Best programmer

[RAPER]

Hello everyone

I am looking for the most efficient one that supports as many stm8/32 + gd32 + other systems as possible.

I have several types from aliexpress:

1.aliexpress.com/item/1005006345507873.html
2.aliexpress.com/item/1005004605070496.html
3.aliexpress.com/item/1005002181553419.html
4.aliexpress.com/item/1005006126839358.html
5.aliexpress.com/item/1005006166650732.html
6.aliexpress.com/item/1005006145455327.html
7.aliexpress.com/item/1005004710121058.html

Which of them is worth buying, regardless of the price? Or maybe there is something better than them?

[prosper]

the *only* programmer that supports both stm8 and stm32 together is the st-link. Some of the aliexpress stlink clones work well, others not so much. Id recommend getting a genuine stlink v3 from st direct. theyre only a few dollars for the more basic ones, and they meet your criteria of stm8 and stm32.

However

stlinks may not work with non-st mcus. So, if your criteria are STM8 AND STM32 AND other non-st ARMs - well, there isnt such a device.

If you eliminate the STM8 requirement, then Segger JLinks or cmsis DAPLinks will support most ARM based mcus.

And, as far as I know, there isnt a 'standard' programmer that supports RISCV  mcu's from mixed manufacturers. Something that can do JTAG instead of just swd might get you some mileage, but i really don't think you're going to find a magical 'do everything' probe.

[coromonadalix]

unless you check the ic support in theses brands like ELNEC XELTEC TNM7000  and others  ...

they are universal up to a point, and some mcu cpu etc .. and may need to be paid    IE:  Xeltec 7000 has payable licenses

yes as mentioned, there is no absolute programmer

[westfw]

as many stm8/32 + gd32 + other systems as possible.

Why?  That may have made sense when a single programmer would set you back hundreds or thousands of dollars, but nowadays vendors are likely to offer cheap chip-specific programs (and eval boards with built-in programmer/debuggers) at quite reasonable prices.  Not to mention the clones, and the firmware to use your Arduino as a programmer, and etc (things are so much better now that most chips no longer require weird voltage(s)...)

Even if you have a general purpose programmer, you're likely to find that your vendor-supplied IDE doesn't like it nearly as much as the vendor's cheap alternative...

[josfemova]

Just get a Seeeduino Xiao M0 and install the daplink firmware on it

https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Seeeduino-XIAO-DAPLink/

Pinout




Alternatively just get a Pi Pico and install the debug probe firmware:

https://github.com/raspberrypi/debugprobe


Both are compatible with the CMSIS-DAP spec and can be used in Keil/IAR/openocd

[prosper]

Just get a Seeeduino Xiao M0 and install the daplink firmware on it

https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Seeeduino-XIAO-DAPLink/

Pinout




Alternatively just get a Pi Pico and install the debug probe firmware:

https://github.com/raspberrypi/debugprobe


Both are compatible with the CMSIS-DAP spec and can be used in Keil/IAR/openocd

That doesn't help with the STM8 use case. And if you're willing to do without STM8, then I'd steer more towards a WCH-LinkE - you get ARM support, as well as WCH RISC-V support. And if you flash this [ https://github.com/prosper00/CH32V305-DAPLink-HS ] firmware over top of the factory version, you get USB-2.0 high speed ARM debugging too. Really useful for faster flashing speeds with larger devices. You lose the R-V support, though. For $4 or $5 though, just buy another one.

[__george__]

There are some very good replies here, I learned some nice firmware debugging probe projects, nice!

But I mentioned that all the debuggers that the initial author posted here are "Offline" programmers, I have not used any of these before. Are they just storing the firmware binary and then just flash it without being connected to a computer?

Edit: Reminder to myself: Don't ask questions  for which the answer is on the description of the listing.

[RAPER]

Hello again, I finally made some mega purchases, of course reading your suggestions and types.

I bought :

1. J LINK V12 Jtag Swd
2. STLINK-V3SET
3. WCH LinkE Debugger
4. PWLINK2 gdlink GD-Link programmer full not lite.

Yes, I know, you will soon say that I am crazy and why spend so much money. However, I am asking for your opinion on whether this set can be used specifically.

anyway, thank you very much for your help.

[IOsetting]

Most of the time I use JLink OB, but it can't program STM8 and RISCV.

[John Celo]

Hello again, I finally made some mega purchases, of course reading your suggestions and types.

I bought :

1. J LINK V12 Jtag Swd
2. STLINK-V3SET
3. WCH LinkE Debugger
4. PWLINK2 gdlink GD-Link programmer full not lite.

Yes, I know, you will soon say that I am crazy and why spend so much money. However, I am asking for your opinion on whether this set can be used specifically.

anyway, thank you very much for your help.

I'm a fresh beginner, and I bought DAPLink (weactstudio), STLink (weactstudio), J-Link clone and WCHLinke on ali anniversary sale, i think i paid roughly ~10eur total give or take.

Obviously I have very little clue of what's what!
But generally speaking:
1. I will use WCHLinke for WCH RISC-V mcus (although it supposedly works for arm chips too). This works very well for WCH mcus!
2. STLink for stm32 specifically.
3. DAPLink for generic arm chips.
4. J-link clone... i have yet to test out, probably shouldn't have bought this one.

Plus, most of them double as USB-Serial-UART chips too. For like ~10 eur I paid I don't think I'll be needing anything else for a bloody long time.

[aliarifat794]

If you ask my honest opinion. I do not trust alliexpress sellers. Unidentified sellers are more likely to rip off money. Try to buy from an authorised STM product distributor.

[__george__]

Hello again, I finally made some mega purchases, of course reading your suggestions and types.

I bought :

1. J LINK V12 Jtag Swd
2. STLINK-V3SET
3. WCH LinkE Debugger
4. PWLINK2 gdlink GD-Link programmer full not lite.

Yes, I know, you will soon say that I am crazy and why spend so much money. However, I am asking for your opinion on whether this set can be used specifically.

anyway, thank you very much for your help.

You have some overlapping devices there for sure 

But anyway, this set should allow you to debug/program nearly every Cortex-M in this planet + STM8 + GD and WCH (and maybe even more) RISCV microcontrollers.

Since you bought the Segger and the ST-LINK and the other ones though you can now compare their tooling and decide which works better for you.

[radiolistener]

I'm using this ST-LINKv2 (but I bought it several years ago from another seller):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33004573063.html

It works ok for all STM32, also I tried it with STM8 it also works.
The only con is missing UART pin for debugging. But you can mod it with manual soldering wire.

[MathWizard]

I have a STM32F103 48pin on an oversized breakout board, and I have an 8MHz crystal, 3V3 regulator and even a USB jack. I want to try making a ST-link, and uploading the code to it's chip, with a STM32uino.

Maybe USB won't even work on a through-hole protoboard, with the MCU on a breakout board, and no ground planes or anything like a multi-layer PCB.

https://stm32world.com/wiki/DIY_STM32_Programmer_%28ST-Link/V2-1%29

[AVI-crak]

I have been using a CH347 based programmer lately. The chip is very simple but uniquely fast. It has no built-in support for architectures like STLink. All protocol processing is external, programmatic. This property allows you to program absolutely all chips, at breakneck speed. Real-time debugging mode without waiting. Much faster than STLink V3.
And the main thing is that all Chinese chips are friendly with it.

[Smokey]

Unless you plan on only using open source tools, whatever you get make sure your IDE works with it.

Don't get some no-name Chinese thing and be surprised if STM32CubeIDE doesn't want to talk to it.