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8051 Tools Companies: Hardware and Software for the 8051

Beyond the 8051
To be able to use the 8051 effectively requires good tools. Elsewhere in this Guide, we discuss some of the free / Open Source tools available on the Internet as well as some of the lesser known tools that have been produced by very small companies, one man shops, and even hobbyists who simply love the architecture. But for practical, commercial designers, good commercial tools can be very useful. Time is money, and good tools can save you time. And they can also make your design work easier.

8051 Tools Vendors
Despite its age, there are still some major companies that actively support the 8051. Here are some pointers, plus tips to some of the niftier things available on the Web. One of the major 8051 tools vendors, of course is IAR of Sweden. Their main product is IAR Embedded Workbench for 8051 , which is an integrated development environment and optimizing C/C++ compiler for the 8051. The company hasn't gone very far at making Web commerce possible, but they do have an evaluation version of their product, here .

Another vendor very active in the 8051 space is Raisonance . Software tools include their highly optimized C compiler, an ASM51-like macro-assembler, a bank-switching linker, a post-link optimizer, a small footprint RTOS, a ROM monitor and an integral simulator. All software and hardware debugging tools are managed by the Raisonance integrated development environment (Ride7), which provides start-to-finish control of application development. (Details, here .) Don't miss the fact that they provide an RTOS (real-time operating system) for the 8051, KR-51 Real Time Operating System (RTOS).

One of the traditionally most important 8051 tools vendors has been Keil Software . The company, now owned by ARM , makes C compilers, macro assemblers, real-time kernels, debuggers, simulators, integrated environments, evaluation boards, and emulators for ARM7/ARM9/Cortex-M3, XC16x/C16x/ST10, 251, and 8051 MCU families. They claim that they remain committed to the 8051, but rumors and concerns exist that since they are now owned by ARM, their committment to the 8051 will wane over time. We can't say for certain, but we can say that the history of acquisitions does not speak favorably for Keil 's long term support of the 8051. It's something to consider when sourcing your commercial tools, for certain.

Another major tools vendor is Crossware Products . The company provides The Crossware 8051 Development Suite and has a decent Web store, via which you can make purchases over the Internet.

Among hardware tools vendors there are a couple that stand out. Signum Systems provides in-circuit emulators and debuggers for the 8051, for example. So does Phyton . Another is mikroElektronika , which also provides single board computers and development platforms. And still another is Frontline Electronics .

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