STM32F401 / STM32F411 Black Pill Development Board — STM32F401CCU6 STM32F411CEU6

STM32F401 / STM32F411 Black Pill Development Board — STM32F401CCU6 / STM32F411CEU6

Compact "Black Pill" STM32 dev board. Fast Cortex-M4 MCU(s) with FPU, great for real-time projects, audio, sensors, robotics and compact IoT nodes. Choose STM32F401CCU6 or STM32F411CEU6 variants — check product photos / SKU.

Cortex-M4 (FPU) USB / ST-Link / Serial Compatible: Arduino Core for STM32, PlatformIO, STM32Cube Board: Black Pill

Why choose this board?

Powerful, low-cost Cortex-M4 development board for embedded projects
Small form-factor — great for compact prototypes & wearables
Supports Arduino Core for STM32, STM32CubeMX/HAL and PlatformIO
Works with ST-Link (external) or USB DFU/bootloader depending on variant

Specifications

MCU Options	STM32F401CCU6 (Cortex-M4, 84 MHz) or STM32F411CEU6 (Cortex-M4, 100 MHz) — variant dependent
Core	ARM Cortex-M4 with FPU
Flash & RAM	Depends on MCU variant (e.g. 128KB+ flash typical; check exact MCU datasheet)
Interface	USB (micro or Type-C depending on board), UART (Tx/Rx), SWD / ST-Link (external)
GPIO	Multiple GPIOs, ADC, DAC (variant dependent), SPI, I2C, USART, TIMs
Operating Voltage	3.3V
Form Factor	Black Pill standard

Item Specifics

Brand	Unbranded / Generic
Model	Black Pill — STM32F401 / STM32F411
MPN	Does Not Apply
Microcontroller	STM32F401CCU6 or STM32F411CEU6
Condition	New
Compatible With	Arduino IDE (STM32 core), PlatformIO, STM32CubeMX/HAL
Country/Region of Manufacture	China

Wiring & Flashing Notes

USB: Many Black Pill boards provide USB for power and serial. Check if your board has an on-board USB-to-serial or requires an external ST-Link for flashing.
ST-Link / SWD: For reliable programming/debugging use an ST-Link v2 (connect to SWD / SWCLK / SWDIO / GND / 3.3V).
Bootloader / DFU: Some boards support USB DFU or serial bootloading. To use serial bootloader you may need to set BOOT0 high on reset — consult photos / silk.
Power: 3.3V logic — do NOT apply 5V to MCU pins.

Tip: If you plan to use Arduino Core for STM32, install the STM32 boards package in the Arduino Boards Manager or use PlatformIO for easier multi-platform builds.

ST-Link / SWD Wiring & Flashing — Step-by-Step

These instructions show two safe ways to flash your Black Pill board: 1) ST-Link (SWD) — recommended, and 2) Serial / system bootloader (BOOT0) — fallback. Use ST-Link if available (fast, full debugging). Always power the board at 3.3V and never apply 5V to MCU pins.

A — Wiring: ST-Link V2 → Black Pill (SWD)

Typical ST-Link V2 pin names (adapt to your ST-Link clone): SWDIO, SWCLK, GND, 3.3V, NRST (optional).

ST-Link Pin	Black Pill / STM32 Pin
3.3V (VTARGET)	3.3V (Board VCC) — power target or verify external power
GND	GND
SWDIO	PA13 (SWDIO) on STM32 — labelled SWDIO on many Black Pill headers
SWCLK	PA14 (SWCLK) on STM32 — labelled SWCLK on many Black Pill headers
NRST (optional)	NRST (Reset) — allows programmer to reset MCU during flashing

Notes: some Black Pill clones expose a 4- or 6-pin SWD header — match labels. If your ST-Link supplies power, you can power the board from ST-Link’s 3.3V; otherwise power the board separately but keep grounds common.

B — Flashing with STM32CubeProgrammer (GUI)

Wire ST-Link as above and connect ST-Link to your PC via USB.
Power the target board: either enable ST-Link target power (VTARGET) or supply the board externally (3.3V). Confirm GND common.
Open STM32CubeProgrammer (download from ST if you don't have it).
Click Connect → choose ST-LINK. The tool should show the connected device and device ID.
Optional: Click Read Out Protection or check device info to confirm correct MCU (F401 / F411).
Under Erasing & Programming, select your firmware file (BIN or HEX) and click Program. Enable Verify if you want.
When programming finishes, click Run or reset the board — target will start executing the new firmware.

GUI tip: if the programmer fails to connect, double-check wiring (SWDIO / SWCLK / GND / 3.3V) and that BOOT0 is 0 (board boots from flash).

