How to recognize a genuine ST-LINK/V2 versus a cloned one

[Amel NASRI]

To answer the questions like "Is my ST-Link/V2 genuine? Where to find a genuine ST-Link/V2? Why my device isn't recognized?" and other related ones, please refer to the following:

Where to find a genuine ST-Link/V2

ST-Link official in-circuit debuggers and programmers are available from standard STMicroelectronics distributors. Both STLINK-V3MINIE and STLINK-V3SET are usually available in volume, while the availability leadtime of ST-LINK/V2 may temporarily increase.

How to recognize a genuine ST-Link/V2

Should a ST-Link/V2 clone properly work with any ST tool or FW?

ST resources are dedicated to support genuine ST-Link products. We are not committed to ensure that clones are properly working with the firmware that we are delivering.

How to re-use the ST-Link section from a STM32 Nucleo board

For reference, the pricing of STLINK-V3MINIE probe and of selected Nucleo boards is around 10$, i.e half the price of ST-LINK/V2.
The embedded ST-Link from a Nucleo-64 board may seamlessly be used to program and debug an external STM32 application. The related settings are described in the User Manual of the Nucleo-64 board UM1724 in the paragraph covering the embedded ST-Link/V2-1.
 

[Andrew Neil]

Note that anything looking like this is a fake/clone - even if it does have an "ST" logo on it:

 

   

 

 

 

There are many of these fakes/clones which all look identical, but they do not have consistent pinouts - the pinouts can be different, even when bought from the same place!

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The above collected from a couple of previous posts:

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-products/blue-pill-stm32f1-board-gets-programmed-through-arduino-ide-but/m-p/668483/highlight/true#M242662

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-products/debug-problem-with-clone-st-linkv2/m-p/661306/highlight/true#M240845 

 

PS:

Example of a lookalike fake ST-Link:

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-boards-and-hardware/is-this-a-genuine-st-link/m-p/867869/highlight/true#M29139

 

#FakeSTLink #CloneSTLink

[BarryWhit]

The clones also don't break out (without manual modding) the SWO pin needed for the "Serial Wire Viewer" (SWV) functionality in CubeIDE, which is very very useful while developing.

[Andreas Bolsch]

And RST is SWIM reset, not SWD reset signal. Moreover there are clones around which have totally weird pull-up/pull-downs on SWDIO and/or SWCLK. Causes communication to target to cease sporadically:

https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/515218

Probably the manufacturer just took a reel of resistors without knowing anything about the functionality of the circuit.  

[avinash_elec]

How do they get the firmware of ST link? Is it freely available? 

[Andrew Neil]

@avinash_elec No - the firmware is closed source. See:

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-boards-and-hardware/st-link-source-code/m-p/711023/highlight/true#M20893

 

But there are some Open-Source alternatives:

https://community.st.com/t5/stm32-mcus-boards-and-hardware/st-link-source-code/m-p/711105/highlight/true#M20897