STM32F746IEK6 - 216MHz Cortex-M7 512KB Flash MCU | STMicro
MPN: STM32F746IEK6 ✓ ActiveSTM32F746IEK6 Overview
A microcontroller is a single integrated circuit that contains a CPU core, embedded Flash and RAM memory, and a set of dedicated peripherals such as timers, UARTs, SPI, I2C, ADC/DAC and DMA controllers. The STM32F746IEK6 belongs to the STM32F7 high-performance line, sitting above general-purpose STM32F1/F4 devices in the ST hierarchy of embedded MCU -> 32-bit Arm Cortex-M MCU -> high-performance microcontroller -> power management and connectivity ecosystem. It is aimed at industrial control, IoT endpoints, embedded automation, motor control, metering and low-power board designs.
Key differentiators include the 216 MHz Cortex-M7 core with double-precision FPU capability on the F7 family, the Chrom-ART / Art Accelerator for hardware-accelerated 2D graphics and JPEG decoding, up to 512 KB of Flash for complex firmware and assets, and a rich set of high-speed interfaces including SDRAM support for external memory expansion when display framebuffers exceed internal RAM. Multiple low-power modes support battery and always-on designs, while the 176-ball UFBGA land pattern enables very compact PCB footprints for space-constrained modules.
Architecturally, the Cortex-M7 core uses a Harvard-style bus matrix with an instruction cache and data cache, and ST's ART Accelerator caches frequently executed instructions in flash to reduce cycle penalties. The presence of an L1 cache and hardware accelerator is what separates the STM32F746 from earlier STM32F4 parts, making it noticeably faster on peripheral-heavy and graphics workloads while retaining the familiar STM32 ecosystem and CubeMX toolchain.
Typical applications include industrial HMI panels with TFT displays, motor control and servo drive units, building and energy metering equipment, connected IoT gateways, and audio/DSP front-ends. Because the package is 10 x 10 mm UFBGA, the design must be assembled on a multilayer PCB with fine-pitch balls and X-ray inspection recommended.
When designing with this part, verify the ball map and land pattern against the 176-UFBGA mechanical drawing and confirm the SDIO, SDRAM and LTDC pin assignments before committing to a layout. Also budget decoupling capacitors and a clean 3.3 V analog supply region, since the high-speed SDRAM and graphics paths are sensitive to supply ripple.
This page consolidates distributor pricing as of 2026-10-30, pin-compatible drop-in alternatives from the same STM32F7 family, and practical layout and thermal guidance that is not repeated in the manufacturer datasheet, giving procurement and design teams one reference for the STM32F746IEK6.
Drop-in alternatives for STM32F746IEK6 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with STM32F746IEK6 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Flash Memory, Mounting Type, RoHS Status.
STM32F746IGK6
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs UnverifiedContact for price
View Datasheet →STM32F745IEK6
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
STM32F745IGK6
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs UnverifiedContact for price
View Datasheet →STM32F767IGK6
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs UnverifiedContact for price
View Datasheet →STM32F750IEK6
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
STM32F746IEK6 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | STMicroelectronics |
| Product Line | STM32F7 series high-performance line |
| Core | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU |
| Bit Width | 32-bit |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 216 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 512 KB (512K x 8) |
| Package | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) |
| Pin Count | 176 |
| Supply Voltage Options | 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V |
| DSP Support | Yes (DSP instructions, high-performance & DSP with FPU) |
| Graphics Accelerator | Art Accelerator (hardware-accelerated 2D and JPEG) |
| Cache | L1 cache |
| External Memory Support | SDRAM |
| Display Support | TFT / LCD controller |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (UFBGA) |
| RoHS Status | unknown |
| REACH Status | unknown |
STM32F746IEK6 176-ufbga (10 x 10 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for STM32F746IEK6 (176-ufbga (10 x 10 mm) package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for STM32F746IEK6.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
STM32F746IEK6 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial HMI with TFT Display, Motor Control and Servo Drive, Energy Metering and Smart Grid Terminal, Connected IoT Gateway and Edge Node, Audio and DSP Front-End, Embedded Automation and Robotics Controller.
