Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!darwin.sura.net!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!iat.holonet.net!bsmall
From: bsmall@iat.holonet.net (Brad Smallridge)
Subject: Re: 8051 and 87C751 etc
Message-ID: <C4GIFH.2wD@iat.holonet.net>
Organization: HoloNet National Internet Access BBS: 510-704-1058/modem
References: <9303210515.AA22193@magnusug.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1993 18:09:16 GMT
Lines: 29

I've been using the 8051 for quite awhile but I'm starting to think of
moving on. About two years ago I started with the Dallas Semiconductor
DS5000, which is a 8051 instruction set microprocessor with a built in
lithium backed up RAM space. Very convenient. It also has a serial loaded
so you can avoid the EPROM burning cycle. 
 
It was nice for the project that I was doing at the time but not too great
for general robotics, mainly because of the lack of analog inputs. What is
the best 8 bit analog input right now anyway? It's also expensive, in the
$60 to $90 dollar range. I also aquired an Archimedes C package for the
device in exchange for an article. That was a great help. Although the
learning curve was difficult because of a lack of examples in there
manual, the package was quite flexible in allowing different data types to
be but in internal, external, no_init, and code spaces. 
 
What's next? Well I am too looking at those PIC's. I've got two samples of
the newer version with the 4 ADC ports. These could be nice for doing
small tasks around the robot like taking care of a sensor or a motor. In
the grand scheme though I keep looking to go back to the PC/XT computers.
Ampro Computer is supporting the PC104 bus consortium, a PC bus that's
been modified for embedded systems. PC/XT's are really cheap and the
software tools are excellent.
 
Hard to know what the next step should be. Anybody out there with solid
answers?
 
Brad Smallridge
bsmall@holonet.net

