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Author | strongerHuang
WeChat Public Account | strongerHuang
Graduation season is here, and I see the discussion in the group chat about the topic of 【How to Choose a Development Board】.
Getting started with embedded systems generally starts with buying a development board…
Here I will share with you the mainstream types of development boards on the market, as well as issues related to selecting a development board.
Types of Development Boards
There are many development boards on the market, the popular ones mainly include 51, Arduino, ARM (STM, NXP), IOT, RISC-V, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc.
51 Series
The 51 series of 8-bit microcontrollers is further divided into various types, such as the STC89C51 series from STC (Macrochip), the AT89C51 series from Atmel, and others like AVR, PIC, and STM8, which all belong to the same “level” of 8-bit microcontrollers.
Arduino Series
The Arduino development board is a type of “customized” development board that integrates the Arduino software and hardware platform for development.
Arduino is relatively easier to develop compared to microcontrollers, as it has already handled many low-level aspects, unlike microcontrollers where one needs to familiarize themselves with various registers and peripherals.
There are many types of Arduino development boards, such as Arduino Uno, Due, Micro, Leonardo, etc.
Arduino is beginner-friendly, easy to get started with, and you can refer to the previously shared article: The Difference Between Arduino and Microcontrollers
For more information, you can visit the official website:
https://www.arduino.cc/
ARM Series
Currently, most development boards, except for those with the 51 core, belong to ARM core development boards, including the processors in most mobile phones which are also primarily ARM core chips.
For example: ARM9xx, ARM11xx, STM32xx, LPCxx, iMX RTxx, and various series of development boards.
For readers with a foundation who want to learn ARM microcontroller development, you can purchase ARM Cortex-M development boards.
Recommended reading:Understanding ARM, Cortex-M cores, and ARMv8-M architecture
IOT Series
IOT series development boards should not actually be called development boards; they are a type of development board that adds networking and sensing modules on top of ordinary development boards (like STM32 development boards), enabling IoT functionalities.
For those with a foundation who want to further learn IoT development, you can purchase this type of development board.
RISC-V Series
RISC-V has become popular in recent years due to the high licensing fees of ARM, and many CPU manufacturers are now laying out RISC-V processors.
For example, the GD32X series made in China is a RISC-V processor.
Recommended reading:How Much Do You Know About RISC-V?
RISC-V processors are a new trend, and for developers who pursue new trends, they can purchase this type of development board, but for beginners, it is not recommended to buy.
Linux Series
Linux series development boards mainly refer to those that support Linux operating systems; earlier ARM9 and ARM11 were more common (currently not recommended to buy this type of development board), now it is recommended to use STM32MPxx, iMX RTxx series development boards that support Linux operating systems, as the chips have been newly released in recent years, and the accompanying tutorials are relatively updated.
For students with a Linux foundation who want to purchase development boards, this type of development board is recommended.
Raspberry Pi Series
Raspberry Pi is also a popular type, and it is actually a basic Linux operating system that has undergone some customization, making it easier for developers to learn.
Raspberry Pi is similar to Arduino, as both have undergone some custom hardware and software development, and the official has launched several customized development boards.
Learning Raspberry Pi is relatively more difficult than microcontrollers (51, STM32), but it is easier than porting Linux and setting up various development environments by yourself.
What Kind of Development Board Should I Buy?
Having discussed some common types of development boards, what kind of development board should you actually buy?
I think the type of development board to buy should vary from person to person. Some people I might directly discourage, while for others, I might suggest tackling complex Linux development boards.
Buying a development board is like buying a piece of clothing; you need to consider your own situation, such as:
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Look at your grasp of the basic knowledge
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Consider your economic capacity
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Check the seller’s teaching/development team
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Look at the learning materials provided by the seller
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……
If you have wasted four years in college and haven’t written a line of C code on your computer, I would still suggest you give up.
If you have a basic grasp of C language but it is not very solid and you are at the beginner level, you can buy a 51 microcontroller to practice first.
If your foundation is decent and you have some understanding of Linux systems, you can buy Linux-compatible development boards.
To be honest, when I was in college, my finances were quite tight; now, students seem to have a relatively better economic situation, although there are still some students with financial difficulties.
There are various types of development boards available now, with expensive ones costing over a thousand yuan; however, there are also cheaper options within the same category. Students with financial difficulties can consider entry-level development boards with fewer resources.
In fact, economic capacity is relatively secondary; the key is to use what you buy. No matter how expensive the development board is, if you buy it and it collects dust, its value is zero.
When buying things, everyone tends to consider big brands, and buying development boards is no exception; it actually depends on the technical team behind the seller.
Buying is mainly about quality issues; if you buy a development board and the chip burns out shortly after powering on, can you accept that?
To be honest, when buying a development board, the materials are crucial; they can be the key to whether the development board adds value or collects dust.
Finally
After saying so much, what kind of development board to buy actually depends on your own situation.
I want to say that buying a development board does not mean you have learned it; if the development board collects dust, it is likely that you have wasted your learning opportunity.
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● Column “Embedded Tools”
● Column “Embedded Development”
● Column “Keil Tutorials”
● Selected Tutorials from the Embedded Column
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