The Intel MCS-51, commonly known as the “8051”, is a single chip microcontroller which was developed by Intel in 1980 for use in embedded systems. This “system on chip” accommodates 128 bytes of RAM, 4Kbytes of ROM, 2 Timers, 1 Serial port, and four ports on a single chip.[1] The rise in popularity and success of the 8051 brought forth different versions of the microcontroller from other manufacturers (Intel permitted so). Its popularity remains to this day for it provides a marketable availability, ease-of-use, power efficiency, and integrated features such as USB and radio frequency. Not only is it important to examine the evolution of the 8051, but also take a look at the languages that go hand-in-hand with it. But first, start with the basics.
What makes an 8051? Intel’s MCS 51 is an 8-bit microcontroller and therefore its available operations are limited to 8 bits.[2] This however, does not limit the 8051’s efficiency. Among the specs mentioned above, a typical 8051 microcontroller’s CPU introduced a built in Boolean processor. This Boolean processor allows the reduction of code size through bit-level Boolean logic operations which are carried out on selected internal registers and selected RAM locations. Therefore, greater efficiency can be found in programs that deals with binary input and output conditions commonly found in digital-control problems. The four registers of the 8051 further improves efficiency by reducing the time which it takes to execute an interrupt. However, this is only the tip the iceberg. Since its inception the 8051 has had several modifications to newer models, branching out to many types or “device families” that contain it’s architecture.
There are many microcontrollers that contain the archite...
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...troller, the language one uses is totally dependent on the user and what they are trying to implement. If space is important to the application, then perhaps the code should be written in assembly language. If something that can be used across many devices is desired, then perhaps C is way to go. Or if one is Neo from the Matrix, machine code may be the only way to go to prevent bad people from stealing and using your program.
So what is in store for the future of the 8051? Many will argue that the 8051 has long reached the highest stage of its evolution. And they are probably right. But unless the human species suddenly sprout wings over night or develop telepathy and stop using modern applications and technology, it’s safe to bet that the 8051 and its variants will still be going strong for quite awhile. Hex, they’ll still be around when mankind colonizes space.
Tell us about a time you’ve used your strongest coding language. Please go into detail about how you used this technical language. If talking about a group project, be specific about your role in the final product. (Examples can include projects, coursework, competitions, websites, previous internships, etc.)
The machine has 16 general purpose 8-bit registers numbered 0 through F (in hexadecimal). Each register can be identified in an instruction by specifying the hexadecimal digit that represents its register number. Thus register 0 is identified by hexadecimal 0 and register 10 is identified by hexadecimal A.
In 1970, Intel got into the microprocessor business with Busicom, a Jap firm, as collaborators. During late 70s, Apple collaborated with Motorola for microprocessor purchases against Intel who had sim...
The Ada language is the result of the most extensive and most expensive language design effort ever undertaken. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) was concerned in the 1970¡¦s by the number of different programming languages being used for its projects, some of which were proprietary and/or obsolete. Up until 1974, half of the applications at the DoD were embedded systems. An embedded system is one where the computer hardware is embedded in the device it controls. More than 450 programming languages were used to implement different DoD projects, and none of them were standardized. As a result of this, software was rarely reused. For these reasons, the Army, Navy, and Air Force proposed to develop a high-level language for embedded systems (The Ada Programming Language). In 1975 the Higher Order Language Working Group (HOLWG) was formed with the intent of reducing this number by finding or creating a programming language generally suitable for the department's requirements.
Today, the world is changing fast in many ways, and the most rapid change that is seen within our society is technology. It is imperative that businesses stay on top of what is new and how they can better their company’s outlook by presenting their information in the fastest and most reliable ways. With the two major computer programming languages of today, C++ and Java, which is better for businesses to be able to acquire such speed and consistency?
Then came Linus Benedict Torvalds. At the time he was a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, his hobby also included computer programming. At 21 he found himself spending most of his time toying with computer systems, trying to see what he could do in order to push their limits and increase their functionality. The key missing in his tests was an operating system that had the flexibility craved for by professionals. MINIX was available, though it was still just a stu...
