Modern Education Society's Wadia College of Engineering Pune

Dept. Electronics & Telecommunication

By:Dr. P. M. Bagul

MICROCONTROLLERS 8051
1. What is Microcontroller?
2. List out the differences between Microcontroller and Microprocessor.
3. How are Microcontrollers more suitable than Microprocessor for Real Time
Applications?
4. What are the General Features of Microcontroller?
5. Explain briefly the classification of Microcontroller.
6. Explain the general features of 8051 Microcontroller.
7. How many pin the 8051 has?
8. Differentiate between Program Memory and Data Memory.
9. What is the size of the Program and Data memory?
10. Write a note on internal RAM. What is the necessity of register banks? Explain.
11. How many address lines are required to address 4K of memory? Show the
necessary calculations.
12. What is the function of accumulator?
13. What are SFR’s? Explain briefly.
14. What is the program counter? What is its use?
15. What is the size of the PC?
16. What is a stack pointer (SP)?
17. What is the size of SP?
18. What is the PSW? And briefly describe the function of its fields.
19. What is the difference between PC and DPTR?
20. What is the difference between PC and SP?
21. What is ALE? Explain the functions of the ALE in 8051.
22. Describe the 8051 oscillator and clock.
23. What are the disadvantages of the ceramic resonator?
24. What is the function of the capacitors in the oscillator circuit?
25. Show with an example, how the time taken to execute an instruction can be
calculated.
26. What is the Data Pointer register? What is its use in the 8051?
27. Explain how the 8051 implement the Harvard Architecture?

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Dept. Electronics & Telecommunication

28. Explain briefly the difference between the Von Neumann and the Harvard
Architecture.
29. Describe in detail how the register banks are organized.
30. What are the bit addressable registers and what is the need?
31. What is the need for the general purpose RAM area?
32. Write a note on the Stack and the Stack Pointer.
33. Why should the stack be placed high in internal RAM?
34. Explain briefly how internal and external ROM gets accessed.
35. What are the different addressing modes supported by 8051 Microcontroller ?
36. Explain the Immediate Addressing Mode.
37. Explain the Register Addressing Mode.
38. Explain the Direct Addressing Mode.
39. Explain the Indirect Addressing Mode.
40. Explain in detail the Functional Classification of 8051 Instruction set
41. What are the instructions used to operate stack?
42. What are Accumulator specific transfer instructions?
43. What is the difference between INC and ADD instructions?
44. What is the difference between DEC and SUBB instructions?
45. What is the use of OV flag in MUL and DIV instructions?
46. What are single and two operand instructions?
47. Explain Unconditional and Conditional JMP and CALL instructions.
48. Explain the different types of RETURN instructions.
49. What is a software delay?
50. What are the factors to be considered while deciding a software delay?
51. What is a Machine cycle?
52. What is a State?
53. Explain the need for Hardware Timers and Counters?
54. Give a brief introduction on Timers/Counter.
55. What is the difference between Timer and Counter operation?
56. How many Timers are there in 8051?
57. What are the three functions of Timers?
58. What are the different modes of operation of timer/counter?
59. Give a brief introduction on the various Modes.
60. What is the count rate of timer operation?

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Dept. Electronics & Telecommunication

61. What is the difference between mode 0 and mode 1?

62. What is the difference Modes 0,1,2 and 3?
63. How do you differentiate between Timers and Counters?
64. Explain the function of the TMOD register and its various fields?
65. How do you control the timer/counter operation?
66. What is the function of TF0/TF1 bit
67. Explain the function of the TCON register and its various fields?
68. Explain how the Timer/Counter Interrupts work.
69. Explain how the 8051 counts using Timers and Counters.
70. Explain Counting operation in detail in the 8051.
71. Explain why there is limit to the maximum external frequency that can be counted.
72. What’s the benefit of the auto-reload mode?
73. Write a short note on Serial and Parallel communication and highlight their
advantages and disadvantages.
74. Explain Synchronous Serial Data Communication.
75. Explain Asynchronous Serial Data Communication.
76. Explain Simplex data transmission with examples.
77. Explain Half Duplex data transmission with examples.
78. Explain Full Duplex data transmission with examples.
79. What is Baud rate?
80. What is a Modem?
81. What are the various registers and pins in the 8051 required for Serial
communication? Explain briefly.
82. Explain SCON register and the various fields.
83. Explain serial communication in general (synchronous and asynchronous). Also
explain the use of the parity bit.
84. Explain the function of the PCON register during serial data communication.
85. How the Serial data interrupts are generated?
86. How is data transmitted serially in the 8051? Explain briefly.
87. How is data received serially in the 8051? Explain briefly.
88. What are the various modes of Serial Data Transmission? Explain each mode
briefly.
89. Explain with a timing diagram the shift register mode in the 8051.
90. What is the use of the serial communication mode 0 in the 8051?

