I can't edit stm8s.h file in STVD

[PeterC]

I'm trying to jump from the Arduino realm to STM8 realm and setting this software up is brutal going through company IT. They won't give me admin rights and I'm wondering if that is why I can't edit a simple stm8.h files to uncomment out my particular MCU. I'm using the STM8-so8-Disco discovery board and all I wanted to do was change the delay rates of the LED setting, but I can't change anything in the demo files. 
I found a step by step setup process and I'm walking through that online, Starting STM8 Microcontrollers | Embedded Lab (embedded-lab.com) but that says you need to load the library files and edit the stm8s.h file to uncomment the particular MCU you are using, but I cannot do that either. I've tried everything I can think of but I'm starting to wonder if it might be caused by the fact that my IT group won't let me have admin rights to my PC so I can't run the program as the administrator. Could that be the problem and is there a work around?

Thanks

[Peter BENSCH · Accepted solution]

Welcome @PeterC, to the community!

Yes, there is a solution for this.

But first, let me briefly explain: the STM8 have already been set to NRND (Not Recommended for New Designs) for some time, so they will still be produced and delivered until the end of the planned availability period. However, in all likelihood there will be no more changes to the software and tools, so they will be frozen at the latest version.

However, as the tools were developed ages ago for Windows versions that are now very old, they no longer really fit in with the way we work today. So you have to install them in such a way that you can work with them without encountering the limits you have observed: you install them neither in %ProgramFiles% nor in %ProgramFiles(x86)% (i.e. typically C:\Program Files..., for which admin rights are required), but in a root directory that does not belong to Windows, e.g. C:\ST\STVD. Then you can also edit .h files to your heart's content completely admin-free etc.

Unfortunately, admin rights are required again, at least when reinstalling into another directory.

Hope that answers your question?

Good luck!
/Peter

[PeterC]

Thank you for that information, but now I need to ask. Am I wasting my time trying to learn the STM8 family?

I was looking for small so8 packages to use for embedded stand alone designs to collect data and turn on LEDs. In the future I was thinking these stand alone items could possibly be connected to a main controller board. But if you're saying they are not recommended for new designs, I feel I may be wasting my time.

I have a co-worker who is already working with the ST32 but those MCUs are overkill for what I want to do. It seems to me I don't need a Swiss army knife when all I really need is a small Phillips head  screw driver. Sometimes, bigger is not better. All my engineering classes taught me about efficiency, and having all the extras the ST32 offers, just sitting there doing nothing, seems like wasted resources. So what is a designer to do, especially if he's thinking of making wearable items?

[Peter BENSCH]

Well, it depends on the expected lifetime of your product: the STM8 will be produced until 2031 inclusive, so they can still be used until then. Whether you can get them is another question that should be clarified with the respective supplier, not here.

As fas as packages with just a few pins are concerned, there are also derivatives in SO-8, such as the STM32C011J4 or the STM32G030J6. With them, everything except VDD and GND is largely freely configurable and you can even work with an internal oscillator instead of an external crystal/resonator.

And to stay with your comparison of the Swiss army knife and a small Phillips head screw drive: I also come from a time when you still knew individual bits personally and had to be extreeemely economical with resources. But why use a Phillips screw drive when you get a Swiss army knife for nearly the same price?

I can highly recommend taking a look at the STM32C011J4 or the STM32G030J6, where there are also development boards that you can use, e.g. the STM32G0316-DISCO.

And to your last question about wearable items: this is a completely different category where batteries or energy harvesters normally provide the energy, which is why ultra-low power MCUs are used there, such as STM32L011F3

Hope I could answer your questions?

Good luck!
/Peter

[PeterC]

Thank you for that information. I was not aware the ST32 was available in so8 packages. As I said, I'm new to the ST MCUs and I'm trying to step up to them. I'm learning as I go. I'm taking your advice and moving up to the ST32 line.
 
And as for the Swiss army knife, if you don't need all the extras, they just take up wasted space and wasted resources. Sometimes it doesn't matter if they cost the same, space is the bigger criteria. Sometimes.