Foreword

Professor P N T Wells
CBE FRS FREng FMedSci
Distinguished Research Professor
Cardiff University
School of Engineering
United Kingdom

This is another book in the excellent series written by Xin Yang and his colleagues.It is a fully comprehensive review of the 8051 microcontroller.

Most readers will already know that a microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor, core memory and programmable input and output peripherals. They will also know that microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications. The 8051 microcontroller, which was first introduced in the 1980s, has become one of the key components in the modern era of digital electronics.

Microcontrollers are quite different from the microprocessors used in personal computers or for other general purpose applications. They are the central components of a vast range of devices and systems.They are used,for instance,for automation and in medical devices, remote controls, office machines,appliances, power tools and toys. Indeed, a thorough understanding of the operation of the microcontroller and familiarity with its associated circuitry and systems are basic skills for everyone who designs, constructs or maintains all kinds of digital electronic devices today.

This book sets out to provide this essential knowledge. After an overview of microcontrollers and a chapter for system designers, the book continues with in-depth coverage of systematic skills,software in system designs,input and output ports,seven-segment displays, display formations, the 8051 microcontroller, on-chip memories, microcontroller and addressing, the 8051 instruction set, signals to be processed, conversions between analog and digital signals, information displays, timers, serial communications, interrupts, external devices, and data storage.

Xin Yang and his colleagues have succeeded admirably in meeting their objectives in writing this book. It is concise and clear. There are numerous practical examples of the application of the 8051 microcontroller,drawn from a very wide range of fields including medical devices, signal processors, detectors and sensors, displays, clocks and a whole host of diverse instruments.

It is with very great pleasure that I recommend this new book to every electronic engineer who needs to have an up-to-date source of reference and practical guidance on the 8051 microcontroller. It contains "all you need to know" and is sure to be of very great value for many years to come.