STM32 MCU selection

[MA_it]

Hello,

        I am new to STM32 MCUs. We are looking for a low-pin-count MCU with DAC, CAN, and Timer peripherals. Currently, we         are working on a DAC application using the NUCLEO-F429ZI board.

       Could you please suggest a suitable STM32 MCU with fewer pins that supports mainly DAC, CAN, and Timer peripherals?

 

Thanks and Regards,

[Peter BENSCH]

Well, depending on your further requirements, there are several candidates, which you can also identify perfectly with the MCU Selector in STM32CubeMX, incidentally.

The smallest STM32 with few pins, DAC, CAN and a timer is the STM32H503EBY6TR. However, I’m afraid that the WLCSP-25 package is a little too tiny for you, isn’t it?

Regards
/Peter

[Ozone]

Several STM32F3xx variants come in 22 pin (TSSOP22), 32 pin and 48 pin variants, and have DAC and CAN peripherals.
There is no STM32 MCU without timer peripherals …

For details, use the product selector : https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32f3-series/products.html

I would check the STM32C0xx series as well, if the performance and memory sizes suffice.

[Srikanth1]

I would suggest looking at the STM32G4 series, especially the STM32G431, if a 32-pin package is acceptable. It provides DAC, FDCAN and multiple timer peripherals, while being considerably smaller than the STM32F429 used on the NUCLEO-F429ZI.

 

STM32CubeMX/STM32CubeIDE MCU Selector can also be used to filter for DAC + CAN/FDCAN + timer and then select the package according to the required pin count.

[appleexpert]

The STM32G431 looks like a good candidate if 32 pins is acceptable.

One thing I would check before making the final selection is the actual pin assignment in CubeMX, not just whether the MCU has DAC, CAN/FDCAN and timers listed in the datasheet. With the smaller packages, peripheral pin conflicts can become the real limitation.

For example, I would first define:

• How many external DAC outputs are required

• Which timer functions are needed (PWM, input capture, encoder, etc.)

• Whether you need Classical CAN only or CAN FD

• Required Flash/RAM

• Preferred package type, such as LQFP32 versus QFN

• Any additional UART/SPI/I2C pins that must remain available

Also keep in mind that the MCU contains the CAN controller, but you will still normally need an external CAN transceiver between the MCU and the CAN bus.

I would create the required peripheral configuration in STM32CubeMX first and let it expose any pin conflicts before committing to a specific part number.

For a design coming from the STM32F429, the STM32G431Kx family would definitely be worth evaluating.