Lately I have been using the ST’s STM32CubeMX for pin, peripherals and midlleware configuration and initial project setup, and Ac6’s System Workbench for STM32 for code editing and debugging. They are both free and cross platform.

Starting with the STM32Cube software and working from the schematic from the previous post, we first create a project defining the processor type and continue by defining our inputs and outputs as follows: Read More

I found a controller made for the popular hakko T12 tips , featuring an STM32 (which I have quite an experience with), an Oled display (never used one but since they are cheap I can use the learning experience for the future) and a rotary encoder. Schematic was no available but for less than 20USD I couldn’t  go wrong.
Judging by the product picture to the right I was somehow convinced that the original firmware was garbage, the Chinese characters, and the fact that the only understandable writing was “error” may have had something to do with that idea.
With the plan strongly defined on ether I asked my wife’s permission to spend 30EUR and ordered myself one of these controllers, an hakko T12 handle and a couple of tips so I could test without ruining a much more expensive JBC tip. Read More