If you are going to invest more than a small amount of money, you have to decide what the tool is going to be used for. If you are just choosing the right compiler, pay attention to the following things:

You can use several programming languages for developing the applications based on x51, such as ASM, C, Pascal, Basic and so on. More than 50% of developers are still using the classical assembler language, but this is going to change. Today’s trend of the MCU programming is the use of higher programming languages such as C.

Protection against electrostatic discharge is rapidly increasing in importance. This article provides an overview about what ESD is, where does it come from, and how can you protect your circuits from it.

If you want to use DTMF in your application, or just want to know a little more about the tones your phone makes, you should read this article.

Have you ever tried to design an xtal oscillator, and it would not work? This article lists several common problems with xtals that you are likely to run into.

Excellent tool for testing cables. Although primarily targeted for network TP cables, it can test almost any cable or wiring installation. Complete schematics and firmware source code.

Very useful software for reading and writing 93Cxx, 24Cxx, and 24Wxx series EEPROMs. Needs only a very simple hardware, connects to parallel or serial port.

RD2 Kit is a simple and cheap development Kit for quick development of new applications and learning the C language. The Kit contains a T89c51RD2 microcontroller and basic peripherals.

EPROM Simulator is a very useful tool for any developer. Complete PCB, schematics, control software. Emulates a 32k/64k EPROM.

As a preface, I would like to say that HW server does not indend at all to 'criticise at every cost'. We do our own development, too, and we do understand that it is not that easy to design and document something. However, we think it necessary to inform our readers about fundamental faults and errors of electronics components that can cost a lot of time.