STM32 Journal - Digikey

STM32 Journal
STM32 Journal
Volume 2, Issue 2
We Are Not Alone
By Nicholas Cravotta, Technical Editor
Table of Contents
2 Editorial
3
11
19
26
34
42
Bringing 32-bit
Performance to 8- and
16-bit Applications
Developing High-
Quality Audio for
Consumer Electronics
Applications
Bringing Floating-
Point Performance and
Precision to Embedded
Applications
Achieving Ultra-Low-
Power Efficiency for
Portable Medical
Devices
Accelerating Timeto-Market
Through
the ARM Cortex-M
Ecosystem
Introducing a Graphical
User Interface to Your
Embedded Application
When I got my first paycheck as
an engineer nearly three decades
ago, coding and layout weren’t
exactly social activities. While
there was a certain amount of
team collaboration to decide what
I would work on, the majority of
what I did was by myself. When I
decided to shed the ten pounds
I had gained as a freshman, it
was a similar story. I never found
someone willing to go consistently
to the gym with me, so I pressed
those weights alone as well.
It’s quite a different world
today. Take at look at the Nike+
FuelBand on the cover of this
issue’s STM32 Journal. Worn on
your wrist, it records your every
activity, not just when you’re on
the treadmill.
What makes the FuelBand such
a ground-breaking product is
how it brings people together.
It doesn’t matter whether you
work out at 2am or are in a
strange city on travel, with
this next-generation exercise
monitor, you are never alone.
Connected to your phone via
Bluetooth, you can be in touch
with exercise buddies all around
the world through the Nike+
online community.
The Nike+ FuelBand is quite
a feat of engineering. To
differentiate between simple
gestures and active motions
requires complex signal
processing capabilities. The
device must also be constantly
on since even you don’t know
when you might jump into action.
120 LEDs comprise the display
and “Fuel” indicator, and the
device can operate for up to four
full days without recharging. It
also weighs less than one ounce,
including the batteries. Now
that’s an efficient design.
At the heart of the FuelBand is
ST’s ultra-low power STM32 L1
microcontroller. In addition to
providing the 32-bit performance
and processing capacity required
for advanced signal processing,
the STM32 architecture offers the
real-time responsiveness, power
efficiency, and highly integrated
peripherals and memory required
for even the most demanding
embedded applications.
With innovations like FuelBand
and Nike+ technology, Nike has
leveraged social networking to
change the way we live together.
Exercise, as a result, is no longer
a solo endeavor.
Neither, it turns out, is
engineering. The network
supporting the STM32
architecture enables a whole new
level of collaboration. Design
tools from companies like Keil,
IAR Systems, and Micriµm are
like having a team of experts
sitting right next you. Need
to extend a design by adding
audio or a capacitive touch GUIbased
interface? Just call upon
partners like DSP Concepts and
GeeseWare. And with the STM32
architecture based on the ARM
Cortex-M0, M3, and M4 cores,
you have access to a global
ecosystem second to none.
You can even ask questions of
your fellow engineers at 2am
or share your own hard-won
experience through forums,
blogs, and tweets.
It truly is a different world we live,
play, exercise, and work in.
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