Which 10 Cent Microcontroller is Right for You? Comparing the CH32V003 to the PY32F002A.

Summary

In this video, Zach compares two ultra-budget microcontrollers, the Puya PY32 and WCH CH32V003, both priced around 10 cents. He explores the differences between their cores, the RISC-V of the CH32 and the ARM Cortex-M0+ of the PY32, and their implications for hobbyists and industry. Zach discusses the peripherals, ease of use, and availability, conducting real-world tests including blinking an LED and reading an ADC value. Despite the CH32's faster speed and DMA support, he concludes that the choice between them depends on specific project needs, but for larger quantities and consistent availability, the PY32 might be more suitable.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video compares the CH32V003 and PY32 microcontrollers, both of which are ultra cheap and cost around 10 cents.
• 🧩 The CH32V003 features a RISC-V core, an open-source instruction set architecture, while the PY32 uses the ARM Cortex M0+ core, which is proprietary and involves royalties.
• 📚 The script discusses the importance of considering more than just the processor core when comparing microcontrollers, including memory, peripherals, power systems, and system clocks.
• 💻 The video mentions that programming microcontrollers is often abstracted by compilers, making the underlying core less critical for many users.
• 🛠️ The script highlights the lack of documentation for the CH32V003 hardware drivers as a drawback, contrasting with the more extensive resources available for the PY32.
• 💡 The video suggests that RISC-V could have significant implications for the industry, particularly in academia and for companies looking to integrate processing cores without licensing fees.
• 🔍 The script notes that the CH32V003 seems to be more popular and has better community support, which can be an important factor for hobbyists and developers.
• 💰 The video discusses the cost and availability of the microcontrollers, with the PY32 appearing to be more consistently available in larger quantities.
• 🛒 The script describes the process of setting up and programming both microcontrollers, noting that the CH32V003 was easier to get started with due to better software support.
• 🏆 The conclusion of the video is that neither microcontroller is definitively better, and the choice between them depends on the specific needs of the project and the availability of the components.

Q & A

What are the two ultra cheap flash-based microcontrollers discussed in the video?

The two ultra cheap flash-based microcontrollers discussed are the Puya PY-32 and the WCH CH32V003.

What is the main difference between the RISC-V core in the CH32 and the ARM Cortex-M0+ core in the PY-32?

The RISC-V core is an open-source instruction set architecture, while the ARM Cortex-M0+ core is proprietary intellectual property from ARM, which includes additional resources like hardware models and software tools.

Why might the availability of the microcontrollers be a concern for large-scale projects?

The availability of the microcontrollers could be a concern for large-scale projects because the CH32V003 was found to have limited stock, which might not be sufficient for bulk requirements, unlike the PY-32 which has shown no such issues.

What is the significance of RISC-V for the microcontroller industry according to the video?

RISC-V is significant because it allows for free implementation of processors, which can be particularly beneficial for companies, researchers, and hobbyists who might not have otherwise developed their own silicon.

What are the advantages of using the CH32V003 over the PY-32F002 based on the video?

The CH32V003 has advantages such as a faster clock speed, a DMA controller, and a built-in op-amp. It also has a larger community and more online resources, which can be helpful for support and tutorials.

How does the video presenter feel about the open-source nature of RISC-V?

The presenter is a huge fan of open-source and believes that RISC-V will have a positive impact on the industry, supporting the idea of freely implementing processors without licensing fees.

What is the primary reason the presenter chose the PY-32 for their tile backsplash project despite the availability of the CH32V003?

The primary reason was the availability of the PY-32 in sufficient quantities for the project, as the CH32V003 had limited stock which might not meet the requirement of 500 units needed for the project.

What is the recommended IDE for programming the CH32V003 according to the video?

The recommended IDE for programming the CH32V003 is MounRiver, which is Eclipse-based and feels familiar to those who have used other ARM-based IDEs.

What is the main complaint the presenter has about the documentation for the CH32V003?

The main complaint is the lack of documentation for the hardware drivers, which makes it difficult to understand how to use certain functions without referring to example code or reading through the drivers themselves.

