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Hello:
An engineer friend of mine gifted me a Silicon Labs 8051 dev kit, model# C8051F930DK and from the datasheet and the included Keil compiler it looks to be a very promising kit however there is one problem.
I don't know anything about programming C. If you have any advice on getting started with programming for the 8051, or C programming in general, please post links or titles so I can start learning. I tried to look at the source code of the test application "Blinky" but I only succeeded in making my head hurt.
Admittedly I am fairly new to the microcontroller world as my first uC was a Parallax Basic Stamp which was very easy to program but not very "acceptable" in the industrial sense, i.e. it wasn't taken as a "professional" development platform. I am hoping that with this 8051, I can learn to code and work with the hardware more commonly to what is found in the real world (short of going PIC, although that's my next step) and add to my existing programming capability.
Thank you all in advance.
Matt.
I don't know anything about programming C. If you have any advice on getting started with programming for the 8051, or C programming in general, please post links or titles so I can start learning. 1) you do not say if you can program assembler, if you can that may be a way 2) DO NOT try to learn C on the micro, it is not a good platform for getting "into the groove" start on the PC there is a free Borland compiler and one good self study book of many would be Kochan: programming in ANSI C. Once you know C, THEN, and only then, start programming the micro in C
I am hoping that with this 8051, I can learn to code and work with the hardware more commonly to what is found in the real world (short of going PIC, although that's my next step) and add to my existing programming capability. why bother with the PIG, there are 100s of '51 derivatives from less than $1 to tens of $ depending on capability and speed. Anyhow the PIC is programmable in C as well (the PIC assembler is the very worst implementation of assembler I know of)
Erik
I second Erik's comments about first attempts at C on the PC.
Microsoft has a series of free compiliers called "Visual Studio Express". That is Visual C++ Express, Visual C# Express, Visual Basic Express, etc.
Don't worry about the C++. It's still a good C compiler.
You can find a good set of books and tutorials at http://www.wrox.com. The tutorials include e-learning and CD.
Also you can google for many C tutorials on the inet but get a good compilier for the PC for your first efforts. Also, get a good C reference manual such as the K&R or some equivalent. Good luck with your efforts. Bradford
Like the others say, learning the 'C' language is probably easiest on a PC.
Keil lists some books - both general and specific - here: http://www.keil.com/books
There's an online 'C' book here: publications.gbdirect.co.uk/.../