STM32 Nucleo and mbed

[d_aliaga]

Posted on December 15, 2015 at 07:51

Hello everybody. This is my first post. 

I would like to ask about mbed. 

I have one (STM32F091RC) and I have used mbed to program it with a couple of examples (LED switching, button etc). The programs seem quite simple.

However I have also seen programs for the STM32 architecture. They are understandable, but are obviously more complex than the mbed's. They require pin I/O initialization etc. Not that I am complaining just that I noticed. 

Why are the mbed programs so simple?

Can I do serious development with it?

If yes, they why bother with the other more complex programs?

In the event that I want to write a program for production after I finish a prototype will I be able to use mbed too?

Any other comment referring mbed that I should be aware of

#mbed

[Tesla DeLorean]

Posted on December 15, 2015 at 17:32

Why are the mbed programs so simple?

Because all the complexity and board specifics have been hidden from you in board support and library code.

In the event that I want to write a program for production after I finish a prototype will I be able to use mbed too?

I guess you'd have to check the licensing of the packages and libraries you have used, and you will have to own the task of implement the pin level configuration and board support.

Can I do serious development with it?

 

Perhaps, in the same way you can with Arduino, but customers generally don't want a stack of boards held together with twine, and to read online tutorials to use it. You'll need to make your own determination about how deployable the code is. Is suspect it's viable, but there are hurdles, and the lunch isn't free. Things like who maintains the code, who is responsible for fixing bugs and updating repositories, and who owns the IP, and the source code distribution expectations.

If yes, they why bother with the other more complex programs?

It depends if you want to know how things work, and have a chance to debug things when they break. It's the LEGO approach to programming, some of us prefer to own an injection molding machine, and make our own blocks.