STM32WB35 and STM32WB30: The 1st Wireless STM32 Now Even More Accessible
Every company is focusing on bringing more technology into their product and reducing the BoM cost at the same time
ST released the STM32WB35 and STM32WB30, which lower BOM costs thanks to their memory configuration. The former has up to
256 KB of Flash, whereas the latter has 512 KB, and both offer 96 KB of RAM.
Comparatively, the STM32WB55 and STM32WB50 offer up to 1 MB of Flash and 256 KB
of RAM. Hence, applications with fewer memory requirements can now enjoy the
same feature-set as beefier STM32WBs while costing less. For instance, both new
devices have the same 16-bit ADC as the STM32WB55 and STM32WB50. Similarly, the STM32WB35 has the same Quad-SPI
interface as the other STM32WBx5 to enable code execution from an external
Flash.
Below the $2 Threshold
The
STM32WB is the only dual-core Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0+ MCU with Bluetooth Low
Energy 5.0, Zigbee 3.0, and OpenThread (IEEE 802.15.4) certified stacks. The ST
architecture thus enables engineers to create heavily integrated solutions and
offer unique features. However, teams working on cost-effective systems had to
either use the STM32WB55 or the STM32WB50. With the introduction of the two new
devices, companies now have greater flexibility and an even more interesting
pricing structure. Indeed, for the first
time, it is officially possible to get an STM32WB in volume for less than two
dollars.
Bringing
in more choices for Product Manufacturers
Engineers looking for more performance will gravitate toward the STM32WB55 and STM32WB35. Both support 2 Mbps data rates in Bluetooth LE, thus opening the door to applications that require higher throughput. The two devices also offer a crystal-less USB 2.0 full-speed controller and customer key storage. The STM32WBx5 thus targets systems with more complex applications. On the other hand, the STM32WB50 and STM32WB30 end up with developers working on more cost-effective solutions. It’s the reason why the two devices support BLE 1 Mbps and don’t offer things like Quad-SPI or the USB controller since, in almost all cases, these MCUs will be on PCBs that won’t require external RAM or a USB port for users.