How does the video presenter summarize the choice between the CH32V003 and PY-32F002 for future projects?

The presenter suggests that both microcontrollers are useful and have their pros and cons, and the choice between them should be based on the specific requirements of the project. Both are considered valuable options for future projects.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to Affordable Microcontrollers

The paragraph introduces a comparison between two ultra-affordable microcontrollers, the Puya PY32 and the WCH CH32V003, both priced around 10 cents. The speaker, Zach, expresses curiosity about whether he made the right choice by purchasing 500 PY32 units for a project. He plans to test the CH32V003 development board, which is the cheapest in the CH32 series and most comparable to the PY32F002, to determine which microcontroller is more suitable for those on a tight budget. The focus is on the core processor differences, with the PY32 using the RISC-V architecture and the CH32 using the ARM Cortex-M0+ core. Zach also discusses the implications of using open-source versus proprietary cores, including licensing and support from ARM for the latter.

05:00

💻 Open-Source RISC-V vs. Proprietary ARM

Zach delves into the differences between the RISC-V and ARM Cortex-M0+ cores, emphasizing RISC-V's open-source nature and ARM's proprietary model. He mentions that while RISC-V is free and open, ARM's model includes royalties and a more comprehensive package that aids in silicon implementation. Zach speculates on the likelihood of Puya's proper licensing of the ARM core, citing the presence of PY32 in Keil uVision, an IDE released by ARM. He also touches on the broader aspects of microcontrollers beyond the core, such as memory, peripherals, and power systems, which can be more critical than the core itself. Zach concludes that for most hobbyists, the choice of core may not significantly impact programming due to the use of high-level languages and compilers that abstract hardware differences.

10:02

🛠️ Practical Considerations for Microcontroller Selection

Zach discusses the practical aspects of choosing a microcontroller, such as cost, ease of use, availability, support, toolchains, and total cost of ownership. He suggests that the 10-cent microcontrollers are best suited for projects requiring a large number of units performing basic tasks, rather than for one-off development boards. He shares his experience with purchasing a development board set that included the CH32V003, a programmer, and chips, and compares it with other options like the STM32 Blue Pill, ESP32S, and Arduino. Zach emphasizes that while cost is a factor, it shouldn't be the only consideration, especially when building products for sale or long-term reliability.

15:03

🔍 Comparing Specifications and Pricing

In this paragraph, Zach compares the specifications and pricing of the CH32V003 and PY32F002 microcontrollers. He notes the CH32's higher clock speed, DMA controller, and built-in op-amp, while the PY32 offers more RAM, Flash memory, and a higher-resolution ADC. Zach also discusses the availability of the microcontrollers on LCSC, with the PY32 appearing to have better stock availability. He mentions that for development boards, the CH32 has more options and is easier to order, giving it an edge over the PY32 in that category. The paragraph concludes with a detailed comparison of features like timers, ADCs, and connectivity options, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two microcontrollers.

20:04

💻 Programming Experience and Documentation

Zach shares his experience programming the CH32V003 using the MounRiver IDE and contrasts it with his experience with the PY32. He finds the CH32's setup in MounRiver to be straightforward, requiring minimal configuration. However, he encounters an issue with interrupt handler attributes that leads to a hard fault, which he resolves with help from online discussions. Zach criticizes the lack of documentation for the CH32's hardware drivers but appreciates the well-written data sheets and reference manuals. He also notes the absence of simple example codes for basic functionalities like timer interrupts and ADC conversions. Despite these challenges, Zach manages to blink an LED and read an analog voltage with the CH32, comparing the ease of use and functionality with the PY32.

25:06

🏆 Conclusion and Future Considerations

Zach concludes the comparison by acknowledging that the choice between the CH32V003 and PY32F002 depends on the specific application requirements. He gives the edge to the CH32 for its out-of-the-box experience with MounRiver, support for the RISC-V movement, hardware features, and the availability of online help. However, he also recognizes the PY32's strengths and notes that he will consider both microcontrollers for future projects. Zach emphasizes the importance of considering factors like stock availability and the potential risks of relying on microcontrollers with limited stock for large projects. He ends by stating that both microcontrollers are valuable and cost-effective, and he plans to continue using them in his work.

