LCSC.com an electronic part distributor for the pros

LCSC.com is an Asian based electronic components distributor that offers the user the possibility to get most electronics parts they are looking for a single project. LCSC.com distributes over 200,000 products ranging from semiconductors to resistors, capacitors, diodes, inductors, connectors, transistors, sensors, and many more. This huge availability of parts make it an one-stop shop for your various electronic projects. This way you will not have to collect your parts from the various distributors online.

The website is clean and clear and everything is almost straight forward. For the relative newbie, it might be a little tricky to navigate the website as it is more tailored for the bulk or professional users. The search function is powerful and returns the exact components you are looking for in a results page that help you make your final decision as easy as possible. The search results are narrowed down using the build in filters and this help you to choose quickly the parts you need.

A quick search of “Arduino Uno” doesn’t return any results making it seems the site isn’t meant for the complete newbies or those looking for hobby only parts. Having used Digilent or Mouser for parts purchases in the past, I must say that the two sites share some similar resemblance, especially in the ways the products are being displayed and filtered. It seems that LCSC builds their website with the customer in mind and for easy navigation.

International shipping is supported through several third-party agencies, and PayPal payment is possible as well as other credit-card based payment.

LCSC.com also purchased EasyEDA back in 2017, the online easy and powerful to use PCB design tool to offer streamlined design services for PCB users using the EasyEDA platform.

LCSC.com offers both International manufacturer’s parts as well as Asian brands and in this post, we will take a look on some part examples and their alternatives as sold on LCSC.com website.

GigaDevice GD32F103C8T6 microcontroller

The GD32F103C8T6 is a 32-bit microcontroller from GigaDevice which is based on the ARM®Cortex™-M3 processor using the RISC core. It operates at 108 MHz frequency with Flash access, provides up to 3MB on-chip flash memory and up to 96KB SRAM memory.

It comes with two APB buses enabling support of significant of I/Os and peripherals connections. It comes with three 12-bits ADCs, up to two 12bit DACs, a whopping ten general-purpose 16-bit timers, two basic timers plus two PWM advanced-control timer, as well as standard and advanced communication interfaces: up to three SPIs, two I2Cs, three USARTs, two UARTs, two I2Ss, an USB 2.0 FS, a CAN and a SDIO. The power supply is between 2.6 to 3.6 DC and comes with a range of power-saving modes. The 32-bit microcontroller is available for purchase on LCSC.com for about $1.5 per piece and about $1 for over 30 units. More information is available on the product page.

STMicroelectronics STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller

The STM32F103C8T6 is a 32-bit ARM®Cortex™-M3 processor which has been labeled as medium-density performance controllers capable of operating at a 72 MHz frequency with a flash memory of up to 128 Kbytes and SRAM up to 20 Kbytes. It comes with two APB buses as well offering up to two 12-bit ADCs, three general-purpose 16-bit timers plus one PWM timer, as well as standard and advanced communication interfaces (two I2Cs and SPIs, three USARTs, an USB and a CAN).

The power supply is between 2.6 to 3.6 DC, and it is able to withstand a temperature range between –40 to +105 °C. With an arsenal of power-saving mode, the controller is applicable for the design of low-power applications. The 32-bit microcontroller is available for purchase on LCSC.com for about $1.7 per piece and about $1.1 for over 30 units. More information is available on the product page.

Comparison between STM32F103C8T6 and GD32F103C8T6

Both microcontrollers have a similar structure and can easily be used to replace each other. Both based on the ARM® Cortex®-M3 family, the GD32F103C8T6 has a higher speed of 108MHz as compared to 72MHz STM32F103C8T6. The GigaDevice provides support for LCD, USB Host/OTG which the STMicroelectronics doesn’t. Nevertheless, STMicroelectronics STM32F103C8T6 controller comes with the support of 13 PWM pins as compared to the 2 of GigaDevice.

They both have a similar number of timers which include an advanced-control timer, three general-purpose timers, two watchdog timers, and a SysTick timer. Being pin-compatible and having the same memory size, you can easily replace each other. The GigaDevice GD32F103C8T6 controller cost about $0.1909 less than the STMicroelectronics controller with improved speed, a good alternative if you looking to save some cost.

GigaDevice GD32F103RCT6 microcontroller

The GD32F103RCT6 is a 32-bit general-purpose microcontroller based on the ARM®Cortex™-M3 RISC. With the Cortex™-M3 advertised as the next-generation processor core which is tightly coupled with a Nested Vectored Interrupt Controller (NVIC), SysTick timer and advanced debug support, the GD32F103xx family is the controller to own.

The processor core operates at 108 MHz frequency with Flash access, provides 3 MB on-chip Flash memory and up to 96 KB SRAM memory. With two APB buses enabling support of significant of I/Os and peripherals connections. It comes with three 12-bits ADCs, up to two 12bit DACs, a whopping ten general-purpose 16-bit timers, two basic timers plus two PWM advanced-control timer, as well as standard and advanced communication interfaces: up to three SPIs, two I2Cs, three USARTs, two UARTs, two I2Ss, an USB 2.0 FS, a CAN and a SDIO.

As compared to the GD32F103C8T6 LQFP48 pinouts, the GD32F103RCT6 is made up LQFP64 pinouts and offer more I/O pins which could justify its higher cost. The 32-bit microcontroller is available for purchase on LCSC.com for about $2.3 per piece and about $1.6 for over 30 units. More information is available on the product page.

STMicroelectronics STM32F103RCT6

Just like the STM32F103C8T6, the STM32F103RCT6 is a line of STMicroelectronics that incorporates the high-performance ARM® Cortex®-M3 32-bit RISC core operating at a 72 MHz frequency, high-speed embedded memories (Flash memory up to 512 Kbytes and SRAM up to 64 Kbytes), and an extensive range of enhanced I/Os and peripherals connected to two APB buses.

The STM32F103RCT6 shares similar traits with the STM32F103C8T6; a significant difference is the pinouts. STM32F103RCT6 is an LQFP-64 package while STM32F103C8T6 is an LQFP-48 package making the STM32F103RCT6 offers more I/O capability and potentially increased performance. The 32-bit microcontroller is available for purchase on LCSC.com for about $2.57 per piece and about $1.7 for over 30 units. More information is available on the product page.

Comparison between STM32F103RCT6 and GD32F103RCT6

Both microcontrollers have a similar structure and can easily be used to replace each other. Although both microcontrollers are based on ARM® Cortex®-M3 and have the same memory size, the GD32F103RCT6 has a higher speed which might give it an edge for real-time applications.

The GD32F103C8T6 supports USB Host/OTG which the STM32F103RCT6 doesn’t. The STM32F103RCT6 cost about $0.1819 more than the GigaDevice equivalent. Since both microcontrollers are pin-compatible, it is possible to easily replace STM32F103RCT6 with the GD32F103RCT6 controller for your application while saving cost and enhancing performance.

The above two pairs of microcontrollers are a simple example of how we can replace two popular STMicroelectronics mcus with the GigaDevice alternatives and have the same or even better characteristics for the same or lower price.

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