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91. Explain in detail the Serial Data Mode 1 in the 8051.

92. Explain how the Baud rate is calculated for the Serial Data Mode 1.
93. How is the Baud rate for the Multiprocessor communication Mode calculated?
100. Explain in detail the Multiprocessor communication Mode in the 8051.
101. Explain the significance of the 9th bit in the Multiprocessor communication
Mode.
102. Explain the Serial data mode 3 in the 8051.
103. What are interrupts and how are they useful in Real Time Programming?
104. Briefly describe the Interrupt structure in the 8051.
105. Explain about vectored and non-vectored interrupts in general.
106. What are the five interrupts provided in the 8051?
107. What are the three registers that control and operate the interrupts in 8051?
108. Describe the Interrupt Enable (IE) special function register and its various
bits.
109. Describe the Interrupt Priority (IP) special function register and its need.
110. Explain in detail how the Timer Flag interrupts are generated.
111. Explain in detail how the Serial Flag interrupt is generated.
112. Explain in detail how the External Flag interrupts are generated.
113. What happens when a high logic is applied on the Reset pin?
114. Why the Reset interrupt is called a non-maskable interrupt?
115. Why do we require a reset pin?
116. How can you enable/disable some or all the interrupts?
117. Explain how interrupt priorities are set? And how interrupts that occur
simultaneously are handled.
118. What Events can trigger interrupts, and where do they go after getting
triggered?
119. What are the actions taken when an Interrupt Occurs?
110. What are Software generated interrupts and how are they generated?
111. What is RS232 and MAX232?
112. What is the function of RS and E pins in an LCD?
113. What is the use of R/W pin in an LCD?
114. What is the significance of DA instruction?
115. What is packed and unpacked BCD?
116. What is the difference between CY and OV flag?

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Dept. Electronics & Telecommunication

117. When will the OV flag be set?

118. What is an ASCII code?

Viva Questions
1. Upon reset, all ports of the 8051 are configured as (output, input).
2. Which ports of the 8051 have internal pull-up resistors?
3. Which ports of the 8051 require the connection of external pull-up resistors in order to
be used for I/O? Show the drawing for the connection.
4. In the 8051, explain why we must write "1" to a port in order for it to be used for input.
5. Explain why we need to buffer the switches used as input in order to avoid damaging
the 8051 port.
6. Indicate the direction of pins ALE, SC, EOC, and OE from the point of view of the
ADC808/809.
7. Give the steps for converting data and getting the data out of the ADC809. State the
status of the SC and EOC pins in each step.
8. Give the role of signals ALE, A, B, and C in selecting the ADC channel.
9. In the ADC809 assume that Vref is connected to 2.56 V. Find the following.
(a) step size
(b) maximum range for Vin
(c) D7 - D0 values if Vin = 1.2 V
(d) Vin if D7 - D0 = 11111111
(e) Vin if D7 - D0 = 10011100
10. In the ADC809 assume that Vref is connected to 5V. Find the following.
(a) step size
(b) maximum range for Vin
(c) D7 - D0 values if Vin = 2.7 V
(d) Vin if D7 - D0 = 11111111
(e) Vin if D7 – D0 = 11011101
11. In connecting ADC808/809 to an 8051, indicate the direction of pins ALE, SC, EOC,
and OE from the point of view of the 8051.
12. Define the following terminology in DAC.
(a) resolution
(b) full-scale voltage output
(c) settling time
13. For your circuit, find Vout for the following inputs.
(a) 11001100
(b) 10001111
14. To get a smaller step size, we need DAC with (more, less) data bit inputs.
15. In Figure 13-7 of the textbook, assume that R = 2.5 K ohms. Calculate Vout for the
following binary inputs.
(a) 11000010
(b) 01000001
(c) 00101100
(d) 11111111
16. Name all of the interrupts in the 8051 and their vector table addresses.
17. In timer mode 1, indicate when TF0 causes the interrupt.
18. In timer mode 2, indicate when TF0 causes the interrupt.
19. On reset, INT0 (and INT1) are (edge, level) triggered.
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Dept. Electronics & Telecommunication