Keywords

💡RISC-V

RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) that is designed to be free and customizable. In the video, the RISC-V core is used in the CH32 microcontroller, contrasting with the proprietary ARM Cortex-M0+ core used in the PY32. The video discusses the merits of open-source ISAs like RISC-V, which allow for more flexibility and freedom in hardware design without the need for royalties, as opposed to ARM's proprietary cores which come with licensing fees.

💡ARM Cortex-M0+

ARM Cortex-M0+ is a 32-bit microcontroller core developed by ARM Holdings. It is a proprietary core that requires licensing fees. In the video, the PY32 microcontroller uses the ARM Cortex-M0+ core, which is highlighted as a point of comparison to the RISC-V core in the CH32. The discussion around it revolves around the licensing and cost implications for manufacturers and the impact on end-users.

💡Microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit that includes a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. In the video, the terms 'PY32' and 'CH32' refer to specific microcontrollers that are being compared. The video script discusses the features, performance, and cost-effectiveness of these microcontrollers, which are central to the video's theme of evaluating cheap, flash-based microcontrollers.

💡Flash-based Microcontroller

Flash-based microcontrollers are those that use flash memory for non-volatile storage of their firmware. The video focuses on the PY32 and CH32, which are both ultra-cheap flash-based microcontrollers. The script discusses their affordability, which makes them attractive for hobbyists and small-scale projects where cost is a significant factor.

💡Development Board

A development board is a printed circuit board (PCB) that is designed to help in the development of electronic systems. It often includes a microcontroller and various connectors, buttons, and LEDs for prototyping. In the video, the script mentions a development board for the CH32 V003, which is used to test and demonstrate the capabilities of the microcontroller, showing its practical application in a development context.

💡Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)

ISA is the part of the computer architecture that specifies the set of commands (instructions) a processor can execute. The video discusses the RISC-V and ARM Cortex-M0+ ISAs, emphasizing the differences between open-source and proprietary ISAs and their implications for hardware design and software development.

💡Open Source

Open source refers to a type of computer software whose source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. The video script praises the RISC-V ISA for being open source, allowing for a more flexible and cost-effective approach to microcontroller design and use.

💡Proprietary

Proprietary refers to something that is owned exclusively and the owners can control how it is used. In the context of the video, ARM's Cortex-M0+ core is described as proprietary, meaning it is owned by ARM and its use is subject to licensing agreements and fees. This is contrasted with the open-source nature of RISC-V, which allows for more freedom in its use and distribution.

💡IDE (Integrated Development Environment)

An IDE is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. In the video, the script discusses the use of MounRiver IDE for programming the CH32 microcontroller. The ease of use of the IDE is a significant factor in the development process, as it can greatly simplify the task of writing, testing, and debugging code.

💡Peripherals

Peripherals in the context of microcontrollers refer to additional functional components that can be connected to the main processor, such as timers, ADCs, communication interfaces, etc. The video script compares the peripherals available on the PY32 and CH32 microcontrollers, discussing how these can affect the choice of microcontroller for a particular project.

💡Cost-effectiveness

Cost-effectiveness in the video refers to the balance between the cost of a microcontroller and the performance or features it offers. The script evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the PY32 and CH32 microcontrollers, considering their price, features, and suitability for different applications, which is a key consideration for many users, especially hobbyists and small-scale manufacturers.

Highlights

Comparison between the CH32V003 and the PY32 microcontrollers, both priced around 10 cents.

Discussion on the merits of the CH32V003 in the comments section of a previous video.

Introduction to the development board for the CH32V003, comparable to the PY32F002.

Core differences between the RISC-V core in the CH32 and the ARM Cortex-M0+ core in the PY32.

RISC-V as an open-source instruction set architecture versus ARM's proprietary core.

Implications of using ARM's intellectual property and potential royalties.

Availability of the PY32 in Keil uVision IDE, suggesting proper licensing from ARM.

WCH's proprietary implementation of the RISC-V architecture in the CH32.

