FreeRTOS provides deterministic task scheduling capabilities essential for time-critical embedded applications. When integrated with STM32F4-series microcontrollers running at 168MHz, the kernel manages multiple execution contexts through a preemptive priority-based scheduler.

Configuration begins within STM32CubeMX by enabling the middleware component. Navigate to the Middleware and Software Packs section, select FREERTOS, and set the interface to CMSIS-RTOS V2 or native FreeRTOS. Configure the system timer to use TIM6 instead of SysTick to avoid conflicts with HAL timebases. Set the heap allocation scheme to heap_4 for dynamic memory management.

The kernel requires initialization before creating application threads. Define task prototypes with distinct priorities and stack depths:

#include "FreeRTOS.h"
#include "task.h"

static void vHeartbeatIndicator(void *pvArg);
static void vDataAcquisition(void *pvArg);

static TaskHandle_t xBlinkHandle = NULL;
static TaskHandle_t xSensorHandle = NULL;

Within the main execution block, instantiate tasks using xTaskCreateStatic for deterministic memory placement or xTaskCreate for heap-based alloaction:

int main(void)
{
    HAL_Init();
    SystemClock_Config();
    
    xTaskCreate(vHeartbeatIndicator, "LED", 128, NULL, 2, &xBlinkHandle);
    xTaskCreate(vDataAcquisition, "ADC", 256, NULL, 3, &xSensorHandle);
    
    vTaskStartScheduler();
    
    for(;;);
}

Task implementations require infinite loops containing blocking operations to yield CPU time. The heartbeat task toggles GPIO pins at regular intervals using absolute delay functions:

static void vHeartbeatIndicator(void *pvArg)
{
    (void)pvArg;
    TickType_t xLastWakeTime = xTaskGetTickCount();
    
    for(;;)
    {
        HAL_GPIO_TogglePin(GPIOA, GPIO_PIN_5);
        vTaskDelayUntil(&xLastWakeTime, pdMS_TO_TICKS(500));
    }
}

The data acquisition task demonstrates higher priority execution with longer computational periods. It simulates sensor polling and uses relative delays:

static void vDataAcquisition(void *pvArg)
{
    (void)pvArg;
    uint32_t ulSampleCounter = 0;
    
    for(;;)
    {
        ulSampleCounter++;
        HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOD, GPIO_PIN_12, 
            (ulSampleCounter & 0x01) ? GPIO_PIN_SET : GPIO_PIN_RESET);
        vTaskDelay(pdMS_TO_TICKS(2000));
    }
}

Build the project using ARM Compiler 5 or 6 with optimization level -O2. Flash the binary to target memory via ST-Link debugger or DFU bootloader. Real-time behavior can be observed through GPIO toggling patterns or by configuring UART peripherals for trace output using SEGGER SystemView or similar tracing tools.

Priority inversion issues can be mitigated through careful mutex usage when shared resources exist between tasks of differing priorities. The kernel manages context switching automatically when higher priority tasks become ready, ensuring deterministic response times for critical operations.