<p>The STM32F4CEU6 is a compact, capable Cortex-M4 microcontroller in a 48-pin UFQFPN package. At $22 for a properly built breakout board it is one of the most cost-effective ways to get serious about STM32 development. This guide walks you through everything from your first blink to running UART, SPI flash, and USB — all on the NVX-F4 board.</p>
<h2>What You Need</h2>
<ul>
<li>NVX-F4 board (any variant)</li>
<li>USB-C cable</li>
<li>ST-Link V2 debugger (or clone) for SWD programming</li>
<li>STM32CubeIDE (free download from ST)</li>
<li>STM32CubeProgrammer (free download from ST)</li>
</ul>
<h2>STM32F4CEU6 Key Specs</h2>
<ul>
<li>Core: Cortex-M4 at 168MHz with FPU</li>
<li>Flash: 512KB internal</li>
<li>SRAM: 128KB</li>
<li>Package: UFQFPN48 — 40 user GPIOs</li>
<li>USB: Full Speed (12Mbps)</li>
<li>SPI: 3 × SPI / I2S</li>
<li>I2C: 3 × I2C</li>
<li>USART: 3 × USART</li>
<li>ADC: 12-bit, up to 16 channels</li>
<li>Timers: 12 (including advanced PWM timers)</li>
</ul>
<h2>Step 1 — Power Up and Connect</h2>
<p>Connect the NVX-F4 to your PC via the USB-C connector. The onboard 3.3V LDO powers the board from USB. The green power LED should illuminate immediately. If it does not, check the USB-C cable — some cables are charge-only and carry no data.</p>
<p>Connect your ST-Link to the 10-pin SWD header on the board. Pin 1 is marked on the silkscreen. Connections: VCC → 3.3V, GND → GND, SWDIO → PA13, SWDCLK → PA14.</p>
<h2>Step 2 — Create Your First Project in STM32CubeIDE</h2>
<ol>
<li>Open STM32CubeIDE and click File → New → STM32 Project</li>
<li>In the MCU selector, search for STM32F412CEU and select it</li>
<li>Name your project and click Finish</li>
<li>CubeMX will open — this is where you configure peripherals</li>
</ol>
<h2>Step 3 — Configure the Clock to 168MHz</h2>
<p>In CubeMX, go to Clock Configuration. Set:</p>
<ul>
<li>Input: HSI (16MHz internal oscillator)</li>
<li>PLL Source: HSI</li>
<li>PLLM: 8, PLLN: 168, PLLP: 2</li>
<li>System Clock: PLLCLK</li>
<li>Result: 168MHz HCLK</li>
</ul>
<p>Click Resolve Clock Issues if any warnings appear.</p>
<h2>Step 4 — Blink the LED</h2>
<p>The NVX-F4 has a user LED connected to PA5. In CubeMX, set PA5 as GPIO_Output. Generate the code, then in your main while loop:</p>
<pre><code>while (1) {
HAL_GPIO_TogglePin(GPIOA, GPIO_PIN_5);
HAL_Delay(500);
}
</code></pre>
<p>Build and flash. Your LED should blink at 1Hz.</p>
<h2>Step 5 — Set Up UART for Debug Output</h2>
<p>In CubeMX, enable USART2 in Asynchronous mode. PA2 is TX, PA3 is RX. Set baud rate to 115200.</p>
<p>To print debug messages, add this to your main.c:</p>
<pre><code>#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
void uart_print(const char *msg) {
HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart2, (uint8_t*)msg, strlen(msg), HAL_MAX_DELAY);
}
// In your main loop:
uart_print(“NVX-F4 is running\r\n”);
</code></pre>
<p>Connect a USB-to-UART adapter to PA2/PA3 and open a serial terminal at 115200 baud.</p>
<h2>Step 6 — Read the ADC</h2>
<p>The STM32F4 ADC delivers 12-bit resolution (0–4095) across up to 16 channels. To read a voltage on PA0:</p>
<pre><code>HAL_ADC_Start(&hadc1);
HAL_ADC_PollForConversion(&hadc1, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
uint32_t raw = HAL_ADC_GetValue(&hadc1);
float voltage = (raw / 4095.0f) * 3.3f;
</code></pre>
<h2>Step 7 — Communicate via SPI</h2>
<p>If you have the NVX-F4 Flash variant, the W25Q128JV QSPI flash is already connected to SPI1. To read the flash device ID:</p>
<pre><code>uint8_t cmd = 0x9F; // Read JEDEC ID
uint8_t id[3];
HAL_GPIO_WritePin(FLASH_CS_GPIO_Port, FLASH_CS_Pin, GPIO_PIN_RESET);
HAL_SPI_Transmit(&hspi1, &cmd, 1, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
HAL_SPI_Receive(&hspi1, id, 3, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
HAL_GPIO_WritePin(FLASH_CS_GPIO_Port, FLASH_CS_Pin, GPIO_PIN_SET);
// id[0] = 0xEF (Winbond), id[1] = 0x40, id[2] = 0x18 (128Mbit)
</code></pre>
<h2>Step 8 — Flash Your Firmware via USB (DFU)</h2>
<p>The STM32F4 has a built-in USB DFU bootloader. To enter it without an ST-Link:</p>
<ol>
<li>Hold the BOOT0 button on the NVX-F4 board</li>
<li>Press and release RESET while holding BOOT0</li>
<li>Release BOOT0</li>
<li>The board enters DFU mode — visible in STM32CubeProgrammer as a DFU device</li>
<li>Flash your .bin or .hex file and press the programmed reset button</li>
</ol>
<h2>Next Steps</h2>
<ul>
<li>Add FreeRTOS: in CubeMX, enable FreeRTOS under Middleware — adds an RTOS with preemptive scheduling in minutes</li>
<li>Connect a display: the NVX-F4 works with any SPI TFT (ILI9341, ST7789) via SPI2 or SPI3</li>
<li>Upgrade to the NVX-F4 Pro: adds microSD logging, EEPROM, and RTC — no wiring changes needed</li>
</ul>
<p>The full pinout diagram, schematic PDF, and all example firmware from this guide are available at <strong>github.com/nvixeon</strong>. If you run into any issues, email <strong>info@nvixeon.com</strong> — you will get a response from the engineer who designed the board.</p>
<p><a href=”/products”>Ready to build? Get your NVX-F4 board →</a></p>