Importance of microcontroller peripherals beyond the processor core.

Programming experience and the abstraction of hardware differences by compilers.

Open-source preference and its impact on software and hardware choices.

Potential benefits of RISC-V for academia and the industry.

Considerations beyond cost when choosing microcontrollers, such as ease of use and support.

Use case scenarios for 10-cent microcontrollers in personal projects versus commercial products.

Availability and pricing comparison between CH32V003 and PY32F002 from LCSC.

Development board options and their impact on ease of use for the CH32V003 and PY32F002.

Performance and real-world testing of the CH32V003 and PY32F002 microcontrollers.

Comparative analysis of the CH32V003 and PY32F002 based on functionality, software environment, and ease of coding.

Final thoughts on the suitability of CH32V003 and PY32F002 for different applications and projects.

Transcripts

a little while back I made a video about

this the 10-cent Pua py 32

microcontroller in that video I

mentioned that the py 32 wasn't the only

Ultra cheap flash-based

microcontroller but there's also the wch

ch32

v003 which also comes in around 10 cents

and it seems to be far more popular many

of you left comments on that video

discussing the merits of the ch32

and that got me wondering did I make the

right choice when I bought 500 of the

p32 for my latest

project well there's really only one way

to find

out this is a development board for the

ch32

v003 which is the cheapest of the ch32 V

series and it's the most comparable to

the p32 f002 a that I talked about

previously I'm going to put this through

its paces and determine which of these

you should use if you only have 10 cents

and you ignore the cost of passives and

the circuit board and everything else

you need to get started let's get into

it I'm Zach and you're watching Zack of

all

[Music]

