STMicroelectronics is now delivering the first samples of its new STM32 F3 series of microcontrollers to major OEM customers, enabling early evaluation of this important new line in ST’s product family featuring the ARM Cortex-M core embedded.STM 32 F3 microcontrollers are system-on-chip devices based on the Cortex-M4 core with FPU, and are optimized for efficient handling and processing of mixed signals in circuits such as three-phase motor controls, biometrics and industrial sensor outputs or audio filters. They will help simplify design, cut power consumption and reduce pc-board size in consumer, medical, portable fitness, system monitoring and metering applications. The new F3 series extends the scope of ST’s STM32 family by allowing designers to tackle mixed-signal control applications.
Featuring versatile analog circuitry and the ARM Cortex-M4 with FPU, the STM32 F3 series provides low to medium memory sizes at competitive cost. The Cortex-M4 with FPU core augments the proven Cortex-M3 CPU with additional DSP capability, optimized single-cycle and saturating arithmetic instructions, and Floating-Point Unit, to boost performance over ST’s STM32 F1 Cortex-M3 devices. It positions the new series between the successful STM32 F1 and the best-in-performance-class STM32 F4, which features the Cortex-M4 with FPU core and large memory capacity combined with high-speed 168MHz maximum CPU frequency for complex applications.
With the new F3 microcontrollers, ST’s STM32 family now offers more than 350 variants addressing applications from entry-level, price-sensitive designs through to those demanding high performance and rich on-chip features. The new F3 series enables ST to deliver the advantages of its STM32 devices and ecosystem to applications that have formerly required both high-performance analog and an entry-level digital signal controller, such as high-performance motor control or embedded digital audio. STM32 F3 series devices also incorporate ST’s latest improvements to digital peripherals for its STM32 family, which Michel Buffa explains is a further advantage of the extensive compatibility between all ST’s ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers.
