What is the Simulator and Emulator for 8051 Microcontroller

Simulator and Emulator of 8051 Microcontroller

The first microcontroller was introduced in the year 1980. It is a single chip, that includes many functions like RAM, CPU, ROM, input/output ports, serial communication and timers, etc. It has been used in a wide range of embedded systems and robotic projects. The 8051 is the most common microcontroller especially designed for robotics. The success of these microcontrollers spawned numeral clones that are mutually denoted with the MCS-51 family of microcontrollers.
These family microcontrollers includes chips from different vendors like Texas instruments, Philips, Atmel and Infineon. These chips are available in three basic sizes namely, short, standard and extended. The short & standard microcontrollers are often available in dual in-line package. Extended models often have a different form factor, and that are not drop-in-compatible. The programming of 8051 microcontroller can be done by using 8051 assembly language. This article discusses about the 8051 microcontroller simulator and emulator.

8051 Microcontroller Simulator and Emulator

The Simulator and emulators are the tools of 8051 microcontroller, that are used for debugging a program previous to its real board design and development. There are many simulators we have been using but Kiel and Franklin simulators are concerned with only software, and there is no involvement of hardware. The benefits of simulators mainly include control, configurability, repeatability, integration, manageability, isolation and scale

8051 Microcontroller Simulators

EdSim51 Simulator

EdSim51 is the most simple and popular simulator for 8051 microcontroller In fact, this simulator is a virtual microcontroller with DC, Keyboard, DAC, seven segment display and other peripherals are interfaced externally. This is particularly designed for students and it is very simple to use. Any student or beginner can learn this software quickly.

JSIM 51 Simulator

This kind of simulator is developed by the designer who got fed up with the simulators of 8051 microcontroller. This simulator is very popular and used across the world.

BiPom Simulator

This kind of simulator is very expensive, when we compared with other simulators.But the developers thought that to give away an evaluation version with free of cost. By using this tool anybody can write 500 lines of C source & 1000 lines of assembly code. This software is actually IDE for the windows OS.

Pinnacle Simulator

This type of simulator is used for 8051 microcontroller development and it is also expensive/. But the trial version of this software is available with free of cost. It is a microcontroller development environment for all types of microcontrollers, that uses the MCS5 simulator architecture, This tool is lightweight and used for only the windows OS

MIDE-IDE Simulator

This simulator is used for 8051 microcontroller from Opcube, with compiler, simulator and assembler. This simulator uses the SDCC free compiler and the free assembler which makes no code limit.

J51 Simulator

This simulator is based on JAVA, that includes an emulator integrated with a disassembler, SDCC symbol table and debugger, etc.

8051 Microcontroller Simulators

8051 Microcontroller Emulators

The main function of the emulator is, it duplicates the functions of one system using a different system. So that the second system works as the first system.This focus on particular reproduction of exterior behavior that is different to other forms of computer simulation, which can concern an abstract model of the system being simulated.

The emulator is used to interact with the 8051 microcontroller. The essential part of the emulator is EEPROM which is switched by RAM. When the new data is written in the RAM, it replaces the previous data. So the changing and modification of the program is very simple and that would be online.

8051 Microcontroller Emulator

The emulator of the microcontroller will interact with a PC through the parallel port. The 8051 microcontroller will be interfaced with the RAM and it works as an EPROM for the microcontroller kit.

The two main features of this such as single step and break point debugging are also added to this. The user may study the code step by step to eliminate errors and bugs in the code. Furthermore the GUI (Graphical User Interface) will be in visual basic so it can be designed more easy to use.

The registers of the 8051 microcontroller like SFRs, Accumulator, Ports, internal memory and buffer will be easy to get from the PC. For this, the serial port is used to communicate with the microcontroller

Features of Emulator

The features of the emulator are listed below.

• Understanding of Hex file format
• Check whether the data has burned to the RAM and the complete RAM may be read from the parallel port.
• In this emulator, there are two kinds of real time debugging are introduced to help the user. They are; one is single type and another one is a break point.
• In a single step debugging, the user may implement the code. But, in each step only one instruction is executed.
• In a breakpoint debugging, if the length of the code is long the user has one option to choose breakpoints at the location of where he wants to perform in one step.
• After every instruction execution, there will be an update of the internal memory window of the 8051 microcontroller using serial port
• Command buttons are used to read the contents of the timers, register banks, ports, internal memory, SFRS, which are provided in the menu bar.
• The user will know the execution of the breakpoints based on different color combinations.

Thus, this is all about the 8051 microcontroller simulator and emulator, features of the emulator. We hope that you have got a better understanding of this concept. Furthermore, any queries regarding this concept or free e-book on how to design your own microcontroller projects-Edgefxkits, please give your valuable suggestions by commenting in the comment section below.Here is a question for you, what is the application of 8051 microcontroller?

Photo Credits:

• 8051 Microcontroller Simulators circuitstoday
• 8051 Microcontroller Emulatorfrontline-electronics