trades I'm going to get started by

discussing the biggest and probably most

controversial difference between the py

32 and the

ch32 the pro processor core specifically

the differences between the risk 5 Core

in the ch32 and the arm cortex m0 plus

core in the

p32 risk 5 which stands for reduced

instruction set computer five is a free

and open-source instruction set

architecture for background an

instruction set architecture defines how

the processor should behave with respect

to software by outlining the things like

in instructions registers and memory

handling binary code that is written for

One processor should work on any

processor that follows the exact same

Isa now let's contrast this to the

cortex m0 plus core the MZ plus is

intellectual property from arm which is

a for-profit company and it's more than

just an Isa but it also includes things

like Hardware models physical IP and

stuff that gets you much closer to

actually building the ship on Silicon

you also are going to get software tools

and simulation

tools now when you buy a cortex part a

fraction of what you spend goes back to

arm in royalties okay I am assuming here

that whoever makes the chip has properly

licensed from arm there have been

instances where foreign companies have

stolen the IP while I can't be 100% sure

that puya is licensing the devices

correctly they do show up in Keel

microvision which is a IDE that's

released by arm

it seems a little unlikely to me that

arm would knowingly add microcontrollers

to their software if they weren't

properly licensing them so then what do

the makers of risk 5 chips do for their

Hardware Designs well most commonly it

would seem that they develop their own

proprietary implementations which is

what wch has done here with the ch32 and

their shinky core hope I'm pronouncing

that right there are other open- source

implementations including verilog

descriptions and that's pretty cool in

all honesty though I don't know that

this matters for the majority of

hobbyists we're not likely to be making

our own silicon although that day is

approaching you can Implement these

verilog descriptions on fpgas but that's

probably more of a learning exercise

than something You' regularly

do another point I'd like to make is

that microcontrollers are far more than

just their processor cores they also

have memory peripherals power system

systems clocks and so on and those can

actually be more important than the core

itself the arm versus risk 5 debate

doesn't actually tell us anything about

these peripherals and the majority of

time these aren't going to be

open the differences in peripherals also

means that programming various risk five

or arm parts even with the same core can

be very difficult as there's not really

any standardization of

these finally I don't believe the

underlying C core makes all that big of

a difference from a programming

perspective since most of us are

probably writing our code in C or a

higher level

language if you want to multiply two

numbers you're probably not worrying

about loading values into registers

finding the right instructions you're

just going to type Cals a * B semicolon

and move on with your life the compiler

handles the rest and it's going to

abstract away many of the differences in

the underlying Hardware now don't get me

wrong I'm a huge fan of Open Source I

definitely prefer not to pay

corporations for software that hasn't

really changed functionality in decades

looking at you Microsoft Office and I

refuse subscription based

software much of the software I use on a

daily basis is open source and I

contribute when I can I also believe

risk 5 is an important development that

will have a really positive impact on

the industry but from what I've seen so

far I don't believe that risk 5 microc

controllers have a really substantial

Edge over arm devices at least not yet

for one the ch32 is different enough

that you'll need different software and

different programmers and that adds to

the cost and it can have a fairly steep

learning curve and despite not requiring

royalties risk five parts don't seem

cheaper at least not for the parts I'm

comparing here but I'll get to cost in a

second what I do think is awesome about

risk 5 and one of the reasons I'm really

excited about it is that it will allow

companies researchers and even hobbyists

to freely Implement processors where

they probably wouldn't have otherwise

bothered I foresee companies making more

ic's smart as adding a processing core

to a ADC an IMU or a radio whatever

that'll no longer require that company

to involve their lawyers and write

contracts and pay fees just to license

that Core Design the benefits for

Academia will also be huge not just

research purposes but also because

students now have an actual open-source

Isa to study when they're learning how

processors

operate I think there are also benefits

on the 64-bit processor side for

application processors as well as

personal Computing but I'm not as

familiar with that and it's outside the

scope of this

discussion that's all I'm going to say

right now about core differences but at

the end I'll bring this full circle and

give you my thoughts when choosing a

microcontroller or any other component

for that matter

cost is only one part of the broad

picture ease of use availability support

tool chains total bomb cost ease of

assembly part Lifetime and so on are all

things you need to consider so when

might you actually want to use one of

these 10-cent microcontrollers versus

one of the more expensive

options first I personally believe that

these chips only make sense if you're

using them on your own circuit boards if

you're looking to just buy a development

board for a one-off project then I

couldn't recommend either of these for

reference I got this development board

as part of a larger package on Amazon it

came with this a ch32 v203 development

board a wch link e programmer and five

each of the chips from both of these

boards and this was all

$27 I put a link down in the description

if you're interested and I can attest

that these work fine at least to the

extent I've tested them

now while I wouldn't say this is a

terrible deal and there are certainly

cheaper options especially if you go

from overseas vendors there are lots of

options from other more reputable

companies in this price range and

they're certainly easier to use and

they're going to have more

features the stm32 blue pill or the new

cleos the

esp32s any of the arduinos the Raspberry

Pi Pico I think that these and really

any of the popular development boards

are going to be better choices

so one use case for these 10-cent Parts

could be to save money when you're

building a product you're going to sell

although honestly I'm not sure I'd feel

that comfortable doing that either I

would worry that one of these

manufacturers might suddenly stop making

these which would invalidate much of the

non-recurring engineering You'

