Getting Started With STM32 and Nucleo Part 3: FreeRTOS - How To Run Multiple Threads w/ CMSIS-RTOS

On this STM32 video, we’re going to introduce FreeRTOS and show how to run multiple threads using the CMSIS-RTOS interface.

A real-time operating system (RTOS) is extremely useful for running concurrent tasks within the same program and offering a level of code portability. An RTOS differs from a general purpose operating system (e.g. Windows, macOS, Linux) by offering a guarantee to meet strict timing deadlines. As a result, you can find RTOSes used in many advanced microcontroller and embedded systems applications, such as cars, interplanetary rovers, rockets, and pacemakers.

In the video, we’ll demonstrate using FreeRTOS from the STM32CubeIDE. We’ll use the graphical interface to configure FreeRTOS and create 2 tasks (also known as “threads”). From there, we’ll write some simple code in those two different tasks to blink an LED. The catch is that they will try to blink the same LED! This should create some interesting effects on our STM32 Nucleo board.

The STM32 series is based on the ARM Cortex architectures. Specifically, we’ll be looking at the STM32 Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers. To make life easier, we’ll be using STMicroelectronics’ official Nucleo development boards (the Nucleo-L476RG in particular).

WRITTEN TUTORIAL

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

[samchan]

The best RTOS video so far. Detail enough to get you started, but not too much to scare you off, or put you to sleep.

[kaylee-xie]

Best RTOS videos! start from easy and demonstrate details while programming so that I can completely understand what happends.

[NFSHeld]

Please make the video series on queues, mutexes and semaphores. I'm trying to learn microcontroller programming, and your videos are the best tutorials I could find.

[zetaconvex]

Thank you. Very nicely explained.

I was interested in exploring RTOSs, and I didn't realise that the Cube was already set up to go.

[adaminsanoff]

Great tutorials. Thank you Shawn and DigiKey!

[colanuss]

I really like the topic, also the style and flow of presentation are perfect. Kudos for the preparation work.

[keyvanshahin]

Thank you so much for all the great tutorials. I can not remember another learning video that I had to watch each section over and over. you cover everything important in such a short time. Keep up the great work.

[ordnanceant]

Very good STM32 series good content presented clearly, please do a follow-up to this with more on the FreeRTOS. Also can you please put all the STM32 series into a playlist 😬

[Cevasho]

Amazing video, thank you very much. I was able to understand everything and now ill be working with threads because in some applications I'llbe running they are the proper solution.

[noweare]

I have been trying to use a RTOS and the biggest hurdle I have found is getting them set up correctly. I have tried ChibiOS and freeRTOS and could not set them up correctly. I do have STMCubeIDE and now because of this video I can get a project that compiles. This RTOS stuff could be a good video series. You explain things very well. Thanks

[Hamidfazilati]

You speaking so good and also I found answer of my question about multi tasking by STM32 .. also special thanks to ST Micro electronic

[mgeo]

Nicely sized video! Informative enough to get going, but not too scary.

I'd be interested in details about synchronising and sharing data between threads.

[PaymaanJafari]

25+ yeays in this industry, I‌still really had fun hearing you saying "or you risk injuring humans" :))) sounds like a robot teaching other robots :)

[dd]

Thanks for this video. It shows some path across the jungle that is stm32cubeide

[RSolimov]

Amazing, videos, so i jumped over to digikey for my products. good price too :)

[DownhillAllTheWay]

Have you done a video on interrupts using HAL? I can't find one by you, and I'm not getting on too well with interrupt videos by others.

[OzTalksHW]

So good. How do you know the maximum number of threads your STM32 chip comfortable supports?

[radheyec]

please make video on DC motor control and BLDC with STM32

[over]

I tried to get a BluePill to work with blinky. It failed. I spent 2 hours tracking it down to the interupt vector table not being relocatable in memory, which is apparently meant to be switch on for that MCU type, but was commented out. I learnt a lot along the way though.

[UpcycleElectronics]

I don't know if I can use a HAL system without an option to open the pod bay doors.