72 MHz Cortex-M3 with 64 KB Flash — the workhorse MCU for motor control and USB-connected designs
The 48-LQFP package (7x7 mm) is hand-solderable and widely supported by breakout boards and the STM32Cube ecosystem, so firmware bring-up is straightforward with SWD debug.
Memory sizing and peripheral fit for the BOM line
64 KB Flash and 20 KB SRAM handle moderate firmware images and data buffers — enough for a CANopen stack with a few hundred bytes of runtime variables, or a USB HID class with a 1 KB report descriptor. The 37 GPIOs are enough to drive a 16x2 character LCD plus a rotary encoder and a few sensors without an external port expander. CANbus and USB share the same bus, so a single part can bridge a CAN network to a USB host for data logging or firmware updates.