done also if I opened up some product

I'd bought especially something I

expected to have a long life and I saw

one of these Ultra sheep chips in there

I'd be a little put off personally if I

were making something I planned on

selling I'd spend a little more money

from a part from St or Texas Instruments

or

Renu one of the parts I could just buy

from digy and be reasonably assured it'd

be around for the next

decade now where I do think these

microcontrollers are really useful is

for projects where you need a lot of

microcontrollers that are doing pretty

basic tasks this is what I'm doing with

the p y32 in my tile backsplash

project here I'm using the inter ADC on

the py 32 to digitize a microphone

signal and communicate the peak value

back to a main processor I need about

250 of these so for a personal project I

just really can't afford to use anything

more

expensive check out the video on that

project if you haven't And subscribe so

you can be sure to catch the rest of

it these types of projects things like

making an analog sensor into a smart one

doing at the sensor processing or event

detection

heck even making your own personal

Computing cluster these are the cases

where these Ultra cheap microcontrollers

shine so I've called these both 10-cent

microcontrollers but how accurate is

that for comparison I'm only looking at

the lowest spec cheapest Parts which are

the ch32

v003 and the py 32

f002 and these prices are as of mid

2024 on LCSC which I considered to be a

reliable vendor you can buy the py 32

for between 13.2 C and 17.5 cents if you

buy only 5 and 8 cents to a smidge over

11 cents if you buy 500 depending on the

package the ch32 in comparison is on the

order of 19 to 23.5 cents for five and

12 to 14 1.2 cents for

500 additionally as of right now you

can't even order 500 of a single type of

ch32 because there are only 415 sop 8s

in stock and 100 qfm 20s for the py 32

on the other hand all five options are

in stock and the scarcest one has over

4500 now I know that you can buy the

ch32 on AliExpress from the official wch

store in fact you can apparently get 50

of the8 pin ch32 v003 chips for a single

dollar shipped which is

absurd but that's a onetime deal and you

don't have much control over

quantity I am also personally far less

comfortable ordering from AliExpress but

you could feel differently about that so

from a cost and availability perspective

on bare chips I have to give the

advantage to the py

32 if you're looking for development

boards though then the exact opposite is

true there is this board for the py 32

f003 on LCS CX right now it costs about

$14.5 which is a bit high for what

you're getting and I've noticed that the

price fluctuates

considerably there are a couple other

options for the p32 but they have no

reviews and probably no

documentation the C32 though like I said

I got this on Amazon delivered in two

days with the spare chips it was a

little pricey at $27 but very easy to

order check out the description for the

link there's also plenty of other

cheaper options for the ch32

particularly from overseas just Googling

ch32 v003 will turn up lots of options

so for development boards I've got to

give the edge to the

ch32 taking a look at the data sheets

you'll find that there's really no clear

winner as the p32 f002 and the ch32 v003

trade blows in different areas now

allegedly the py 32 f2a

uses the same die as some of the higher

end parts and you can unlock additional

features if you know what you're doing

but that's not guaranteed that might not

always be true so for this comparison

I'm sticking strictly to what is

advertised to start the ch32 can run up

to 48 MHz and it has a PLL that can make

that frequency from the 24 MHz internal

oscillator the py 32 though runs at half

that 24 MHz it has no PLL

the p32 does have the edge for Ram and

Flash with 3 kilobytes of RAM and 20

kilobytes of flash whereas the ch32 has

2 kiloby of RAM and 16 kiloby of flash

both parts have one Advanced timer and

one basic timer but the p32 has an

additional low power timer both have

adcs however the py 32s is 12 bits and

the CH 32s is only 10 if you're sampling

that data really quickly though you

don't want to load up the process

then you're going to find the dma on the

ch32 very useful but you don't get on

the

p32 the ch32 also has a built-in op amp

which if you need it could reduce your

build of materials in comparison with

the

p32 for connectivity they both have one

uart one spy and one i2c but there's a

caveat for the

ch32 the Spy is only broken out on the

20 pin packages there's no spy on the 16

and eight pin options

compare that to the py 32 where you get

the option for all three regardless of

package if you have an application in

mind though you should probably check

out the multiplexing on those really

small packages as some of those

functions

overlap other than that these two parts

are really similar they can both operate

at 5 volts they both have comparable

package options and number of IO and

they have similar low power modes as you

can probably see it is hard to declare

one of these better than the other

without knowing your exact

application on one hand the ch32 is

faster and has dma and that built-in op

amp but the py 32 has more Flash and RAM

and a higher resolution

ADC the data sheets one thing but how

did these chips actually perform in the

real world and how easy are they to use

for the py 32 go back and check out my

previous video where I walked through

setting up the IDE and then did two

