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STM32 Driver Development: Build Drivers & Control Dino Game

Name: STM32 Driver Development: Build Drivers & Control Dino Game
Rating: 4.8 (23 reviews)

Build GPIO, USART and Timer drivers from scratch, then use your STM32 board to control the Chrome Dino Game.

Created byEmbedded Coding

Last updated 9/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Master bare-metal driver development for essential peripherals like GPIO, USART/UART, Timer (Output Compare and PWM)— no HAL, no magic, just full control
Learn to decode technical reference manuals and extract register-level details — a skill transferable across any microcontroller family, not just STM32
Think like an embedded engineer: debug, build, and solve real problems
Control a real Dino Game using your own embedded drivers
Understand microcontroller architecture: buses, block diagrams, and how the CPU talks to peripherals
Implement interrupt-driven programming for GPIOs, USART, and Timers
Unlock creative thinking by exploring how embedded systems can power games — not just LEDs and sensors
Gain confidence in debugging techniques using breakpoints, register watch view to troubleshoot
Get a developer mindset: instead of relying on libraries, you'll build your own tools — understanding what’s happening at the lowest level
Organize your code clearly with proper structure, comment and separation

Course content

19 sections • 156 lectures • 8h 39m total length

WATCHME3:09
Like a README, you will know the amazing things you will get from this course
How the Dino Game and STM32 work together2:02

What is this section about?0:33
STM32F407 DISC board introduction - What do we have on this board?3:41
Know what board will be used in this course and its components
Required document4:27
What document we need to write drivers and how to download them?
Required software1:38
What software needed for development environment
Install Keil uVision 51:46
How to install Keil uVision 5 - where we will build, download software and debug code
Install VSCode1:26
How to install VSCode - a powerful code editor in our course. We will mainly using it to write code.
Install STLink driver1:32
How to install STLink driver - a driver to communicate with programmer and debugger
Install Git1:07
How to install Git - A must-know version control tool that helps us save our work safely!
Download Hercules1:01
Download and run Hercules - Tool to communicate with USART on the board
Pack installation2:59
Install supported package for the board on Keil uVision 5
Git init0:58
Initialize git for the project
Hello world6:49
"Hello World" project to test the installation and environment setup
First commit4:26
Show you basic Git commands
Volatile keyword5:57
Show the importance of the "Volatile" keyword through examples
Volatile commit and code compare between commits2:15
Commit "Volatile" code and show you how to switch between commits

What is this section about?1:02
MCU block diagram4:55
Overview architecture of the MCU - Where you can see how processor connects to peripherals through buses
Data bus connection example0:50
Examples of how the processor writes data to or reads data from peripherals
Simplified MCU block diagram2:16
A simplified version of the MCU architecture that gives a better view of how everything connects inside the MCU.
Bus matrix3:56
Bus matrix – an interconnect that directs data between masters and target slaves
MCU clock system4:55
The clock system in the MCU that provides the timing for it to operate.
Memory map5:06
The memory map provides addresses for all components in the MCU, so the processor knows exactly where to access data.
Section Quiz

What do we have in GPIO sections?1:00
Explore gpio basics on stm32 f4 mcu. Read the reference manual for gpio registers and code a driver to led control, read a button, and generate dyno game's jump signal.
What is GPIO?2:27
General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) – a simple yet powerful peripheral for beginners to write their very first embedded driver from scratch.
Output buffer1:00
Inside the output buffer
Input buffer0:53
Inside the input buffer
Input floating1:48
Input buffer behavior when there is no external connection
Input pull-up/pull-down3:15
Input buffer behavior with pull-up/pull-down resistors
Output push-pull and Output open drain2:55
Output buffer behavior in different configurations
Output speed2:16
How quickly the output buffer changes its signal levels
Section Quiz

GPIO in STM32F4070:55
How GPIO in STM32F407 looks like
Input configuration in the MCU2:24
How input configuration works in the MCU
Output configuration in the MCU1:10
How output configuration works in the MCU
Alternate function configuration in the MCU1:14
How a GPIO pin configured in alternate function mode works
Analog configuration in the MCU0:59
How a GPIO pin configured in analog mode works
Section Quiz

Best way to approach this section0:32
Some notes that show you how to learn this section affectively
GPIO registers3:24
An overview of all registers in a GPIO peripheral
GPIO pin mode register7:30
A register that you can use to configure GPIO pin mode like input, output, alternate function or analog mode
GPIO output type register1:00
A register that you can use to configure the output type like push-pull or open-drain
GPIO pull-up/pull-down register0:51
A register that you can use to enable or disable pull-up/pull-down register
GPIO output speed register0:47
A register that you can use to set the output speed
GPIO input data register1:00
A register that you can read input data (0 or 1) of GPIO pins
GPIO output data register0:37
A register that you can use to set output data (0 or 1) of GPIO pins
GPIO bit set/reset register0:51
A register that you can use to set output data of a specific output pin
GPIO port lock configuration register1:52
You can use this register to lock all configuration registers from modifying
GPIO alternate function registers5:54
A couple of registers that you can use to set the alternate function for a GPIO pin
Section Quiz

