Strange unknown STM32F103 clone: CS32F103. Anyone has info or tested it?

[Just4Fun]

Hi,
searching for some STM32F103C8T6 to buy, I've found this unknown "clone": CS32F103

 I haven't found any datasheet of it. Does anyone have a datasheet or did make some test with it to see how it is "compatible" with the ST32F103...?

Best regards.
J4F

[b555b]

According to the logo on the chip, the manufacturer seems to be China Key System. Although that chip seems to be not listed on their products.
http://www.cksic.com/en/IC/234.html

Google gives you a link to the following datasheet in chinese:
http://www.ckscup.com/upload/CS32F103%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8C.pdf
I doubt that you will find a datasheet in english from that manufacturer.

[Just4Fun]

Giving a look at the number of pages it seems the complete datasheet.

Better in Chinese than nothing...  Great!

[b555b]

By the way this is not the only chinese manufacturer to have cloned the STM32, GigaDevice is an other one.
http://www.gigadevice.com/products/microcontrollers/gd32/arm-cortex-m3/
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-20PCS-LOT-in-stock-GD32F103C8T6-GD32F103-103C8T6-LQFP48/32856038709.html

These are even officially supported by Keil. Apparently as they have paid for the ARM Cortex M3 license and have developed their own registers compatible peripherals, ST has difficulties to find a way to sue them (and well, anyhow they are based in China...).

[Old_but_Alive]

if you just google "STM32 clone", you will find loads of info

https://smdprutser.nl/blog/stm32f103-vs-gd32f103/

[Just4Fun]

if you just google "STM32 clone", you will find loads of info...

Hi Old_but_Alive,
that one in your link is an other one "clone", the GD32F103. It is "well known" and different from the CS32F103...

In an other forum a member did a translation in English of the Chinese datasheet of the CS32F103 (that one posted by b555b) . See here.

[b555b]

With all these STM32 clones appearing, there is a high risk that low price STM32F103 chips that you can buy on Aliexpress are indeed clones with fake ST marking on them. Something similar to what happened with FTDI FT232 on Aliexpress.

[Just4Fun]

With all these STM32 clones appearing, there is a high risk that low price STM32F103 chips that you can buy on Aliexpress are indeed clones with fake ST marking on them. Something similar to what happened with FTDI FT232 on Aliexpress.

Yes for sure... there are already "around" fake re-labelled STM32F103C8 that instead are (probably) STM32F103C6... see here  

Posted on: 24 January 2019, 09:17:10 - Automerged
Anyway they seems usable when you use them as STM32F103C6 .... see here.

[bobcat1]

Hi

GigaDevice is not a clone but pin compatible product (form the outside) from the inside it different device although it use the same Cortex-M3 from ARM as a core.
(you can't teak a Giga device and run a program written for STM32F103 original and make it run without code change and adoption as it is a different tech from the inside )

All the best

Bobi

[Just4Fun]

On another forum I found interesting information on the CS32F103C8T6:

    Datahseet
    Reference Manual
    Eval Board User's Guide
    Eval Board Schematics
    LCD and Touch Panel driver
    Keil plugin

See here.

[h0nk]

Hello Just4Fun,

You should provide a good and short course of technical chinese also.
Otherwise the documents are only a vast amount of hieroglyphics.


Best Regards

[Just4Fun]

You should provide a good and short course of technical chinese also.

Ops... I forgot to mention that was Chinese only...  

Anyway the Eval Board Schematic is absolutely readable, so you can see that is better stay away from it... 

Also the examples with keil are readable.

For the rest... there is google translator... not the best but it helps to "survive"... after messing with CH34x, Chinese datasheets aren't too much scaring...

Best regards.

[Just4Fun]

Some new info...

on another forum an user made some tests.

STLink reports the same ID code 0x410 but reports 128k instead of 64k:

 STM32 STLink connection data:

Code:

12:41:19 : ST-LINK SN : 
12:41:19 : V2J27S6
12:41:19 : Connected via SWD.
12:41:19 : SWD Frequency = 4,0 MHz.
12:41:19 : Connection mode : Connect Under Reset.
12:41:19 : Debug in Low Power mode enabled.
12:41:19 : Device ID:0x410 
12:41:19 : Device flash Size : 64KBytes
12:41:19 : Device family :STM32F10xx Medium-density

CS32 STLink connection data:

Code:

12:58:02 : ST-LINK SN : 
12:58:02 : V2J27S6
12:58:02 : Connected via SWD.
12:58:02 : SWD Frequency = 4,0 MHz.
12:58:02 : Connection mode : Connect Under Reset.
12:58:02 : Debug in Low Power mode enabled.
12:58:02 : Device ID:0x410 
12:58:02 : Device flash Size : 128KBytes
12:58:02 : Device family :STM32F10xx Medium-density

The Serial UART (embedded) bootloader seems to work.

Best regards.