coding examples now the p32 has

pretty much no information online and

there really aren't any tutorials which

is definitely a drawback so in the

previous video I went into quite a bit

of detail on how to use them there is

much more information for the ch32

though so I'm not going to walk through

this step by step like I did before what

I am going to do is replicate the two

test codes I did in the last video first

I'm going to Blink an LED using a timer

and interrupts and then secondly I'm

going to read an analog voltage with the

internal ADC and report it to computer

over

serial I'll then compare the experience

on the ch32 with that of the

p32 for ID I'm going to be using Mound

River this is what is recommended by wch

which is why I'm choosing it similar to

what I did for the

p32 there are other IDE options probably

better options there's even support for

the Arduino IDE so don't be too scared

away by this mound river is Eclipse

based so it's going to feel pretty

familiar if you're coming from some

something like the stm32 cube

IDE as mentioned the boards I'm testing

this with came from Amazon and included

two development boards one for the ch32

v003 and one for the

v203 as well as 10 bear chips and the

wch link e which is this comically bulky

USB programmer that you can't actually

push the buttons on without removing the

case there's also a GitHub repository

I've linked that has lots of information

on this ship and this board things like

the schematics example code some how-to

PDFs I recommend you poke through that

before you get started when you open

Mound River and go to create a project

you basically just need to provide a

name and select the chip you're using

click okay and that's it all the start

code and the how drivers are there and

ready to use the start code sends the

system clock rate and the chip ID over

uart as well as has some uart Echo

functionality without making any changes

to the start code I compiled and flashed

it just to verify that this at least

worked I used the serial adapter built

into the link e as well as MOA xterm on

a PC all I had to do was connect 3.3

volts from the debugger to VCC on the

board ground to ground s swdi to pd1 and

RX to pd5 this would have worked great

except my link e firmware was ever so

slightly out of date so M River refused

to use it and it forced me to update it

which I tried to do itself halfway

through the update process though the

link e disconnected from my computer and

didn't come back now those of you that

deal with these things regularly know

that this can be a bad situation a

little searching though led me to the

wch link utility which is available

straight from WC's website this luckily

recognized the link e and I was able to

update it without much trouble back over

in Mound River the program now flashed

directly and the serial communication to

my PC worked as it

should I then got started modifying the

code to Blink an LED with a timer this

is pretty straightforward and honestly

pretty similar to the p32 or any other

arm part you configure the timer start

it in the appropriate mode configure the

LED GPO pin write an interrupt Handler

where the pin is actually flipped and

then you call the initialization

functions from the main function and

enter an infinite Loop

interrupts will do the

rest interestingly the ch32 development

board doesn't actually connect the led

to a pin unlike what you would usually

see so you get to choose where it goes

the downside though is that this does

require a wire on the development board

which might not be desirable for your

final application I did have one issue

and a couple of

complaints the issue I ran into is in

regards to attributes on the interrupt

Handler function prototype

I'm not going to go into great detail

here as I wouldn't say that I fully

understand it myself but the Crux is

that if you create an interrupt Handler

and the wch interrupt fast attribute is

applied to the other interrupt handlers

then you should go ahead and apply it to

the one you create as well I didn't and

my initial code ended up in the hard

fault

Handler luckily since this

microcontroller is fairly widely used I

actually found a discussion and a

solution for this issue online line my

complaints are in regards to the

documentation the data sheet the

reference manual there's a core manual

and a bunch of other how-to guides

they're really well written and they're

written in English unlike what you get

for the

p32 but I could not find any

documentation for the hardware drivers

despite the fact that they're used by

default in Mound River now to be fair

poya also does not have documentation

for the drivers on the p32 but those

drivers are BAS basically just copied

from STM 32s so st's 2000ish page Hal

manual is directly

applicable for the ch32 I basically

didn't have any guidance other than the

reference code and reading through the

drivers in the

IDE now I know roughly what I'm doing

and the drivers behave pretty similarly

to the arm devices they mostly just

differ in syntax so I was able to

stumble through this by just using the

ide's autocomplete functionality

and kind of just guessing what the

function should be but still it would

have been really nice to have a manual

if anyone knows that one exists please

let me know now this brings me to

another minor complaint this is

regarding the reference code the

reference code provided on GitHub is

quite complete it covers every

peripheral but I found that it only

