STM32 FreeRTOS Config Without CMSIS

Many guides explain how to use FreeRTOS in STM32 projects without using the CMSIS wrapper library, but I still want to write one more.

At first

• Download FreeRTOS source code from https://www.freertos.org
  I downloaded FreeRTOS 202112.00
• Create a new STM32Cube project
• Don’t configure FreeRTOS with STM32Cube. This guide aims to add the FreeRTOS lib to the project manually. This way CMSIS-RTOS wrapper lib will not be used.
  

Adding FreeRTOS lib to the project

• Add a new source folder “ThirdParty” to the project in STM32Cube.
• With file explorer, create a folder “FreeRTOS” inside “ThirdParty”.
• Copy the files of the “source” folder in FreeRTOS source code to “FreeRTOS” folder in the project.
  

• Some of the files are unnecessary and can be removed from the project.
  • delete “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/.gitmodules”
  • delete all subfolders of “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/portable” except “GCC” and “MemMang”
  • delete all subfolders of “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/portable/GCC” except the target processor.
    For example “STM32F407G-DISC1” board has “STM32F407VG” mcu. This mcu has “Cortex M4” processor. So the folder “ARM_CM4F” can be used.
• Memory manager should be selected.
  • delete all files in “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/portable/MemMang” except the one that will be used.
  • This link explains how memory managers work. https://freertos.org/a00111.html
  • STM32Cube provides a memory manager. And because a new manager will be used from FreeRTOS, the former should be removed from the project.
    delete or “exclude from project” the file “Src/sysmem.c”

Project explorer will look like in STM32Cube

• The path of the added codes needs to be known by STM32Cube.
  • Right Click Project > Properties > C/C++ Build > Settings > Tool Settings > MCU GCC Compiler > Include paths
    Add relative path “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS”
    Add relative path “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/include”
    Add relative path “ThirdParty/FreeRTOS/portable/GCC/<target_processor_folder>”
• FreeRTOSConfig.h is needed to configure the FreeRTOS kernel. It might be copied from other projects and modified. Detailed info can be found in the link.
  

Configuring STM32Cube Settings

• In Device Configuration Tool (.ioc) > System Core > NVIC > Code Generation
  uncheck “Generate IRQ Handler” for “Time base: System tick timer”
  uncheck “Generate IRQ Handler” for “Pendable Request for system service”
  uncheck “Generate IRQ Handler” for “System Service call via SWI instruction”
• In Device Configuration Tool (.ioc) > System Core > NVIC
  select Priority Group “4 bits for preemption, 0 bit for subpriority”
• In Device Configuration Tool (.ioc) > System Core > SYS
  select Timebase source other than “Systick”