Industrial HMI with TFT Display
The STM32F746IEK6 is built for graphical operator panels because it combines a 216 MHz Arm Cortex-M7 core with the LCD-TFT controller and the hardware Art Accelerator that offloads 2D drawing and JPEG decoding from the CPU. In a typical panel, the MCU drives an external SDRAM buffer for a 480 x 272 or 800 x 480 RGB framebuffer while the Cortex-M7 core handles touch-screen conditioning, keypad input and the supervisory logic that drives the fieldbus. The advantage over a generic Cortex-M4 is measurable: the Art Accelerator and L1 cache remove the per-pixel fill cost that would otherwise consume the frame budget. The trade-off is layout complexity, because the 176-UFBGA ball array forces a multilayer board with routed SDRAM traces and a solid ground plane under the package.
Recommended
Motor Control and Servo Drive
For field-oriented motor control, the STM32F746IEK6 offers the combination of a 216 MHz Cortex-M7 with FPU and DSP instructions, fast ADCs and advanced timer blocks that determines the achievable control-loop bandwidth. The single-precision FPU means the inverse Park and Clarke transforms run without a software floating-point penalty, and the ART Accelerator plus L1 cache keep interrupt latency predictable when the PWM counters update at tens of kilohertz. It is commonly paired with external gate drivers and current-sense amplifiers, with the MCU performing the current loop and a companion processor handling fieldbus messaging. Compared with a Cortex-M4 such as the STM32F407 class, the faster core shortens the computation dead time and leaves headroom for observers and fault handling.
Recommended
Energy Metering and Smart Grid Terminal
The STM32F746IEK6 fits metering gateways where accurate measurement coexists with a rich communications stack. Its 216 MHz Cortex-M7 core processes three-phase energy calculations, RMS and power-factor algorithms, and harmonic analysis in real time, while the large 512 KB Flash stores calibration tables, firmware and metering algorithms that would overflow a smaller MCU. Low-power sleep modes combined with the option to run the core from a 1.8 V or 2.5 V rail help meet the standby-current targets of utility meters. The device is also used for smart-panel and DIN-rail data concentrators that add an Ethernet or cellular link, where the STM32 ecosystem provides certified TCP/IP stacks through STM32Cube.
Recommended
Connected IoT Gateway and Edge Node
As an edge node, the STM32F746IEK6 consolidates protocol translation, local analytics and a user interface in a single device. Its 216 MHz Cortex-M7 handles TLS record processing and MQTT message handling with enough headroom to run local rule evaluation on sensor streams, while the 176-UFBGA footprint keeps the board small enough for DIN-rail or panel-mount enclosures. Multiple high-speed serial peripherals allow simultaneous links such as Ethernet PHY, a radio module and an SD card for local logging, with DMA handling the bulk transfers. Compared with a low-end Cortex-M0+ node, the STM32F746IEK6 removes the need for a separate host processor, though the 10 x 10 mm BGA land pattern requires fine-pitch assembly capability in volume manufacturing.
Recommended
Audio and DSP Front-End
Audio-centric products benefit from the DSP instruction set and floating-point unit inside the STM32F746IEK6, which accelerates FFT, FIR filtering and biquad cascades used in active speakers, microphone arrays and hearing-aid style signal conditioning. The high core frequency allows multiple channels of audio to be processed alongside control logic without a dedicated DSP, and the ample Flash removes the need for external program memory in multi-algorithm devices. The Cortex-M7's L1 cache and ART Accelerator keep instruction fetches from dominating the cycle budget during streaming from a DMA-fed audio peripheral. In practice this class of design pairs the MCU with a codec such as an I2S interface, and care is needed because the fine-pitch UFBGA package constrains thermal spreading for sustained high-clock operation.
