Introduction
The DS80C320 microcontroller, by Dallas Semiconductor, is a
popular derivative of the industry-standard 8052 microcontroller.
The 80C320 offers all the functionality of a standard 8052 with a number of new features and enhancements. However, all the new features are provided in such a way that the vast majority of programs will require no modification. By simply replacing an existing 8052 microcontroller with the 80C320, the program will realize an automatic speed increase.
- High-Speed Architecture: The standard 8052 microcontroller requires
12 oscillator cycles for each instruction cycle. The 80C320 requires only 4. This means that,
given the exact same hardware design and crystal speed, dropping in an 80C320 will generally
increase performance by about 250%.
- Higher Oscillator Speeds Supported: The 80C320 may operate at up to 33 Mhz. Since it operates
at 4 cycles/instruction cycle instead of 12, this yields an efficiency as if a normal 8052 were
operating at about 82 megahertz.
- Uses Less Power for Equivalent Work: The 80C320 is more efficient. In addition to new
power-saving options, an 80C320 can accomplish the same work with less power.
Note: The statement "An 80C320 can accomplish the same work with less power" refers to the fact that, due to its high-speed architecture, the 80C320 runs a typical program about 3 times as fast as an 8051. Thus an 80320 running at 4Mhz would run the program at roughly the same speed as an 8051 at 12MHz. In this scenario, the 80320 would require less power and accomplish the same work.
- Dual Data Pointer: The 80C320 has two distinct "Data Pointers" (DPTRs).
This feature can be used to move data within memory almost twice as fast as using the single DPTR.
- Variable Length MOVX Command: The 80C320 may be configured to
perform MOVX commands to external memory either very quickly or very slowly. This allows you to
optimize the 80C320s performance to take advantage of fast external RAM, or to allow for slow
external RAM.
- Power Fail Reset: The 80C320 will automatically execute a
system reset upon recovering from a power failure condition. This requires no external hardware,
user interaction, or special programming.
- Watchdog Timer: This feature allows the 80C320 to automatically detect
if some condition has occured which has effectively crashed the programming running in the
microcontroller. If the Watchdog detects that the program has crashed, it automatically resets the
chip.
- Power Failure Warning: The 80C320 can be configured to detect
power failure conditions and to trigger an interrupt immediately prior to handling a power failure
condition.
- Dual Serial Ports: The 80C320 offers two full-featured serial ports
instead of the single serial port offered by the 8052. The additional serial port supports all the
features of the standard 8052 serial port.
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