C — Flashing with STM32CubeProgrammer (CLI examples)

Example CLI commands (replace firmware.bin with your file):

STM32_Programmer_CLI -c port=SWD -w firmware.bin 0x08000000 -v

This connects via SWD, writes the binary at flash address 0x08000000, and verifies it. Use the full path to STM32_Programmer_CLI if it's not in your PATH.

D — PlatformIO / Arduino: upload via ST-Link

In platformio.ini, set the upload protocol: upload_protocol = stlink (and the correct board). Example:

[env:blackpill_f401]
platform = ststm32
board = blackpill_f401
framework = arduino
upload_protocol = stlink

Then run pio run -t upload to build and flash via your connected ST-Link.

E — Fallback: Serial / System Bootloader (BOOT0) — use when no ST-Link

STM32 MCUs include a factory system bootloader that can accept firmware via UART. This method requires toggling BOOT0 pin to enter the system bootloader and a serial flasher (STM32CubeProgrammer or stm32flash).

Locate BOOT0 pin on your board (often labelled BOOT0 or jumper pad).
Put BOOT0 = 1 (connect BOOT0 to 3.3V) — this forces the MCU to boot from system memory on reset.
Reset the board (toggle NRST or power cycle). MCU enters system bootloader and listens on UART (commonly USART1/USART2 depending on MCU/board).
Connect USB-to-UART adapter to the appropriate UART pins (TX/RX). Match the board TX↔adapter RX and RX↔adapter TX. Set GND common.
Open STM32CubeProgrammer and choose UART / Serial connection (select COM port and baud rate — 115200 is typical; check tool auto detect).
Connect, then use the Erasing & Programming tab to upload your BIN file to 0x08000000. Click Start Programming.
After programming, set BOOT0 = 0 (tie to GND), reset the board — it will boot your flashed firmware from flash memory.

Notes about serial bootloader: the exact UART (USART1/2) and baud supported varies by MCU and board wiring — if STM32CubeProgrammer cannot connect, consult your board pinout or use ST-Link instead.

F — DFU / USB Boot (if supported)

Some Black Pill variants with a USB connection and DFU support can be flashed using DFU mode — this depends on MCU variant and board wiring. If your board supports USB DFU:

Set BOOT0 = 1 and reset to enter the built-in DFU (if supported).
Use dfu-util or STM32CubeProgrammer (USB) to upload firmware.
Return BOOT0 = 0 and reset after upload.

Important: USB DFU availability depends on MCU & board — ST-Link remains the most reliable method.

G — Common Troubleshooting

Programmer cannot connect: check wiring (VTARGET, GND, SWDIO, SWCLK), ensure BOOT0 = 0 for normal flash access.
Device ID not recognized: verify correct MCU variant (F401 vs F411) and power supply voltage (3.3V).
Stuck in bootloader after flashing: ensure BOOT0 is returned to 0 and reset the board.
Using external 3.3V power: always share common ground with ST-Link.

Safety & Final Notes:

Avoid 5V on MCU pins — Black Pill logic is 3.3V.
If unsure, use ST-Link to avoid manual BOOT0 fiddling.
Keep a copy of your working firmware and note the exact board variant to avoid flashing the wrong device.

Example Code — Arduino Core (Blink)

Click to expand — Arduino sketch (works with STM32 Arduino core)

// Blink example for STM32 (Black Pill)
// Select correct board & MCU in Arduino IDE / PlatformIO

const int LED_PIN = LED_BUILTIN; // often defined; otherwise use a known pin such as PC13

void setup() {
  pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH);
  delay(250);
  digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);
  delay(250);
}

Notes: In Arduino IDE choose the proper board package (STM32 boards by stm32duino or STMicro electronics core). LED_BUILTIN pin varies by board — check silkscreen or map to PC13/PA5 as appropriate.

Example Code — PlatformIO (Basic Serial & ADC)

Click to expand — PlatformIO (main.cpp)

// PlatformIO main.cpp example for STM32
#include <Arduino.h>

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) { delay(10); }
  Serial.println("STM32 Black Pill ready");
  pinMode(PC13, OUTPUT); // example LED pin (adjust per board)
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(PC13, HIGH);
  delay(500);
  digitalWrite(PC13, LOW);
  delay(500);
  int analogValue = analogRead(A0); // confirm ADC pin mapping for your board
  Serial.printf("ADC: %d\n", analogValue);
}

Notes: PlatformIO makes it easy to select the exact MCU (board = blackpill_f401 or similar). Check `platformio.ini` for framework and board settings.

Possible Uses

Real-time sensor hubs & data acquisition
Motor control, robotics & BLDC controllers
Audio DSP / fast sampling projects using FPU
Wearables & compact embedded devices
Prototyping with STM32CubeMX + HAL or Arduino/PlatformIO

What’s Included

1 × Black Pill development board

Shipping & Returns

Ships from UK. International shipping available via eBay Global Shipping Programme. 30-day returns accepted.