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Run netduino on Custom Mainboard


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#1 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 06:43 AM

First of i want to say, i really enjoy the netduino products (own the standard netduino and the netduino+). I've started working on a project. As it was quite a long time since my school years where i learned electronics i mainly strive to reconnect to the knowledge i had once and to do some cool stuff off course ;) Netduino is cool and perfect for my prototyping, but i don't want to lose one of my boards to a product. So i thought if you where to study the schematics and replicate the important stuff as voltage regulators/crystal/usb etc. and depending on what needs you have for your project swap out the microcontroller for another one with more uart/usart/gpio. I have been looking on the schematics for Netduino!Go mostly and where !Go uses the STM32F405 (LQFP64) i thought about the STM32F407 (LQFP100) wich has more gpio (and ethernet controller) but otherwise pretty much the same. I Thought of using the Netduino mini to but i don't think there is enough gpio/uart's for my project. Would it be possible to flash this with a Netduino firmware and get it to work just like a netduino. Is there any problems i might encounter by doing this, wich i might not have thought of ?

#2 JerseyTechGuy

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 07:46 AM

You would have to port the framework for that processor I believe. Unless there is a specific reason you need more GPIOs, you are probably cheaper and safer sticking with the Netduino GO and it's architecture and add/build whatever modules you need to do your work since they share the SPI channels allowing for "x" many modules to be connected.

#3 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 07:56 AM

You would have to port the framework for that processor I believe. Unless there is a specific reason you need more GPIOs, you are probably cheaper and safer sticking with the Netduino GO and it's architecture and add/build whatever modules you need to do your work since they share the SPI channels allowing for "x" many modules to be connected.


Thanks for that response.
Wich framework do you mean i need to port ? NETMF or Netduino ?
Got any sources to read up on the subject ?

Don't really have any specific reason for not going with !Go except i dont want to have a lot of modules connected like a big junky spider. And i dont really have the need for the go!bus style.

My current project has need for atleast 2xUART and i don't have a count on what needs i got for GPIO's right now. My thoughts was to make a custom PCB board for PSU and STM32F407, and even my 2 UART's components, these might be added to the main board with header raiser style like we got on netduino(+) since i got them as breakout boards.

#4 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 08:36 AM

.net mf is ported to some of the STM discovery and eval boards: http://www.mountaine...etmf-for-stm32/ https://netmf4stm32.codeplex.com/ so I guess it shouldn't be to hard to cook something up..

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#5 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 08:50 AM

.net mf is ported to some of the STM discovery and eval boards:
http://www.mountaine...etmf-for-stm32/
https://netmf4stm32.codeplex.com/

so I guess it shouldn't be to hard to cook something up..


Just browsed the links quickly but, since both Netduino!Go and my sugested replacement chip from my first post is of the same Chip family "STM32F4", and NETMF is available for it, there should be no problem flashing the NETMF onto it. Would it then be possible to flash it with a netduino framework too or would you have to tweek the source first ? :blink:

Maybe a netduino flash would not even be nessesary and just run NETMF only on it.
What kind of features would i lose if i run it woth only NETMF and no netduino stuff ? :huh:

#6 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 08:58 AM

Remember that the Go is tweaked due to the Go bus, since an STM discoveryboard doesnt have that, you will lose that functionality, I guess it can be implemented somehow. For me though, I would just use the one at codeplex, and use it as an superfast (eh, well, forgot the speed of that discovery board though) microframework board, if it is called netduino or not is not that matters, it's what you can run on it. And.. it has lot of io, should keep me busy for some time atleast :)

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#7 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 09:09 AM

Remember that the Go is tweaked due to the Go bus, since an STM discoveryboard doesnt have that, you will lose that functionality, I guess it can be implemented somehow.
For me though, I would just use the one at codeplex, and use it as an superfast (eh, well, forgot the speed of that discovery board though) microframework board, if it is called netduino or not is not that matters, it's what you can run on it.
And.. it has lot of io, should keep me busy for some time atleast :)


As i mentioned before, the Go!Bus is nothing that i need for my project and im more intrested in regular ports like the standard netduino/netduino+ for this project.

I'll probably browse the schematis a lot more and get a general design for my main board wich will contain PSU and all voltage regulators needed for all my different units in the project.

