Microcontroller development boards
Now that we have introduced Cortex-M use cases and guidance on making processor selections based on use cases and other factors such as performance and power, let’s find some development boards and get started learning.
Numerous development boards are available with Cortex-M microcontrollers. While it’s impossible to provide a simple flow chart for how to select a Cortex-M microcontroller, we can provide an overview of the options and trade-offs as a starting point for narrowing the selection.
At the end of this chapter, we will pick two development boards and use those to demonstrate the concepts in the remainder of the book.
Suppliers
There are multiple suppliers for Cortex-M microcontrollers, and each supplier typically offers a wide range of options to optimize for specific markets and use cases. It’s common for a microcontroller supplier to offer hundreds of Cortex-M devices. Each supplier also offers a range of development boards to try out the devices and get started on projects quickly. Here is our recommended list of suppliers to get familiar with:
- NXP
- Infineon
- STMicroelectronics
- Nordic Semiconductor
- Raspberry Pi
- Nuvoton
- Renesas
- Silicon Labs
- Analog Devices
- Dialog Semiconductor
Microcontrollers and development boards are normally sold by distributors around the world. Some of the common distributors include the following:
- Arrow
- DigiKey
- Arduino
- CanaKit
- Mouser
- Adafruit
Popular boards may also be available online at places such as Amazon and Newegg.
Now that we know the microcontroller suppliers and where to find development boards, let’s review the primary factors to consider when selecting a microcontroller and a board.