Has anyone used a CS32F103C8T6 blue pill to run Onstep? 

On Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 02:39 PM, Keith Trivett wrote:

Has anyone used a CS32F103C8T6 blue pill to run Onstep? 

Yes.
Dave Schwartz tested it months ago and it works too.
I also tested one last week, and it works.

The ones I got were purchased Dec 2018, so before the crop of "64k flash only" chips that we
are seeing now. I had to solder over the R3 resistor to get it to flash, but once that is done,
they run fine.

What you purchase now may be 64k or 128k. Luck of the draw ...
Let us know if you get them and test them.

On Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 03:03 PM, Keith Trivett wrote:

I have a UK ebay seller that tests them for 128k before sending .

Ordered one to test myself .

That is great!
The only possible issue is what I mentioned: can't flash through serial.
It will flash over SWD (using an ST-Link V2 dongle), or you need to
make a solder bridge over the R3 resistor.

Thanks , will use ST-Link . 

On Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 03:24 PM, Keith Trivett wrote:

will use ST-Link . 

Only if flashing through the PCB's CP2102 fails.

On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 10:19 AM, George Cushing wrote:

CS and CKS are from the same maker. Dave Swartz has flashed thes with 3.1.6.

I verified that last week. Got a few from a friend, and they turned out to be 128k.
Runs exactly the same as ST chips.
And 4.x (master) runs fine.

They would not flash through serial, until the R3 resistor is solder over.
Alternatively, it can also be flashed over SWD.

I'm pretty sure that the CKS32F103's are licensed copies. It would be very bold for a known chip fabricator to illegally copy an OEM design. In fact, I think that the cost of setting up a chip fabrication plant to clone low-cost, low-margin products would not be a good use of capital.

I think the term 'cloners' refers to the small back-street shops that replicate the OEM's reference development module and it really doesn't matter if it is an STM or CKS chip that goes on it. There are lots of different looking development module boards out there trying to replicate the original because that's probably where the money is.