I need to create a USB & Ethernet tester. The USB must be a virtual serial port and Ethernet must initiate pinging. I am using Mikroelectronica products but am having trouble. What ST products are available (Discovery board?) that can do the job?

Rick V. · ‎2020-01-27

Currently using the MikroE EasyMx Pro V7 with the STM32F407VGT6 processor. I cannot get that to work on the Ethernet side. I'd like to switch to an ST product such as the discovery board for this processor but I'm not sure if it's the right thing for my project. I need to rely on the experts for this.

waclawek.jan · ‎2020-01-27

If you can't get the MikroE board going, why do you think you will have more luck with an ST board?

Some of the Nucleo-144 boards have ETH (and all have some USB) - have a look perhaps at NUCLEO-F207ZG or NUCLEO-F429ZI. There's probably clickable support for these in CubeMX - I don't know, I don't use Cube/CubeMX.

JW

Rick V. · ‎2020-01-28

Thanks for the information. I'll look into these boards.

There isn't a lot of support for MikroE boards in terms of Ethernet. They do provide libraries but I'm finding that it is such a high level that I have no control over the lower level stuff. Two lines of code to initialize the Ethernet but should the cable not be connected, their software hangs up.

I do need high level libraries as I am not a microcontroller programmer but I figure there is more support for ST products than MikroE products.

waclawek.jan · ‎2020-01-28

> Two lines of code to initialize the Ethernet but should the cable not be connected, their software hangs up.

This sounds much like what the ST ETH example code did, at least last time I checked...

> I figure there is more support for ST products than MikroE products.

Why would that be so?

JW

Rick V. · ‎2020-01-28

Looks like the NUCLEO-F207ZG is what I need. STM32CubeMx supports it and will probably give me the framework that I need to get the Ethernet tester working. My only question about it would be what to use if I want to externally power the board. There isn't much description on the data sheets. Any ideas?

Rick V. · ‎2020-01-29

To go with a firmware solution, I believe the NUCLEO-F207ZG will work just fine. There is support from STM32CubeMx so I'll get one of those and try it out. What I also need to select is a development board that can run a Linux kernel which would imply I need external memory. I know from what I read that the STM32F4 series processors can run Linux but require external RAM to do the job. Is there an ST development board (NUCLEO or DISCOVERY or similar) that has external RAM built in?

Ozone · ‎2020-01-29

There used to be a baseboard available for the F4 discovery that provides ethernet:

https://www.element14.com/community/community/designcenter/stm32f4-discovery-expansion-boards

Example projects (based on SPL) are/were also available. I once built and ran a webserver project successfully, but never got deeper into that.

The F4 discovery is based upon the same F407VG MCU, by the way.

MicroE's libraries used to be ancrypted, and less-then-satisfactory documented. A business model I personally do not like.

Piranha · ‎2020-02-01

> I do need high level libraries as I am not a microcontroller programmer but I figure there is more support for ST products than MikroE products.

HAL/CubeMX code is non-working bloatware and you can't make a serious working firmware from that, only non-reliable amateur level junk. To make a real firmware, you have to be/become embedded developer or hire someone, who is capable of doing it. And the situation is the same with all manufacturers. A code generation, which "enables" non-developers to develop firmware is a lie propagated by marketing.

As for Ethernet: https://community.st.com/s/question/0D50X0000BOtfhnSQB/how-to-make-ethernet-and-lwip-working-on-stm32

Rick V. · ‎2020-02-03

“A humble man rises to great heights and an arrogant man falls deep into the pit he tries to dig for others.�?

waclawek.jan · ‎2020-02-03

Yeah, maybe, but Piranha obviously speaks from bitter experience, see the numerous ETH-related threads he's been contributing recently.

You may be lucky though with the clicking, if you won't depart too far from what the Cube/CubeMX authors envisaged and won't stumble upon some of the bugs.

For Linux, you'll be probably better off going for the Pies and kin.

JW