@Nca78 I feared that might be the case. my task for today was to dig up my st-link and try that, though I hoped I might have done something wrong and the cp2102 can be used to program and not just debug.
That module is pretty cheap and from what I see with the naked eye, you can disconnect the cp2102 with the jumpers so the power consumption might actually be good enough to use as-is.
I'll report back to let you know once I've succeeded
@nagelc From what i've read on the forums, it seems pretty clear that if a pro mini was my choice i should go for the 3.3v variant, as the power draw is lower, its just that i then came up on the STM8/32 options and got thrown off. since i can enable the boost converter to 5V for the motor just when i need the motor, i think that offsets the benefits of using just 1 regulator to 5V for both the pro mini (5v variant) and the motor.
What im trying to do is mainly get it to work with the lowest possible current draw and most efficient power source so i dont have to replace/charge it every month. for example lithium is more energy dense than alkaline, but if the power conversion takes a lot more that kinda negates the benefits.
Thanks for sharing. How did you get low current while still checking messages frequently enough? Or do you only check for messages every hour or so?
@NeverDie I'm not sure the amount of customization each stm32 version/core requires, but my limited experience with the blue pill wasn't that bad in terms of finding support for basic interfaces.
In the end (IMO), community support is everything, and whether stm, notrdic, or a Chinese clone of one of those takes the main stage is up to how friendly the SDK is, and what gets ported quicker to arduino.