STM32L4 beginner-What's the easiest dev environment to start with?

[djsb]

I'm thinking of buying a STM32L4 Discovery kit for the IoT node (B-L475E-IOT01A) as I've found a series of tutorials for digital signal processing that start in the June 2025 edition of Practical Electronics (a UK/Australian electronics magazine) which I want to try out later. This uses the STM32CubeIDE which I have NO experience of. I have read on this forum that the IDE is problematic.

I would like to start using this board with the traditional blinky LED/button/hello world example. I have the new second edition of the Beginning STM32 book by Warren Gay, which uses the blue pill (STM32F103C8T6). This book uses libopencm3 and GCC, which I also have NOT used before. I haven't started using the book yet and have only read the first chapter.

I want to start off as simply as possible, and maybe the book is the best way to start. And then maybe move onto the STM32L4 and the STM32CubeIDE. I have had a VERY quick look at PlatformIO, but I'm not sure. I don't know if I can use the STM32L4 discovery board with libopencm3 or GCC? I have attached the datasheet for the dev board. Any guidance welcome. Thanks.

[brucehoult]

The easiest way would be using the Arduino IDE. Just add the following URL in Preferences / Board Manager

https://github.com/stm32duino/BoardManagerFiles/raw/main/package_stmicroelectronics_index.json

I see they even went to the trouble of including Arduino Uno-compatible connectors on the board!

[voltsandjolts]

Perhaps not the easiest way but free of ide bs:
https://github.com/Planet911/mcu-starter-projects/tree/master/stm32l476

[peter-h]

Cube IDE is fine once you go up the learning curve of setting it up. Then, when set up for your CPU etc, it is very easy to use.

Unfortunately we are 40 years past the days of the Z80 when life was so simple Everything has a significant learning curve now, and the debates are basically around the various learning curves.

And none of the tools are "perfect" even when set up and working.

[brucehoult]

Unfortunately we are 40 years past the days of the Z80 when life was so simple Everything has a significant learning curve now, and the debates are basically around the various learning curves.

My repeated experience with new boards with a variety of ISAs is that if they have an onboard USB/UART/JTAG chip (or USB built in to the MCU) then the Arduino set up process goes:

- plug it in

- go to preferences / board manager add the URL of the board (family) support package

- select the board type from the appropriate menu

- select new / project / examples / blinky

- hit "Run".

This has worked across at least AVR, Arm (e.g. Teensy 4), XTensa (ESP32), and RISC-V (HiFive1) ISAs and taken less than five minutes. Maybe more like two minutes with fast internet for the toolchain to download.

If you need to connect an external USB/JTAG/SWD adapter to the board properly using Dupont jumper wires then this of course makes it take a little longer.

And none of the tools are "perfect" even when set up and working.

"Perfect" is not required in tools and women.

And the Z80 will have required figuring out how to deal with a freaking EPROM burner, UV eraser, getting a chip out and back in of a non-ZIF socket without destroying pins, and mucking about manually with hex files.

[John Coloccia]

It's hard to argue with Arduino for getting started. Even engineers should stand on the shoulders of giants. Plenty of time to get lost in the weeds later.

[djsb]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Just bought the dev board on mouser. Total cost £48.35 inc VAT and free postage. I'll post here about any customs duties I may have to pay if the board is imported into the UK. I'll set up a new topic if I have anything noteworthy or interesting to talk about my experiences with it.