And then i order my self a STM32F4 chip and a breakout board for that chip and try the codeplex NETMF for ST32 (F4-Editon), and experiment some.

Thanks a looooot! for the feedback B)

#8 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 09:21 AM

the chip used on the discovery board, http://www.st.com/in...duct/252140.jsp seems to have Ethernet support.. wonder how much work it will be to enable/use that.. btw, check out the "tour'd horizon" pdf here: https://netmf4stm32....m/documentation

Edited by neslekkim, 28 September 2012 - 09:27 AM.

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#9 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 09:30 AM

the chip used on the discovery board, http://www.st.com/in...duct/252140.jsp seems to have Ethernet support.. wonder how much work it will be to enable/use that..


The chip on the discoveryboard is the same as the one i have been thinking about testing, don't know anything about the code for the ethernet but there is pretty good block diagrams for how to connect to the board in the datasheets for the chips. Could be possible for me to go with the discoveryboard to, but where is the fun in not doing it my self, and i still have to create my seperate board for my psu.

So in theory the firmware/NETMF for the discovery board could be a good start for my own custom mainboard.

Edited by Azazel, 28 September 2012 - 09:32 AM.


#10 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 09:33 AM

Where do you order parts/chips?, here in Norway it is not so easy, so I ordered an stack of those discovery boards first.. maybe going to use seeed for some pcb's, but getting one-off parts is a bit expensive.. (typically $30 in shipping costs from mouser/digikey etc, and Elfa closed they shop here in Oslo, but, they was too expensive anyway)

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#11 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 09:38 AM

Where do you order parts/chips?, here in Norway it is not so easy, so I ordered an stack of those discovery boards first.. maybe going to use seeed for some pcb's, but getting one-off parts is a bit expensive.. (typically $30 in shipping costs from mouser/digikey etc, and Elfa closed they shop here in Oslo, but, they was too expensive anyway)



As for the STM32F4 chip i was looking for elfa (I'm a swede btw ;)), and they also has a breakout bordlike for LQFP100 sockets. Then for some cheap stuff like breakout board for micro usb i was looking at http://www.electrokit.com . Shipping by elfa in sweden is practicly nothing so B)

Going through the Tour d'Horizon pdf right now too.

#12 supra

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 10:35 AM

Where do you order parts/chips?,


Thru frm China. Mostly cost around US$11 - US$15.00 for 1 piece

#13 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 10:36 AM

Not so easy to search at elfa, but, $36 for an breakout board? that chip, $24 at elfa, $14 at mouser.. but of course, due to shipping it's better. To bad we don't have US prices around here.. :)

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#14 supra

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:02 AM

Mostly buyers bought frm China and gave them nicely feedback This is why I liked it. No a fake companies.

#15 supra

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:12 AM


Would it be possible to flash this with a Netduino firmware and get it to work just like a netduino.

The answer is NO. I was going to do camera module for stm32F407 mini. If I could get frm Apache licensed
This involved writing drivers for the on-chip peripherals: GPIOs, analog inputs and outputs, I2C, SPI, UARTs, USB, internal Flash, power management, timers, etc.

#16 Azazel

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:12 AM

Mostly buyers bought frm China and gave them nicely feedback This is why I liked it. No a fake companies.


Got any urls to browse for ordering fron China ?

#17 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:12 AM

Yes, i buy a lot from china myself, using ebay, not everything is to be found though. And I'm from Norway, and Azazel is from Sweden, two neighboring countries, I was just fishing to find out if we had other supliers nearby here. sorry for making noise about that in an netduino forum.

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#18 neslekkim

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:15 AM

The answer is NO. I was going to do camera module for stm32F407 mini. If I could get frm Apache licensed
This involved writing drivers for the on-chip peripherals: GPIOs, analog inputs and outputs, I2C, SPI, UARTs, USB, internal Flash, power management, timers, etc.


Did you try this? https://netmf4stm32.codeplex.com/ that is ported to the f407 chip..

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#19 supra

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:17 AM

Got any urls to browse for ordering fron China ?


My link

Scroll to bottom and look for AliExpress..

#20 supra

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Posted 28 September 2012 - 11:25 AM

Did you try this? https://netmf4stm32.codeplex.com/ that is ported to the f407 chip..


NO. I didn't know that.
But thank for link. I'm going to try it.




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