covers more complicated use cases take

the timers for instance there's an

example code for dma for encoder

counting for output compare one pulse

modee Etc but there's not an example

that just covers setting up a timer to

generate an interrupt the ADC is another

good example there is no code that just

covers a single software start

conversion which is probably what most

beginners the ones who are reading the

example code anyway are trying to do you

can certainly piece together what you

need from some of the more complicated

examples but I found this a bit odd

regardless I worked through this Blinky

example reasonably quickly and I got the

board to Blink its LED 500 milliseconds

on 500 millisecs off without much

trouble this was certainly faster than

getting the py 32 running even when you

take into account updating the link e on

to the more complicated example reading

a voltage with the ADC and sending it

over serial to a computer setting up the

uart here couldn't have been easier

literally because it's already done for

you in the start code there is a debug

file

included you can go through and check

out the exact functionality but one

thing it does is redirects print F to

ur1 all you need to do is know the pins

pd5 for TX and pd6 for RX hook them up

to the link e appropriately and then

print F just

works compare this to the p32 where I

still haven't gotten print F to redirect

correctly I'm compiling messages and

then sending them over to Art the manual

way the other main thing that needs to

be done here is configuring the ADC this

took a little bit of playing around

because of the aformentioned lack of

documentation on the how drivers pretty

simple stuff like should this field be

zero indexed or one indexed and how do I

do a single conversion since all the

example codes or multiple or injected

conversions overall though I would say

that this example took me a similar

amount of time to what it did on the p32

with my lack of familiarity with the

drivers being offset by the fact that

the uart was already set

up so here's the circuit setup I've just

run VCC to one side of a potentiometer

ground to the other side and the center

tap of the pot to pd3 which is ADC

Channel 4 on this chip this makes an

adjustable voltage divider and you can

see here that as I rotate the pot the

ADC values respond logically I'll be at

only to 1023 as this is only a 10 bit

ADC the ADC noise seems quite small only

an LSB or so at 43 cycle sampling time

and I ran this for many hours and I

didn't observe any drift so now that

I've had the chance to test out both the

p32 and the ch32 including their

functionality native software

environment and ease of writing and

flashing code which chip is the

winner well I hate to reiterate what

I've already said but it really does

depend on what your final application is

for this chip as they both have pros and

cons and they could make break a

particular

project but if they both have the

features you need then well I have to

give the edge to the

ch32 it comes down to four things first

when you download mountain river and you

select the ch32

V3 it pretty much just works there's no

messing around with configuration no

trying to load the right Hardware

libraries really nothing other than

needing to update the link e after that

I literally hooked up the debug probe

compil

loaded the start code and that was it it

just

worked second and you might not

personally care about this but risk 5 is

kind of cool right now and by using the

ch32 you're helping to support that

movement third I think I have to give

the hardware Edge to the

ch32 it runs at twice the speed it has a

dma controller and I feel like that's

probably a little more useful than what

the py 32 has has which is additional

Flash and RAM the higher resolution ADC

and an additional timer you could debate

this point though so take that with a

grain of

salt and finally there's a lot of online

help for the ch32 not necessarily

directly from wch but in online

discussion and even a lot of

tutorials now the p32 is very very

similar to the stm32 so stm's

documentation even for stuff like the

how drivers is very use use ful but

there's essentially no online help

specifically for the

p32 that said I did find the lack of

driver documentation on the ch32 to be

quite

frustrating so did I make the wrong

choice when I bought these 500 p32 chips

for my tile backsplash

project I don't think so and it all

comes down to

availability remember when I said that

for the ch32

v003 there were only 415 of one package

and 100 of another package in stock well

I wrote that a couple days ago and

before filming this I went back and

checked again now there is not a single

ch32 v003 in stock at

LCSC and that's the problem if you want

10 50 maybe even 100 CH 32s then sure

you can probably order them on

AliExpress you'll probably get what you

need but if you need a whole spool of

these even just 500 of them then you're

out of look with the p32 though I've

never had to worry about stock plus it's

not like one of these existing negates

the usefulness of the other one you can

have and use both of them I think that

they're both fantastically useful

microcontrollers they're not all that

different to program they're both an

insane value and now that I've got an

experience with both of them I'm going

to keep them both in mind for future

projects that's all I've got today in

the next videos I'll be getting back to

some of the projects so please like

subscribe

and check those out thanks for watching