Cooperation between ST and MicroControl –

CANFD Driver Implementation on the new STM32C5 MCU

Implementing a CAN FD driver for the latest STM32C5 microcontroller series was remarkably straightforward, requiring only approximately two days of development time – primarily dedicated to thoroughly reading and understanding the new MCU’s reference manual and internals. The extensive documentation provided by ST made the adaptation process exceptionally fast and efficient, with clear register descriptions and configuration guidelines..

The STM32C5’s superior performance compared to the STM32C0 series becomes evident when implementing CANFD protocols, particularly in MicroControl’s CANopenFD Master stack operations. The enhanced performance due to larger RAM capacity and higher clock speeds available on the C5 series, facilitates more robust handling of complex CANFD message processing and arbitration schemes.

A notable advantage of the STM32C5 is its ability to utilize the advanced clock tree, which allows precise tuning of the CAN bus interface clock to 40 MHz – which is exactly the optimum frequency recommended by Bosch for CAN FD peripheral’s block operations.

This clocking capability ensures reliable communication at high data rates while maintaining compliance with industry standards, making the STM32C5 an excellent choice for demanding CANFD applications requiring both performance and precision.

The project was carried out as part of the ST Partner Program to showcase an application that utilises MicroControl’s CANopen Master protocol stack on ST’s new STM32C5 controller, and was presented at the ST stand during embedded world 2026.