Introduction to

8051
Microcontroller

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 Introduction to
Microprocessors

Introduction

Welcome to the ever advancing world of modern technology. Drones, autonomous cars,
smart phones, RFID sensors, augmented reality, your favourite shopping website… are
just the beginning! Soon, you will be the reason to add more entries to the above list,
hopefully!

The main driving force behind all these inventions is the “Microprocessor” (µP).
Having had its modest beginning in the erstwhile 8085, microprocessors have come a
long way in the past four decades.

A Microcontroller (µC) is simply a Microprocessor (µP) along with the memory

subsystem and I/O components, all built on a single chip.
So what does this Microcontroller actually do? Why do we need to learn it? And most
importantly, after completing our education how will this knowledge be useful to us?

Where do we use a µC?

A μC is used in any device that runs on a program. In our day to day lives we come
across several devices and appliances. If you feel any of them works on a program, you
should most certainly realize, it must contain a μC or a μP.

Take a microwave as an example. The μC inside is running programs that are

responsible for rotating the dish, maintaining the correct temperature, counting the
desired number of seconds, displaying the time remaining on the screen, and finally
ringing the alarm (ding!) informing us that the cooking is complete.
And who writes the programs? The engineer, yes that’s us! It is this combination of the
engineer’s mind and the μC’s execution abilities that has made modern technology take
big leaps forward.

It must be clear to you by now, that a μP alone cannot form a computer. We need
Memory and I/O as well.

Consider an Air Conditioner remote control as an example. It is clear that the remote
works on programs, that are needed to identify the button we press, send appropriate
signal wirelessly to the A/C unit, display the appropriate information on the LCD screen
of the remote, etc.
 Introduction to
Microprocessors

To execute these programs, it requires an internal processor. To store these programs,

it most certainly requires memory. Now what form of memory do you think stores the
programs in the remote controller, RAM or ROM?

Yes you are right! Programs will be stored in ROM due to its non-volatile nature. Had
they been stored in RAM and we remove the batteries (power supply), the programs
would have been lost and the remote control would never work agarin even after
inserting the batteries. Hence, we certainly need internal ROM.

Do we need RAM in a remote controller? Yes, to store data. Now what is data in a
remote controller? The cooling temperature, the fan speed etc. All of this is changeable
data and is given by the user at runtime. This means it must be stored in a writeable
form of memory. That is RAM. So the remote controller certainly needs internal RAM.

Do we need I/O components? Yes, we need an input port to connect with the keypad.
We need an output port to connect with the LCD display on the remote controller. And
of course we do need an output port to send wireless signals to the A/C unit. Some
remote controllers also provide timer functions to show the current time as well as keep
an auto sleep timer to shut the A/C after a certain period. This is achieved by an internal
timer unit.

So lets summarise the compenents we need:

A processor to run the programs
ROM to store the programs
RAM to store the data
I/O ports to handle I/O devices
Timer section for time related functions

If we use a microprocessor for this task, we would have to connect external RAM, ROM,
I/O ports, Timers etc to it and make a huge circuit out of it. That kind of lavish space is
available on the motherboard of a computer, not in small appliances.
Here what we would wish for is a compact chaip which somehow contains all our
requirements. That is a microcontroller.

A μC has internal processor, RAM, ROM, I/O ports, Timers, interrupts, Serial port etc…
all built on a single chip.
 Introduction to
Microprocessors

The most obvious advantage of using a μC is the tremendous space advantage. As all
components are present internally it practically provides a one chip solution to all our
tech requirements.

This not only makes the system very compact an easy to construct, it also reduces the
power consumption, increases the reliability, makes operations faster and reduces the
overall cost of the system development and maintenance.

8051 | Salient Features

A Microcontroller is a complete computer system built on a single chip. It contains all

components like Processor (CPU), RAM, ROM, Serial port, Parallel port, Interrupt logic,
Timers etc.. on chip.

8051 is an 8-bit Microcontroller, it has an 8 bit ALU.

This means all arithmetic and logic operations are of 8 bits.

8051 has an 8-bit data bus, so all external Data Transfers will be of 8-bits in one cycle.

It has internal ROM of 4KB used for storing programs.

It has internal RAM of 128 bytes used for storing data.

Since program memory (ROM) and data memory (RAM) are separate, 8051 follows
Harvard Model. In contrast, Processors based on Von Neumann Model store programs
and data in a common memory space.

There are 4, 8bit, bidirectional I/O ports for interfacing external devices like keyboards,
displays etc. These ports can also be used for their alternate functions like multiplexed
address data buses and control signals.

It has a serial port for long distance communication.

The serial port can perform synchronous and asynchronous transfers.

8051 has two, 16bit Timers, which act as ‘up’ counters.

They are used to produce hardware delays and for counting external events.
 Introduction to
Microprocessors

There are 5 interrupts, operating at two priority levels.

8051 has two power saving modes called “Idle mode” and “Power Down mode”.

In addition to internal memory, up to 64 KB of external RAM and External ROM can be

connected, as per user requirement. The figure 64 KB is due to the 16-bit address bus.

8051 is a 40-pin IC and typically operates at 12 MHz frequency.

 Introduction to
Microprocessors

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