The Stm8 Family - STMicroelectronics STM8 Manual

The STM8 Family

There are over a hundred STM8 microcontrollers available today. The STM8 family can be simplified
into three categorical groups as shown below.
There are subgroups within these groups but broadly speaking these three groups are what by which
we can define the entire family. STM8S micros are general purpose robust and reliable micros that
can be employed in almost all scopes. This is the most commonly used group and in fact we will be
exploring it in this article. They are also cheap and smart. The second group – the STM8A family is
intended mainly for automotive industries. This group is packed with additional hardware interfaces
like CAN and LIN that are musts according to present-day automotive industry doctrine. The STM8As
are also very robust and are designed to withstand the harsh extremes of an automobile. For instance,
STM8As can withstand high temperatures, in excess of 100°C. The last group consists of STM8L micros
which are crafted for low power or battery-backed applications. Virtually they consume no power in
idle mode. Thus, if you need high power savings or energy cuts in your projects, this group is the best
choice. There are also low power versions of automotive-standard STM8 micros that are labelled
STM8AL. Apart from all these there is also one version of STM8 micros that are specifically designed
for capacitive touch applications. These are called STM8Ts.
The features and benefits of STM8 micros are numerous and can't simply be expressed in few words.
The more you explore, the more you will feel. STM8s can be powered with 3.3V or 5V DC power
supplies and have built-in brownout detection circuitry. The low power editions can operate at much
lower voltages than these values. Official STM8 Discovery boards come with voltage selection jumpers
to allow users to select operating voltage level as required. There is very minimum risk of program
corruption due to EMI or some other similar unprecedented factors. There is fail-safe security for the
clock system which ensures that a system based on a STM8 micro won't stop working or stuck up
should its external clock source fail. All internal hardware possesses more features than any other
competitive 8-bit microcontroller families that are widely available in the market. The best part is the
price benefit. You pay less for the most. All these features are well-suited for extremely harsh
industrial environments. STM8s are designed with maximum possible combinations of features.
Beyond your wildest wet dream, there are many extraordinary stuffs waiting to be unboxed.