Recommended
Embedded Automation and Robotics Controller
Machine controllers and robot nodes use the STM32F746IEK6 when they must combine deterministic real-time control with a graphical diagnostics screen. The 216 MHz Cortex-M7 executes motion loops and PID algorithms while the Art Accelerator renders diagnostic plots and status pages locally, removing the need for a separate display host processor. Its high-speed UART, USB and SDIO peripherals let the controller host several fieldbus slaves plus a removable SD card for logging and firmware update, while the 512 KB Flash holds both the motion firmware and the UI resources. Compared with a Cortex-M4 based controller the STM32F746IEK6 offers more compute and flash headroom, at the cost of a more demanding BGA assembly process and a larger pin count to route on the board.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for STM32F746IEK6 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | STM32F746IGK6 | STM32F745IEK6 | STM32F745IGK6 | STM32F767IGK6 | STM32F750IEK6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) - same | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) - same | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) - same | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) - same | 176-UFBGA (10 x 10 mm) - same |
| Brand | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics |
| Core | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz | Arm Cortex-M7 with FPU, up to 216 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 512 KB (512K x 8) | 1 MB | 512 KB (512K x 8) | 1 MB | 1 MB | 2 MB |
Key Differentiators
- Adds the LCD-TFT controller and enhanced Art Accelerator to the STM32F7 feature set (vs STM32F745IEK6)
- Direct Flash upgrade path on the identical land pattern (vs STM32F746IGK6)
- 216 MHz Cortex-M7 with FPU and DSP instructions for real-time control (vs STM32F429ZET6TR)
- External SDRAM interface plus TFT controller in a 10 x 10 mm 176-UFBGA package (vs STM32F767IGK6)
Design Notes
The STM32F746IEK6 uses a 176-ball UFBGA on a 10 x 10 mm land pattern, so the layout must be driven from the ST mechanical drawing rather than a generic BGA library. Reserve the full ball array with a 0.5 mm pitch escape strategy, and use a minimum four-layer stack-up with a solid ground plane directly under the device so the 216 MHz core and the SDRAM interface have a low-impedance return path. Place the bulk and 100 nF decoupling capacitors on the same side as the device, immediately adjacent to their supply and ground balls, and keep the SDRAM data and address traces length-matched. Expect to plan for X-ray inspection after reflow.
Estimated thermal budget for a 3.3 V rail design: if the internal core rail is 1.2 V and the average core current is 120 mA, the dynamic core dissipation is approximately 1.2 V x 0.12 A = 0.144 W, and the I/O dissipation adds roughly 3.3 V x 0.05 A = 0.165 W for a 50 mA I/O load, for about 0.31 W total. That figure is well inside the capability of a 10 x 10 mm BGA with a full copper pour, but SDRAM refresh and continuous LTDC activity can raise it, so check the worst-case ambient of your enclosure rather than the 25 C lab condition. Note that the input supply current, not the load current, drives the regulator dissipation upstream.
The SDRAM interface and the LTDC pixel clock are the two most sensitive nets on this design. Route the SDRAM clock as a length-matched pair with a series damping resistor near the driver, keep the LCD data bus on a dedicated layer with continuous reference planes, and add an LC or ferrite-filtered branch for the analog supply group feeding the ADC and DAC. The L1 cache and ART Accelerator make the core fast, but they do not tolerate a noisy or inductively-coupled supply, so keep switching regulators and their inductors physically separated from the MCU and SDRAM area on the same board.
Two errors account for most STM32F746 build problems: assuming a 100-pin or 144-pin STM32F7 footprint will work (it will not - the ball map is entirely different), and forgetting that this 10 x 10 mm BGA needs a thermal-via field or a continuous ground pour under the array to dissipate core heat. Also note that replacing the STM32F746IEK6 with the STM32F745IEK6 is electrically safe on the same board but removes the LCD-TFT controller and JPEG hardware decode, so confirm your display code does not depend on those blocks before accepting that substitution.
Compliance Information
No explicit RoHS, REACH, lead-free or AEC-Q100 statements were present in the distributor listings and search snippets reviewed on 2026-10-30, so these fields are marked unknown rather than assumed. The STM32F746IEK6 is an industrial/consumer-grade part and is not an AEC-Q100 qualified automotive variant.
