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will kim edited this page Jun 10, 2025 · 2 revisions

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the FAQ! This page addresses common questions and problems encountered during the onboarding process.

Getting Started

Q: Do I need an STM32 board to start?

A: No. This onboarding stresses the basics of embedded software. Most sections can be completed without hardware. You'll only need an STM32 board towards the end of the whole tutorial. You can, of course, still read and learn the concepts beforehand.

Q: Do I have to use STM32CubeIDE?

A: Not at all. You're free to use CLion, VS Code, or any text editor + terminal workflow. See the IDE Setup Guides section for alternatives. Note that many STM projects start with configuring the IOC (pinout), which requires using CubeMX.

Development Issues

Q: My debugger won't connect what now?

A: Double check:

  • USB cable supports data (not just charging)
  • ST-Link or J-Link driver is installed
  • Target voltage is present on the board
  • You selected the correct interface (SWD vs JTAG)

See Toolchain and Debugging for full steps.

Q: Im getting Permission Denied when flashing (macOS/Linux).

A: You likely need to add your user to the dialout or plugdev group, or run with sudo. Also check that udev rules are properly installed for STM32 devices.

Q: My CLion toolchain isnt detecting arm-none-eabi-gcc.

A: Make sure:

  • The toolchain is installed and added to your PATH
  • You selected it under CLion Preferences Build, Execution, Deployment Toolchains

Git & Submission

Q: How do I submit my work?

A: Fork the repo complete work in a new branch open a pull request (PR) to the original repo. Make sure to check off tasks in GRADE_ME.md!

See Submission Guidelines for details.

Q: I messed up my fork. What should I do?

A: You have a few options:

  1. Re-clone the fork and reset your local history
  2. Delete your fork and fork again (if you havent submitted yet)
  3. Reach out via GitHub issue or DM for help recovering

Tutorial Content

Q: I finished a section early can I work ahead?

A: Yes! Just make sure each section is properly committed and organized before moving on. Youre encouraged to take initiative and explore related material.

Q: Can I suggest improvements to the tutorials?

A: Absolutely open an issue or pull request. See Contributing Guidelines for how to help out.

Still stuck?

Open an issue in the main repo, or message me, the maintainer, directly.