Low Power Embedded

Low-power embedded

Contract

Inputs

• Target part and its power chapter (STM32 PWR, nRF POWER, or equivalent).
• Wake sources needed: pin edge, RTC alarm or wake-up timer, UART start bit, other.
• Allowed wake latency and whether RAM contents must survive.
• Current budget and the meter available (range and burden voltage).
• Whether an RTOS runs and owns the idle path.

Procedure

1. Pick the mode from the retention and wake-latency needs. Done when: the row chosen is the lowest-power row that keeps the state the design needs and wakes within the latency budget.

   Mode (STM32 naming)	CPU	Peripherals	SRAM	Wake source	Current
   Run	on	on	kept	none needed	highest
   Sleep	halted	on	kept	any enabled interrupt	medium
   Stop	halted	most clocks off	kept	EXTI, RTC, some UARTs	low
   Standby	off	off	lost except backup domain	wake-up pins, RTC	lowest

2. Enter Sleep with __WFI() after arming the wake source. Clear every pending interrupt first, because a pending interrupt makes WFI return at once. __WFE() wakes on events as well as interrupts. Done when: WFI returns only when the intended source fires.

   __disable_irq();
   /* arm the wake source: EXTI line, RTC alarm, ... */
   __enable_irq();
   __WFI();
   

3. Enter Stop on STM32F4 by clearing PDDS (deep sleep selects Stop, not Standby), optionally setting LPDS for the low-power regulator, clearing the wake-up flag, setting SLEEPDEEP, and executing WFI. Setting PDDS selects Standby and loses SRAM. After wake the core runs from HSI; re-run the clock configuration that enabled HSE and the PLL, then re-init peripherals whose clocks were stopped. Done when: the device wakes into Stop-exit code with SRAM intact and the system clock restored.

   #include "stm32f4xx.h"
   
   void enter_stop_mode(void)
   {
       PWR->CR  |= PWR_CR_CWUF;                /* clear the wake-up flag */
       PWR->CR  &= ~PWR_CR_PDDS;               /* deep sleep = Stop */
       PWR->CR  |= PWR_CR_LPDS;                /* regulator in low-power mode during Stop */
       SCB->SCR |= SCB_SCR_SLEEPDEEP_Msk;
       __WFI();
       SCB->SCR &= ~SCB_SCR_SLEEPDEEP_Msk;
       clock_config();                         /* the routine that turns HSE and PLL back on */
   }
   

4. Gate what stays on. Before sleeping: disable unused peripheral clocks in the RCC enable registers, stop ADC and DAC continuous modes, stop DMA streams, put UART and SPI in their idle or disabled state, and select the lowest regulator voltage scale the target clock allows (PWR_CR_VOS on STM32F4). Set unused pins to analog mode so no input buffer draws current. Done when: each item has been applied or recorded as needed for the wake path.

5. Configure the wake source for the mode. Done when: the source below is armed and its flag is clear.

   Source	Configuration
   Pin edge	EXTI line routed through SYSCFG->EXTICR, unmasked in IMR, edge in RTSR or FTSR, NVIC entry enabled
   RTC	Alarm or wake-up timer with its EXTI line and interrupt enabled
   UART	Start-bit or address-match wake from Stop on families whose USART lists it (STM32L4 for example); not available on every part
   Watchdog	Not a wake source; an expired IWDG resets the device

6. Coordinate with the RTOS when one runs. FreeRTOS tickless idle (configUSE_TICKLESS_IDLE) calls a port hook that executes WFI or a Stop entry; put the mode logic in that hook and nowhere else, so two owners never fight over the sleep decision. Done when: exactly one code path enters a low-power mode.

7. Measure, do not estimate. Put the meter in series with the MCU supply, disconnect the debugger (the debug port and DBGMCU low-power debug bits keep clocks alive), and record run current and sleep current with the same clock tree and firmware build. Use the DWT cycle counter to time the wake path. Done when: the two current figures and the wake latency are written down with meter range, supply voltage, and debugger state.

Failure and recovery

Output

A mode selection with its justification, the entry and exit sequence with the reference-manual bit names, the gating checklist, the wake-source configuration, the RTOS ownership rule when an RTOS runs, and the measured run and sleep currents with their conditions.