When it comes to comparing the performance of Arduino and STM32, who is more powerful? Many electronics enthusiasts face a dilemma when choosing between Arduino and STM32, not knowing how to decide. Arduino has always been in a hot state, but STM32 has more interfaces, stronger performance, and faster speed?

Features of Arduino and STM32

Arduino:

Arduino leans towards creativity, simplifying hardware operations. Its functions and syntax are very simple and quite “foolproof”. Most Arduino controllers are AVR microcontrollers. The advantage of Arduino lies in its high code encapsulation, fewer required statements, and reduced software development difficulty. Arduino is relatively easy to get started with; anyone with a basic understanding of hardware and C++ can develop. Most functions on Arduino have ready-made libraries, making it very simple to use, but it has poor controllability for slightly more complex features. STM32:

For applications with computational or control requirements, STM32 is a better choice. If you buy a development board for STM32, you need to start from the hardware level and master its various details. STM32 focuses more on engineering practicality; in fact, many simple instruments in factories, such as temperature controllers, ordinary motor controllers, low-end PLCs, and various peripherals like toys, game controllers, wired keyboards, and mice used in civilian applications, as well as POS machines used in college cafeterias, are widely used.

STM32 is mainly for professional developers to create products, requiring a certain level of expertise, but at the same time, writing code to achieve functionality is relatively complex. For example, outputting a simple string via serial communication might take 10 lines of code in Arduino starting from creating a new project, but using STM32 development tools like Keil may require hundreds of lines of code or more, with a serial communication example: pressing a button to send data through the serial port.Related Example:Button Press – Sending Data via Serial.

Comparison of Arduino and STM32

Arduino has many versions, and their features are not consistent. If we take the most common Arduino UNO R3 as an example, its controller is the AVR 138 microcontroller, which is not on the same level as STM32 in terms of performance. This model is somewhat similar to the STC12 series from Macrochip (only in terms of computation). Arduino MEGA 2560 is considered the leader among MCU versions of Arduino, with rich interfaces, comparable to the STM32F1 series, but it consumes a lot of power, and the chip heats up noticeably, while the STM32F1ZET6 in the same package only gets slightly warm, sometimes not even noticeable at lower ambient temperatures. Based on their different characteristics, we can compare them for different applications: in terms of ease of learning, Arduino is much easier than STM32. Basic programming concepts required: Arduino is primarily object-oriented, based on C++ and Java, but its language is based on C with some differences. STM32 primarily uses standard C as the main development language.

Knowledge gained after learning: Arduino is weaker than STM32 because Arduino encapsulates many low-level operations. Unless you attempt to write Arduino and supporting circuit module libraries yourself, you will only stay at the basic programming level.

In terms of open-source level: things made with STM32 can be open-sourced if desired, or kept private if not. Ease of building peripheral circuits: Arduino is much easier than STM32. Expandability: Arduino and STM32 are comparable, as Arduino has most of the controller’s pins printed out.

Cost, assuming producing something with the same functionality: Arduino costs more than STM32.

In Conclusion

If you are still unsure how to choose, here are some suggestions:

• If you are a regular student below the university level with limited understanding of programming languages, it is recommended to start with Arduino.

• If your C foundation is weak, starting with STM32 may lead to quick frustration.

• If you are learning just for employment, definitely go for STM32-type microcontrollers.

• If you are learning just for fun, and you are not from an electronics background and lack confidence, it is recommended to choose Arduino.

• If you have a good programming foundation, it is recommended to choose STM32. Once you master it, you can easily accomplish what the Arduino open-source community has done using STM32.

• Of course, if you have the capability, try to get in touch with both. Generally, you can grasp the basic features of Arduino in less than a week, and later, if needed, you can easily port Arduino code to STM32 and other MCU platforms.

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