Getting started with STM32F3 DISCOVERY
Greg Kennedy wrote 02/19/2015 at 16:06 • 3 pointsI got this board free from a giveaway like 2 years ago (Thanks HaD for publicizing!) and finally decided on a use for it: a "push-to" telescope computer. Attach to your existing scope, set the time and location, look up a space object, and it'll use the compass / gyro to tell you how to aim right at it.
But I am having a really hard time finding out how to get started with this - my uC experience is limited to PIC and Arduino, never done ARM anything. I found CooCox IDE and the GNU port for ARM GCC - is this a good combination for a beginner? ST's site is really, really unhelpful in getting started.
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You could try installing espruino (http://www.espruino.com/) onto the discovery. Then you can program in JavaScript using a web based IDE
http://www.espruino.com/ReferenceSTM32F3DISCOVERY
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Normally I'd poo-poo such a solution as being a waste of resources, but in the interest of getting something up and running this might actually be the best way to do it. Thanks for the tip!
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Windows or Linux?
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Windows, should have specified.
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I had some pain with the STM32F4 to make it work...
If you are familiar with Visual Studio you could give http://visualgdb.com/ a chance. It is not free (student discount available) but it will give you an idea how it works. The good thing about it is that you are more or less guided through the setup.
I don't like all the other solutions out there, as a hobbiest its a pain to make it work...
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Get ST's CubeMX 4.6 - that's a convenient tool for setting the clocks and some (coarse) peripheral initialization. Use it to generate a TrueStudio project. TrueStudio uses gcc behind the scenes, so you have usable code after you've generated the code, to get started. You will also get a linker script for the chip on the discovery board. CooCox must probably be configured for your chip. I'm using Code::Blocks, but you should be able to set compiler and linker flags in CooCox as well. Use the list I have on my STM32F0 project page for a starter - you'll have to adapt them, though.
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