Black Pill
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| Manufacturer | WeAct Studio |
|---|---|
| Host port | USB C |
| Microcontroller | STM32F4 variant |
| MPU | ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Voltage | 3.3 V |
| Clock speed | 84 or 100 MHz |
| Digital I/O pins | 30 |
| I/O Voltage | 3.3 V |
| RAM | 64, 96 or 128 KB |
| Program memory | 256, 512 KB |
| Boot loader | DFU |
| Website | github.com/WeActTC/MiniF4-STM32F4x1 |
The STM32F4x1 MiniF4 is a range of microcontroller boards from WeAct, with STM32F4 microcontrollers and same pinout.
The format and pinout is similar but not identical to that of the Blue Pill, but with more capable microcontrollers and different pinout.
It is the most well-known board with the nickname Black Pill, but there are others.
Contents
Description
The CPU is a Corted-M4 with saturation arithmetic, DSP instructions and single-precision FPU.
The bottom is flat, but has a footprint for an optional W25Q32JVSSIQ SPI Flash chip.
Variants
The boards are named by the microcontroller they carry and the version number (generation) of the range. Note that there exists some confusion out there about this.
Versions 3.0 added Reset and BOOT0 buttons. Earlier versions had only a user button.
Current
| Version | µC | Clock | SRAM | Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V3.0 | TM32F411CEU6 | 100 MHz | 128 KB | 512 KB | |
| V3.0 | STM32F401CEU6 | 84 MHz | 96 KB | 512 KB |
Discontinued
| Variant | µC | Clock | SRAM | Flash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V3.0 | STM32F401CC | 84 MHz | 64 KB | 256 KB |
| V2.0 | STM32F411CEU6 | 100 MHz | 128 KB | 512 KB |
| V1.3 | STM32F411 | |||
| V1.2 | STM32F401 |
Availability
Authentic boards carry the WeAct logo and version number, and are available from authorised on-line stores:
- WeAct Studio official store on Taobao
- WeAct Studio WeiXing Store on AliExpress
- Sincere Company Store on AliExpress
Copies exist, on e.g. Taobao and Aliexpress. They are also common on eBay.
Pinout
| Function | Pin | ↑ | Pin | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCK3,SMBA2 | PB12 | USB | +5V | |
| SCK2,SCK4 | PB13 | GND | ||
| MISO2 | PB14 | +3.3V | ||
| MOSI2 | PB15 | PBT10 | SCL2,SCK2 | |
| CK1,SCL3 | PA8 | PB2 | BOOT1 | |
| TX1,SMBA2 | PA9 | PB1 | ADC9,NSS6 | |
| RX1,MOSI5 | PA10 | PB0 | ADC8,SCK5 | |
| CTS1,ISO4 | PA11 | PA7 | ADC7,MOSI1 | |
| RTS1,MISO05 | PA12 | PA6 | ADC6,MISO1 | |
| NSS1,NSS3,TX1 | PA15 | PA5 | ADC5,SCK1 | |
| SCK1,SCK3,RX1,SDA2 | PB3 | PA4 | ADC4,NSS1,CK2 | |
| MISO1,MISO3,SDA3 | PB4 | PA3 | ADC3,RX2 | |
| MOSI1,MOSI3,SMBA1 | PB5 | PA2 | ADC2,TX2 | |
| TX1,SCL1 | PB6 | PA1 | ADC1,RTS2,MOSI4 | |
| RX1,SDA1 | PB7 | PA0 | ADC0,CTS2 | |
| SCL1,MOSI5 | PB8 | Reset | ||
| NSS2,SDA1 | PB9 | PC15 | ||
| +5V (VBUS) | PC14 | |||
| GND | PC13 | (LED) | ||
| +3.3V | VBAT | |||
External links
- Github—STM32F4x1 MiniF4 / WeAct Studio 微行工作室 出品. WeAct Studio's official page with resources.
- Zephyr Project—WeAct Studio Black Pill V2.0: STM32F411CE variant (confusing title)
- Zephyr Project—WeAct Studio Black Pill V3.0: STM32F401CE variant (confusing title)
Firmware Support
Keyboard firmware:
- ZMK gets it MCU support from the Zephyr real-time OS which officially supports the Black Pill V2.0 and V3.0.
- Keyberon is firmware written in Rust, with support for several STM32F microcontrollers, including those in the Blue Pill and Black Pills.
Other "Black Pill"s
WeAct's board carries the same format and a similar but not exact pinout to that of the Blue Pill.
The nickname "Black Pill" has also been attributed to other black STM32 boards:
- RobotDyn STM32 MINI, often called the "RobotDyn Black Pill". It is in effect a bug-fixed Blue Pill with black soldermask.
- STM32 Black Pill with a STM32F103 MCU and completely different pinout from the Black Pill and Blue Pill.
- Regular Blue Pill boards where the soldermask is just black instead of blue.
