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help newbe with 8051 uC

Know any good compilers and a good book? I'ld like to learn to program
8051s. I've gotten an 8051 eval board from PJRC, but I'm just a newbe.
I've been doing C++ in MSVC for years and played with Basic Stamp
modules, but now onto 8051's. I'm looking for a compiler and a good
book. PJRC says to use SDCC, but a DOS window is kinda yukie. I've
used MicroChips MPLAB IDE for their robotic controller built around an
8520(?) but it doesn't target the 8253 in my eval board.
 
P

Pooh Bear

Jan 1, 1970
0
Know any good compilers and a good book?

Yes but it'll be tricky to find a copy of PL/M 51 now. Intel's microcontroller
handbook of 1983 ? was a good source of info for 805x family btw.

Graham
 
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Luhan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Know any good compilers and a good book? I'ld like to learn to program
8051s. I've gotten an 8051 eval board from PJRC, but I'm just a newbe.
I've been doing C++ in MSVC for years and played with Basic Stamp
modules, but now onto 8051's. I'm looking for a compiler and a good
book. PJRC says to use SDCC, but a DOS window is kinda yukie. I've
used MicroChips MPLAB IDE for their robotic controller built around an
8520(?) but it doesn't target the 8253 in my eval board.

Intel 8051, a blast from the past! These parts still have a following.
You need to Google around a bit to see what people are using to
program them lately.

I used to program them, wrote my own assembler, designed my own
programmer. When PICs came allong, I completely jumped ship. There
are very few advantages to using the Intel parts these days. Since I
have a lot of experience with both parts, I would highly recomend
learning the PIC instead. Its a learning curve either way, neither is
easier to learn, but the PIC runs circles around the 8051.

Luhan
 
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Luhan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Luhan said:
Intel 8051, a blast from the past! These parts still have a following.
You need to Google around a bit to see what people are using to
program them lately.

I used to program them, wrote my own assembler, designed my own
programmer. When PICs came allong, I completely jumped ship. There
are very few advantages to using the Intel parts these days. Since I
have a lot of experience with both parts, I would highly recomend
learning the PIC instead. Its a learning curve either way, neither is
easier to learn, but the PIC runs circles around the 8051.

Luhan

Ooops, should have included this link....

http://members.cox.net/berniekm/

Luhan
 
S

Spehro Pefhany

Jan 1, 1970
0
Know any good compilers and a good book? I'ld like to learn to program
8051s. I've gotten an 8051 eval board from PJRC, but I'm just a newbe.
I've been doing C++ in MSVC for years and played with Basic Stamp
modules, but now onto 8051's. I'm looking for a compiler and a good
book. PJRC says to use SDCC, but a DOS window is kinda yukie.

Well, I don't use SDCC, but sounds like you're confusing the compiler
with an IDE. Probably you can use SDCC with Ultraedit or Eclipse or
whatever so you need not spend much time looking at the yucky window.

The best compiler for the 8051 platform is Keil, but it's not cheap.
You may be able to get a code-limited version that will help you get
started (I got one bundled with some moderately expensive realtime
emulator hardware).
I've
used MicroChips MPLAB IDE for their robotic controller built around an
8520(?) but it doesn't target the 8253 in my eval board.

By 8520, I assume you mean PIC18F8520. The MPLAB IDE targets *all* the
Microchip line, but I think you're talking about a special version of
Hitech C which is limited to one particular chip for target for
robotics hobbyists. The latter is a DOS-based C compiler that can be
integrated fairly tightly (if you ignore stuff like -fakelocal) with
the MPLAB IDE. You can always program any of Microchip's line in
assembler using MPLAB, which is free.

The number 8253 suggests an ancient NMOS programmable counter-timer
chip, but I assume you're talking about an Atmel AT89S825, which is a
quite a decent, if a bit slow, modern and economical 80C51 derivative.

The 8051 is still a *very* popular microcontroller architecture, with
dozens of manufacturers supplying parts from ones compatible with the
original 8031/8051 to 100 MIPS single-cycle parts. New parts are being
introduced continuously. You can find 8051 cores in SOC designs, with
24 bit ADCs, with DACs and so on, more variety than any other micro.
You can even get one rated to operate at 225°C (typical life of 1 year
operating at 300°C).

I suggest you check out 8052.com and download the Intel manual for the
MCS-51, which has an extremely well-written description of how things
work.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
 
I

Ian Bell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Luhan wrote:

I would highly recomend
learning the PIC instead. Its a learning curve either way, neither is
easier to learn, but the PIC runs circles around the 8051.

Don't listen to him. 8051s are REAL microcontrollers, not toys like the PIC.

Ian
 
I

Ian Bell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Know any good compilers and a good book? I'ld like to learn to program
8051s. I've gotten an 8051 eval board from PJRC, but I'm just a newbe.
I've been doing C++ in MSVC for years and played with Basic Stamp
modules, but now onto 8051's. I'm looking for a compiler and a good
book. PJRC says to use SDCC, but a DOS window is kinda yukie. I've
used MicroChips MPLAB IDE for their robotic controller built around an
8520(?) but it doesn't target the 8253 in my eval board.

The most popular C compiler is probably the one by Keil (keil,com). I would
suggest you go to 8052.com and sign up for the message board. There are
several hundred of us 8052 developers there. Plenty of tutorial material
there too.

Ian
 
I

Ian Bell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Pooh said:
Yes but it'll be tricky to find a copy of PL/M 51 now. Intel's
microcontroller handbook of 1983 ? was a good source of info for 805x
family btw.

Graham

The 8051 'Bible' is still available from Intel's web site.

Ian
 
F

Frank Bemelman

Jan 1, 1970
0
introduced continuously. You can find 8051 cores in SOC designs, with
24 bit ADCs, with DACs and so on, more variety than any other micro.
You can even get one rated to operate at 225°C (typical life of 1 year
operating at 300°C).

300°C -> what kind of solder do I need for that...
 
Whoa, what did I get into?!?! Thanks to everyone, let me digest these
comments.
Yes, the MPLAB PIC is a robotic controller. ( I help in a school
robotics club, FIRST Robotics)
 
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Luhan

Jan 1, 1970
0
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Luhan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ian said:
Luhan wrote:

I would highly recomend

Don't listen to him. 8051s are REAL microcontrollers, not toys like the PIC.

Notice that this response appears to come from someone to young to work
legally.

To be fair, my experience with the Intel parts is quite out of date.
Still it is worth doing some looking around at both what a micro can do
and what kind of support exists for it. Then, of course, maybe you
just like one better than the other.

Look for advice here, but make up your own mind.

Good luck,
Luhan
 
R

Rich Grise

Jan 1, 1970
0
Notice that this response appears to come from someone to young to work
legally.

To be fair, my experience with the Intel parts is quite out of date.
Still it is worth doing some looking around at both what a micro can do
and what kind of support exists for it. Then, of course, maybe you
just like one better than the other.

Look for advice here, but make up your own mind.

I've used an 8035, which is an 8051 with no ROM; it needs an external
program memory, where I used a 2716 or so; the timer was kind of a PITA
but I dug in because it was essentially a PWM task (driving Futaba
servos). Another time, I used an 8048 to operate a little 2K FIFO ram,
back when FIFO chips were so expensive it was worth it to have a weenie
like me slap together a uP-controlled FIFO.

Then, I got a gig where I used the 68HC11. I fell in love. Naturally,
that beautiful Motorola architecture seems to have gone the way of the
passenger pigeon. Sigh.

Thanks!
Rich
 
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