How to learn this section effectively?0:27
Engage in a hands-on section that guides you through writing the first gpio driver line by line with explained steps. Pause and implement your code alongside the instructor.
How to access GPIO registers by using Struct2:50
How to use structure in C to access a set of registers of a peripheral
Define GPIO register definition struct4:54
Define a GPIO register definition struct to access GPIO registers
GPIO base address definition4:23
Define base address of GPIO ports in the MCU
GPIO pin configuration struct3:03
Define GPIO pin configuration struct to store your GPIO setting before write it to the registers
Pin configuration macros5:58
Define macros for configuration values so your driver is readable
Function prototypes3:58
Define basic function prototypes that we will need to run the GPIO driver
GPIO_Init()4:37
Write a GPIO initialization function
GPIO_Init() (continued)6:36
Write a GPIO initialization function
GPIO_WritePin()1:28
Implement a function to write data (0 or 1) to a specific output pin
GPIO_WritePin() testing - Blink an LED4:46
Implement an application that blink an LED to test driver implementation
Enable GPIO clock2:27
Define RCC register definition struct to enable peripheral's clock
Define GPIO clock enable/disable macros and test application6:51
Define macros enable peripheral's clock and retest the driver
Reset and run configuration0:58
Configure the Keil so that you can download the code and it will be automatically run
Commit code3:41
Commit your first driver code
Control external LEDs0:44
Connect external leds to gpio pins with a resistor, configure and control them in code, and see a red led on PD 11 turns on when reset button is pressed.
GPIO_ReadPin()7:23
Implement a function to read data (0 or 1) from a specific GPIO input pin
GPIO_ReadPin() testing - Read user button state0:50
Implement an application to read the state of the User button and control the LED base on input values
Read external button's state1:13
GPIO_TogglePin()4:58
Implement a function to toggle the state of a GPIO output pin (0 to 1 or 1 to 0)
GPIO_TogglePin() testing- Press button to toggle an LED state3:26
Test the implementation of toggle pin function
Commit code and challenge1:05
Commit code and give you a coding challenge
GPIO challenge accepted!2:23
The answer of the challenge
GPIO_WritePinBit() and testing5:51
Implement a function to control the output value of a specific GPIO pin at bit level and test it
GPIO_LockConf()4:28
Implement a function to lock all configuration registers from modifying
GPIO_LockConf() testing - Lock GPIO configuration registers3:34
Test the implementation of the lock configuration function by locking the GPIO mode register
Comment your code!3:22
How to comment your code properly you that you will not forget what you have done in the next few months

Requirements

Basic knowledge of C programming language

Description

I started out as a beginner (or “snoop”), unsure where to start. Today, I confidently apply embedded knowledge in professional projects and take part in expert-level technical discussions. That’s why I know exactly which parts are confusing for beginners — and I’ve made it my mission to explain them simply and clearly.

Are you ready to stop relying on libraries and start writing your own embedded drivers from scratch?

This hands-on course is designed to teach you how to build essential embedded drivers — for GPIO, USART/UART, Timers — with no HAL, no abstraction, and no shortcuts. Whether you're a beginner or a self-taught enthusiast, this course will help you gain full control of the microcontroller by programming directly at the register level.

Instead of endless theory, we use a project-based learning approach. Throughout the course, you'll apply each driver you build to control a fun, interactive Dino game — a perfect way to instantly see the result of your code in action and stay motivated as you progress.

You don’t need any prior experience with low-level embedded programming. We’ll start from the very beginning: installing the necessary tools, setting up your environment, and writing your first embedded driver step-by-step.

To help you learn effectively, this course uses animations, graphs, and diagrams to break down complex ideas — instead of overwhelming you with text-heavy slides. I also use a live coding style throughout the course, so it’ll feel like you and I are sharing the same screen, learning side by side. You'll see exactly how I think, troubleshoot, and write real embedded code in action.

This course is carefully designed to be completed in around 8.5 hours, so you can finish it in one to two weeks — or even faster if you're a quick learner. You’ll walk away with practical skills, real project experience, and the confidence to build embedded systems without relying on pre-written libraries.

If you’re ready to take full control of embedded systems and actually see your code come to life, this course is for you.

Let’s build drivers — and make the Dino run!

Who this course is for:

Beginner embedded programmers - who want to move beyond blinking LEDs and start building real drivers from scratch
Engineering students - who want a practical, hands-on way to understand microcontroller peripherals
Developers tired of black-box libraries (like HAL) and ready to learn what’s really happening at the register level
Hobbyists and makers - looking to apply embedded knowledge to fun projects like controlling a Dino game.
Anyone interested in real-time embedded systems, interrupt handling, and low-level control.
Learners who enjoy project-based courses and want to build something fun while learning essential skills.

STM32 Driver Development: Build Drivers & Control Dino Game

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Course overview & Motivation2 lectures • 5min

Run the game4 lectures • 18min

Development environment setup15 lectures • 41min

Inside the MCU: Architecture, Bus system, Memory map and Clock7 lectures • 23min

GPIO deep dive: Input & Output8 lectures • 16min

GPIO in practice: MCU-level configuration5 lectures • 7min

Mastering GPIO registers11 lectures • 24min

Hands-On: Writing your first GPIO driver27 lectures • 1hr 36min

Understanding interrupts: Concepts & Use cases4 lectures • 10min

GPIO interrupt in the MCU3 lectures • 10min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: