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AT89C51 Microcontroller

Pin Description

Pin Number

Pin Name

Description

1

P1.0

0th pin of PORT P1

2

P1.1

1st pin of PORT P1

3

P1.2

2nd pin of PORT P1

4

P1.3

3rd pin of PORT P1

5

P1.4

4th pin of PORT P1

6

P1.5

5th pin of PORT P1

7

P1.6

6th pin of PORT P1

8

P1.7

7th pin of PORT P1

9

RST

Reset pin of the Microcontroller

10

(RXD) P3.0

0th pin of PORT P3 or Receiver pin of Microcontroller

11

(TXD) P3.1

1st pin of PORT P3 or Transmitter pin of Microcontroller

12

(INT0) P3.2

2nd pin of PORT P3 or External Interrupt 0 of MCU

13

(INT1) P3.3

3rd pin of PORT P3 or External Interrupt 1 of MCU

14

(T0) P3.4

4th pin of PORT P3 or Timer 0 interrupt of MCU

15

(T1) P3.5

5th pin of PORT P3 or Timer 1 interrupt of MCU

16

(WR) P3.6

6th pin of PORT P3 or Write to External data memory pin

17

(RD) P3.7

7th pin of PORT P3 or Read from External data memory pin

18

XTAL2

External crystal pin 2 of Microcontroller

19

XTAL1

External crystal pin 1 of Microcontroller

20

GND

Ground pin of MCU

21

P2.0(A8)

0th pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 8 of MCU

22

P2.1(A9)

1st pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 9 of MCU

23

P2.2(A10)

2nd pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 10 of MCU

24

P2.3(A11)

3rd pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 11 of MCU

25

P2.4(A12)

4th pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 12 of MCU

26

P2.5(A13)

5th pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 13 of MCU

27

P2.6(A14)

6th pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 14 of MCU

28

P2.7(A15)

7th pin of PORT P2 or High-order Address bit 15 of MCU

29

PSEN

Program store enable pin, Read external program memory

30

ALE/PROG

Address Latch Enable/ Program Pulse input for flashing

31

EA/VPP

 Access Enable voltage/Program enable voltage

32

P0.7(AD7)

7th pin of PORT P0 or Low-order Address bit 7 of MCU

33

P0.6(AD6)

6th pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 6 of MCU

34

P0.5(AD5)

6th pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 5 of MCU

35

P0.4(AD4)

6th pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 4 of MCU

36

P0.3(AD3)

3rd pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 3 of MCU

37

P0.2(AD2)

2nd pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 2 of MCU

38

P0.1(AD1)

1st pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 1 of MCU

39

P0.0(AD0)

0th pin of PORT P0 or Low -order Address bit 0 of MCU

40

Vcc

Supply pin of MCU

 

Features

AT89C51 –Simplified Features

CPU

8-bit 8051

Number of  Pins

40

Operating Voltage (V)

2 to 5.5 V

Number of I/O pins

32

ADC Module

Nil

Timer/Counter Module

16-bit(2)

Comparators

Nil

DAC Module

Nil

Communication Peripherals

UART(1)

External Oscillator

3MHz to 24Mhz

Internal Oscillator

Yes

Program Memory Type

Flash

Program Memory (KB)

4K

RAM Bytes

128 × 8-bit

Data EEPROM

Nil

 

Note: The AT89C51 datasheet of the Microcontroller and more detailed Features can be found at the bottom of this page.

 

Other ATMEL MCU’s

AT89S52, ATtiny45, ATMega328P, ATMega8, ATMEga32, ATtiny88

 

AT89C51 Microcontroller

The AT89C51 is an age old 8-bit microcontroller from the Atmel family. It works with the popular 8051 architecture and hence is used by most beginners till date. It is a 40 pin IC package with 4Kb flash memory. It has four ports and all together provide 32 Programmable GPIO pins. It does not have in-built ADC module and supports only USART communication. Although it can be interfaced with external ADC IC like the ADC084 or the ADC0808.

The AT89C51 is no longer in production and Atmel does not support new design. Instead the new AT89S51 is recommended for new applications. But, since the AT89C51 has a strong community support if your motive is to learn embedded then AT89C51 can still be a good choice.

 

How to Program the AT89C51 (8051) Microcontroller

Atmel microcontroller can be programmed with different software's that is available in the market. Arduino, Keil uVision are the most used platforms to name a few. If you are planning on serious programming and expansion with community support then Keil is recommended.

In order to program the Atmel microcontroller we will need an IDE (Integrated Development Environment), where the programming takes place. A compiler, where our program gets converted into MCU readable form called HEX files. An IPE (Integrated Programming Environment), which is used to dump our hex file into our MCUs.

IDE: Keil uVision IDE

Programming Hardware: MAX232 with RS232 to USB converter

Programmer: USBASP

To dump or upload our code into Atmel IC we need a programmer, the most commonly used programmer is the USBASP which has to be purchased separately. Also simulating you program on software before trying it on hardware will save a lot of time. So you can use software like ISIS proteus from Labcenter to simulate your programs.

A 8051 (AT89C51) Programming circuit is shown below

AT89C51 Programming Circuit

 

Detailed Features

AT89C51 – Detailed Features

CPU

8-bit 8051 family

Architecture

8051

Program Memory Size (Kbytes)

4K Flash

RAM (bytes)

128

EEPROM/HEF

Nil

Pin Count

40

Max. CPU Speed (MHz)

24

Peripheral Pin select (PPS)

No

Internal Oscillator

No

No. Of comparators

2

No. Of Operational Amplifier

0

No. Of ADC channels

Nil

Max ADC Resolution (bits)

NA

ADC with Computation

No

Number of DAC Converter

0

Max DAC resolution

0

Internal Voltage Reference

NA

Zero Cross Detect

No

No. Of 8-bit timers

0

No. Of 16-bit Timers

2

Signal Measurement Timer

0

Hardware Limit Timer

0

No. Of PWM outputs

0

Max PWM resolution

NA

Angular Timer

No

Math Accelerator

No

No. Of UART module

1

No. Of SPI Module

0

No. Of I2C module

0

No. Of USB Module

0

Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT)

No

CRC/Scan

No

Numerically Controlled Oscillator

0

Cap. Touch Channels

NA

Segment LCD

0

Minimum Operating Temperature (*C)

-55

Maximum Operating Temperature (*C)

125

Minimum Operating Voltage (V)

4

Maximum Operating Voltage (V)

5.5

High Voltage Capable

No

 

How to select your Atmel Microcontroller

Microchip provides a vast variety of Microcontrollers from PIC family and Atmel Family. Their collection has just piled up after Microchip has acquired Atmel. Each MCU has its own advantage and disadvantage. There are many parameters that one has to consider before selecting a MCU for his/her project. The below points are just suggestions which might help one to select a MCU.

  • If you are a beginner who is learning Microcontroller then, selecting a MCU that has good online community support and wide applications will be a good choice. For Atmel AT89S52 or ATmega328 will be a good choice.
  • Consider the operating voltage of your system. If they are 5V then select a 5V MCU some sensors or devices work and communicate on 3.3V in such case a 3.3V MCU can be selected
  • If size and price is a limitation then you can choose small 8-pin MCUs like Attiny1614. These are also comparatively cheaper.
  • Based on the sensors and actuators used in your project, verify which modules you might need in for MCU. For example is you are reading many Analog voltages then make sure MCU has enough ADC channels and supportive resolution. The details of all modules are given in the table above.
  • If you project involves communication protocols like UART, SPI ,I2C, CAN etc make sure you MCU can support them. Some MCU can support more than one module of the same protocol

 

Applications

  • Multiple DIY Projects
  • Very good choice if you are learning ATmel
  • Projects requiring Multiple I/O interfaces and communications
  • Replacement for Arduino Module
  • Ideal for more advanced level A/D applications in automotive, industrial, appliances and consumer applications.

 

2D Model (PSDIP)

AT89C51 2d-model

Component Datasheet

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