Watson, J. (2008). A history of computer operating systems (pp. 14-17). Ann Arbor, MI: Nimble Books.
Most programming languages—such as C, C++, and Fortran—use compilers, but some—such as BASIC and LISP—use interpreters. An interpreter analyzes and executes each line of source code one-by-one. Interpreters produce initial results faster than compilers, but the source code must be re-interpreted with every use and interpreted languages are usually not as sophisticated as compiled languages.
Many different types of programming languages are used to write programs for computers. The languages are called "codes". Some of the languages include C++, Visual Basic, Java, XML, Perl, HTML, and COBOL. Each of the languages differs from each other, and each is used for specific program jobs. HTML and JAVA are languages used to build web pages for the Internet. Perl and XML can produce codes that block students from getting on certain inappropriate web pages on their school server. One of the most prominent programming languages of the day would have to be C++.
Many developers must use two or more programming languages: a high-level language for the business logic and presentation layers (such as Visual C# or Visual Basic), and a query language to interact with the database (such as Transact-SQL, P-SQL).
Computers are very complex and have many different uses. This makes for a very complex system of parts that work together to do what the user wants from the computer. The purpose of this paper is to explain a few main components of the computer. The components covered are going to be system units, Motherboards, Central Processing Units, and Memory. Many people are not familiar with these terms and their meaning. These components are commonly mistaken for one and other.
We have the microprocessor to thank for all of our consumer electronic devices, because without them, our devices would be much larger. Microprocessors are the feat of generations of research and development. Microprocessors were invented in 1972 by Intel Corporation and have made it so that computers could shrink to the sizes we know today. Before, computers took a room because the transistors or vacuum tubes were individual components. Microprocessors unified the technology on one chip while reducing the costs. Microprocessor technology has been the most important revolution in the computer industry in the past forty years, as microprocessors have allowed our consumer electronics to exist.
Pascal programming language was designed in 1968, and published in 1970. It is a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring. Pascal was developed by Niklaus Wirth. The language was named in honor of the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. In 1641, Pascal created the first arithmetical machine. Some say it was the first computer. Wirth improved the instrument eight years later. In 1650, Pascal left geometry and physics, and started his focus towards religious studies. A generation of students used Pascal as an introduction language in undergraduate courses. Types of Pascal have also frequently been used for everything from research projects to PC games. Niklaus Wirth reports that a first attempt to merge it in Fortran in 1969 was unsuccessful because of Fortran's lack of complex data structures. The second attempt was developed in the Pascal language itself and was operational by mid-1970. A generation of students used Pascal as an introductory language in undergraduate courses. Pascal, in its original form, is a Procedural language and includes the traditional like control structures with reserved words such as IF, THEN, ELSE, WHILE, FOR, and so on. However, Pascal has many data structuring and other ideas which were not included in the original, like type definitions, records, pointers, enumerations, and sets. The earliest computers were programmed in machine code. This type of programming is time consuming and error prone, as well as very difficult to change and understand. Programming is a time-consuming a process. More advanced languages were developed to resolve this problem. High level languages include a set of instruction...
Software, such as programming languages and operating systems, makes the details of the hardware architecture invisible to the user. For example, computers that use the C programming language or a UNIX operating system may appear the same from the user's viewpoint, although they use different hardware architectures. When a computer carries out an instruction, it proceeds through five steps. First, the control unit retrieves the instruction from memory—for example, an instruction to add two numbers. Second, the control unit decodes the instructions into electronic signals that control the computer.
The computer has progressed in many ways, but the most important improvement is the speed and operating capabilities. It was only around 6 years ago when a 386 DX2 processor was the fastest and most powerful CPU in the market. This processor could do a plethora of small tasks and still not be working to hard. Around 2-3 years ago, the Pentium came out, paving the way for new and faster computers. Intel was the most proficient in this area and came out with a range of processors from 66 MHz-166 Mhz. These processors are also now starting to become obsolete. Todays computers come equipped with 400-600 Mhz processors that can multi-task at an alarming rate. Intel has just started the release phase of it’s new Pentium III-800MHz processor. Glenn Henry is