator, LiPo charger, and numerous I/O and peripherals (UART, I2C, SPI, ADC, DAC, PWM, SDIO, Ethernet MAC). Designed for easy prototyping without soldering, it targets high-performance, space-efficient embedded projects.
Parts used in the SparkFun Thing Plus – STM32:
- STM32F405 ARM Cortex-M4 processor
- DFU bootloader (firmware)
- Qwiic Connect System connector
- USB interface with on-chip PHY
- 3.3V voltage regulator
- LiPo charging circuit
- 16 MByte external SPI Flash
- 1 MByte on-chip Flash memory
- microSD card slot (SDIO)
- UART bus
- I2C bus
- SPI bus
- Analog inputs (up to 15) and two analog outputs (DAC)
- Digital I/O pins (20), 14 PWM capable
- JTAG / Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface
- 10/100 Ethernet MAC with DMA (peripheral)
SparkFun Electronics Thing Plus – STM32 offers power and precision with a 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M4 RISC core. The Thing Plus provides a DFU bootloader for uploading code and incorporates an extensive range of enhanced I/Os and peripherals. The STM32 Thing Plus utilizes the handy Qwiic Connect System, which means no soldering or shields are required to connect it. The STM32 Thing Plus delivers an economical and easy-to-use powerful development platform designed for a minimal working space.
The SparkFun Thing Plus – STM32 STM32F405 Processor is based on the high-performance ARM® Cortex®-M4 32-bit RISC core and can operate at a frequency of up to 168MHz. The Cortex-M4 core features a floating-point unit (FPU) single precision, supporting all ARM single-precision data-processing instructions and data types. Additionally, the core implements a complete set of DSP instructions and a memory protection unit (MPU) which enhances application security.
In addition to the USB interface and Qwiic connection, the STM32 Thing Plus provides a 3.3V regulator and LiPo charger and 16MB of Flash and microSD slot for expandable memory.
Features
- STM32 General Features:
- ARM® 32-bit Cortex®-M4 CPU with FPU
- Adaptive real-time accelerator (ART Accelerator™) allowing 0-wait state execution from Flash memory
- Frequency up to 168MHz
- Memory protection unit
- 210DMIPS/ 1.25DMIPS/MHz (Dhrystone 2.1)
- DSP instructions
- 1Mbyte of Flash memory
- 192Kbytes of SRAM including 64Kbytes of CCM (core coupled memory) data RAM
- Flexible static memory controller supporting Compact Flash, SRAM, PSRAM, NOR and NAND memories
- Clock, reset and supply management
- 1.8V to 3.6V application supply and I/Os
- 32kHz oscillator for RTC with calibration
- Internal 32kHz RC with calibration
- Low-power operation
- Sleep, Stop and Standby modes
- VBAT supply for RTC, 20×32 bit backup registers + optional 4KB backup SRAM
- Debug mode
- Serial wire debug (SWD) & JTAG interfaces
- Cortex-M4 Embedded Trace Macrocell™
- Advanced connectivity
- USB 2.0 full-speed device/host/OTG controller with on-chip PHY
- USB 2.0 high-speed/full-speed device/host/OTG controller with dedicated DMA, on-chip full-speed PHY and ULPI
- 10/100 Ethernet MAC with dedicated DMA: supports IEEE 1588v2 hardware, MII/RMII
- ARM® 32-bit Cortex®-M4 CPU with FPU
- Specific Peripherals available on STM32 Thing Plus:
- UART bus
- I2C Bus
- SPI bus
- Up to 15 analog inputs, two analog outputs
- 20 Digital I/O pins, 14 PWM capable
- SDIO for microSD card support
- JTAG serial wire debug support
- Power Select
- LiPo charging circuit
- 3.3V Regulator
- 128 Mbit SPI flash
Read more: SPARKFUN THING PLUS – STM32 (DEV-17712)
- What processor does the Thing Plus STM32 use?
The board uses an STM32F405 ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit RISC core that can run up to 168 MHz. - Can I program the board without external hardware?
Yes, the board provides a DFU bootloader for uploading code via USB. - Does the Thing Plus support expandable storage?
Yes, it includes a microSD card slot (SDIO) and 16 MByte external Flash for expandable memory. - How do I connect sensors without soldering?
The board uses the Qwiic Connect System, allowing sensor connections without soldering or shields. - Is there a battery charging option on the board?
Yes, the Thing Plus includes a LiPo charging circuit. - What power supply options are available?
It provides a 3.3V regulator and supports 1.8V to 3.6V application supply and I/Os with VBAT for RTC. - Does the processor support floating point and DSP instructions?
Yes, the Cortex-M4 core includes a single-precision FPU and a complete set of DSP instructions. - Are debug interfaces available on the board?
Yes, it supports Serial Wire Debug (SWD) and JTAG interfaces for debugging. - What communication buses are available?
The board exposes UART, I2C, SPI, SDIO, and USB interfaces, and includes an Ethernet MAC peripheral. - How much on-chip RAM is provided?
It provides 192 Kbytes of SRAM including 64 Kbytes of core coupled memory (CCM) data RAM.
