diff --git a/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include b/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
index 3dfb330748..fb24d08ef1 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/stm32f4/Makefile.include
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 export CORTEX = cortex-m4
 
+# use hwtimer compatibility module
+USEMODULE += hwtimer_compat
+
 include $(RIOTCPU)/Makefile.include.cortex_common
diff --git a/cpu/stm32f4/hwtimer_arch.c b/cpu/stm32f4/hwtimer_arch.c
deleted file mode 100644
index d2ac531d5e..0000000000
--- a/cpu/stm32f4/hwtimer_arch.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright (C) 2014 Freie Universität Berlin
- *
- * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser General
- * Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level directory for more
- * details.
- */
-
-/**
- * @ingroup     cpu_stm32f4
- * @{
- *
- * @file
- * @brief       Implementation of the kernels hwtimer interface
- *
- * @author      Hauke Petersen <hauke.petersen@fu-berlin.de>
- *
- * @}
- */
-
-#include "arch/hwtimer_arch.h"
-#include "board.h"
-#include "periph/timer.h"
-#include "thread.h"
-
-/**
- * @brief Callback function that is given to the low-level timer
- *
- * @param[in] channel   the channel of the low-level timer that was triggered
- */
-void irq_handler(int channel);
-
-/**
- * @brief Hold a reference to the hwtimer callback
- */
-void (*timeout_handler)(int);
-
-void hwtimer_arch_init(void (*handler)(int), uint32_t fcpu)
-{
-    timeout_handler = handler;
-    timer_init(HW_TIMER, 1, &irq_handler);
-}
-
-void hwtimer_arch_enable_interrupt(void)
-{
-    timer_irq_enable(HW_TIMER);
-}
-
-void hwtimer_arch_disable_interrupt(void)
-{
-    timer_irq_disable(HW_TIMER);
-}
-
-void hwtimer_arch_set(unsigned long offset, short timer)
-{
-    timer_set(HW_TIMER, timer, offset);
-}
-
-void hwtimer_arch_set_absolute(unsigned long value, short timer)
-{
-    timer_set_absolute(HW_TIMER, timer, value);
-}
-
-void hwtimer_arch_unset(short timer)
-{
-    timer_clear(HW_TIMER, timer);
-}
-
-unsigned long hwtimer_arch_now(void)
-{
-    return timer_read(HW_TIMER);
-}
-
-void irq_handler(int channel)
-{
-    timeout_handler((short)(channel));
-}