The STM32 Roadshow is taking new products, demos, and experts to cities in China. It will be the 14th time we hold such an event. Our goal remains to increase access to our solutions. We work with educational institutions in the region. ST also participates in local trade events, such as Electronica China 2020. We even rely on our teams in China to drive significant innovations. Hence, it’s no surprise that since 2007, we’ve used the STM32 Roadshow to also bring our innovations and expertise closer to our community and industry.
We will hold events in 14 cities between September 13 and 25. You can find the list of cities at the end of this post and can register on our event page. To prepare for this occasion, we will publish a series of blog posts. Today’s paper will focus on cloud computing, connectivity, as well as industrial and security applications. The next post will look at our AI as well as sensing and how we bring all these innovations together.
STM32 Roadshow: Cloud and Connectivity
The First ST Smart Doorbell Demo in Asia
The STM32 Roadshow will allow us to bring entirely new demonstrations in Asia. For instance, for the first time in this region, we will be showcasing a P-NUCLEO-WB55 with a camera module, an LED display, an external microphone, an LED ring, and an X-NUCLEO-6180XA1 that houses the VL6180X Time-of-Flight sensor. The hardware thus mimics a potential smart intercom. When the proximity sensor detects that someone is near the door, the LED ring turns on while the camera and microphone start to record.
The STM32WB MCU takes that information and sends it in real-time to a mobile application using Bluetooth low energy. Hence, one can design a full-featured smart doorbell. The system is efficient and inexpensive thanks MCU’s features. Attendees will be able to get more information and talk to an ST representative if they wish to get the source code.
IoT Stacks With Sub-Gigahertz and Cellular Modules
The other demos will feature IoT applications that take advantage of sub-gigahertz and cellular networks. For instance, we will present the STM32WL, the first MCU with an embedded LoRA transceiver. The new board will transmit information using LoRa to a gateway housing an STM32F7, which will then push data to a myDevices Cayenne server. This demonstration aims to show engineers that as LoRaWAN grows in popularity in the Middle Kingdom, an MCU like the STM32WL can vastly facilitate developments.
Attendees will also have a chance to see working demos of STM32 Nucleo boards with NB-IoT shield from Quectel. We will also have LTE Cat 1 shields from Quectel and Fibocom. It will be a practical way to demonstrate, for instance, the I-CUBE-QUECTEL software expansion pack, which enables developers to create applications that take advantage of NB-IoT to send sensor data. Very often, engineers know that ST offers such expansion software, but seeing it run makes it a practical proposition. It also enables them to ask questions that can help them get their project off the ground faster.
STM32 Roadshow: Industry and Security
A New STM32G4 MCU for High Precision Motor Control
Another important aspect of the STM32 Roadshow will focus on industrial and security applications. One such example will be a showcase of the P-NUCLEO-IHM03, a pack that includes the NUCLEO-G431RB MCU board, the X-NUCLEO-IHM16M1 three-phase brushless DC motor driver expansion and a brushless gimbal motor. The demo is a great way to demonstrate what developers can do with the high-resolution timers of this unique mixed-signal MCU. Thanks to a resolution below 200 picoseconds and flexible pulse-width modulations, the timers offer a high degree of accuracy to control motors with far greater precision. The timers of the STM32G4 also support a quadrature encoder and Hall sensors so developers can read angles and directions without additional external components, thus simplifying the code and the PCB layout.
A New STM32L5 for More Security, Performance, and Power Efficiency
We anticipated 2020 to be a pivotal year for security in IoT, we recently published MOOCs on STM32 security features, and this event will allow developers to see that protecting their IPs and their customers is often easier than they might think. For instance, we’ll put a spotlight on the STM32L5, our new security flagship with TF-M, and TrustZone. It was also one of the first to receive a PSA Certified Level 2 accreditation from Arm.
During the roadshow, one demo will show how the L5 handles on-the-fly-decryption (OTFDEC) in a character recognition application. The neural network and libraries are on the external flash. It is also interesting to notice to this demo used to run on an STM32L4. However, thanks to the STM32L5 OTFDEC doesn’t lead to a performance penalty. The new MCU also offers better energy efficiency.
STM32 Roadshow: Educational Opportunities
STM32 Trust to Learn More About Security
Attendees will also get a tour of STM32Trust. The initiative puts many security software solutions under one roof to make them more accessible. The STM32 Roadshow will thus help many learn more about our security solutions. Engineers will be able to talk more about the popular Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Update system. They will also tackle our newest solutions on Secure Firmware Install, Secure Module Install, and more. Security in IoT can be a complex issue. Hence, we will also advertise our documentation and software expansions that assist developers.
An STM32 and AWS Curriculum to Learn More About IoT and the Cloud
ST will also introduce a curriculum on STM32 and AWS IoT for Chinese university students. The documentation will ensure they familiarize themselves with the hardware, firmware, and web services that can jumpstart their school projects. It provides an overview of IoT infrastructures and shows how our solutions work with AWS. This system is so extensive, it allows for the creation of data analysis, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance applications. Attendees will be able to download the curriculum via a QR code.
Stay tuned for the second part of our series on the STM32 Roadshow and for pictures.
Cities That Will Host the STM32 Roadshow
- Shenzhen/Hangzhou (13 Sep)
- Zhengzhou/Changsha (15 Sep)
- Nanjing/Zhuhai (17 Sep)
- Xiamen/Chongqing (19 Sep)
- Guangzhou/Beijing (21 Sep)
- Xi’an/Qingdao (23 Sep)
- Shenyang/Shanghai (25 Sep)
- Register for the STM32 Roadshow