20. On reset, which interrupt has the highest priority?

21. True or False. There is only a single interrupt for the serial data transfer
22. Give the following information for the ROM used in this experiment.
Capacity: Organization:
Number of address pins: Number data pins:
23. In the 8031/51, how do we make sure that program code is fetched from external
ROM?
24. What is the role of the PSEN pin in the 8031/51 connection to external ROM?
25. In connecting the 8031/51 to external ROM, explain the difference between the RD
and PSEN signals and where each one is used.
26. In connecting the 8031/51 to external ROM, explain the role of the following:
P0
P2
74LS373
27. What is the maximum external memory that can be connected to the 8031?
For code space:

For data space:

28. In connecting the 8031 to an external memory, only P2.0 - P2.5 are used. What is the
size of this external memory?
29. In Question 28, can we use P2.6 and P2.7 for I/O?
30. Write a program to get data from PA and send it to both PB and PC.
31. In connecting the 8031/51 to the 8255, explain the role of the RD and WR signals.
32. In connecting the 8031/51 to the 8255, explain the role of the following and indicate if
its use is optional.
P0
P2
74LS373
33. Explain the term "memory mapped I/O." Is the 8255 connection in this experiment a
memory mapped I/O?
34. What is a transducer?
35. What is the form of the transducer output?
36. What is preprocessing of transducer signals to be fed into an ADC called?
37. The LM35 and LM34 produce a mV output for every degree of change in
temperature.
38. The LM35/LM34 is a (linear, nonlinear) device. Discuss the
advantages of linear devices and of nonlinear devices.
39. Explain signal conditioning and its role in data acquisition.
40. What is the maximum frequency that can be generated using Mode 1 if the crystal
frequency is 11.0592 MHz? Show your calculation.
41. What is the maximum frequency that can be generated using Mode 2 if the crystal
frequency is 11.0592 MHz? Show your calculation.
42. What is the lowest frequency that can be generated using Mode 1 if the crystal
frequency is 11.0592 MHz? Show your calculation.
43. What is the lowest frequency that can be generated using Mode 1 if the crystal
frequency is 11.0592 MHz? Show your calculation.
44. In mode 1, when is TFx set to high?
45. In mode 2, when is TFx set to high?
46. The 8051 TxD and RxD signals (are, are not) TTL-compatible.
47. In this lab, what is the role of the MAX233 (MAX232) chip?

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48. With XTAL=11.0592 MHz, what is the maximum baud rate for the 8051?
49. Show how to achieve the maximum baud rate in Question 3.
50. What is the role of TI and RI?
51. True or false. The 8051 can transfer data in full-duplex.
52. For full duplex, what are the absolute minimum signals needed between the 8051 and
the PC? Give their names.
53. What is a step angle? Define steps per revolution.
54. If a given stepper motor has a step angle of 5 degrees, find the number of steps per
revolution.
55. Give the four sequences for counter clockwise if it starts with 10011001 (binary).
56. Using the "RL A" instruction, show the four-step sequences if the initial step is 0011
(binary).
57. Give the number of times the four-step sequence must be applied to a stepper motor to
make a 100-degree move if the motor has a 5-degree step angle. Also fill in the
characteristics for your motor below.
Step angle Degree of movement per 4-step sequence
Steps per revolution Number of rotor teeth
58. What is the purpose of generating the truth table for a given keyboard?
59. What is the purpose of grounding each row in keyboard interfacing?
60. What is the input to the microcontroller from column if no key is pressed?
61. True or false. In our N x M matrix keypad program we cannot press two keys at the
same time.
62. In your program how is the key press detected?
63. In your program in Activity 2, how is a key press identified?
64. Explain the role of the C/T bit in the TMOD register.
65. How is the 8051 used as an event counter to count an external event?
66. If timer/counter 0 is used as an event counter, what is the maximum count for the
following modes?
Mode 1
Mode 2
67. Indicate which pin is used for the following.
(a) timer/counter 0
(b) timer/counter 1
68. If timer/counter 0 is used in mode 1 to count an external event, explain when TF0 is
set to high.
69. If timer/counter 1 is used in mode 2 to count an external event, explain when TF0 is
set to high.Ultra Low Alert Power

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Timerdelay = 12*(257-delay)/frequency
Timerdelay=0.05msec
Delay=256-((timerdelay * frequency)/12) =256-(0.05*10 -3 * 33*106)/12
=256-137.5 =118.5 //loaded in TH0
To get 1sec delay
1/0.05msec = 200*100 in the ISR
(assuming 33 MHZ crystal frequency. For 11 MHz, the calculations change).

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8051 Microcontroller VIVA Questions

Questions may be asked in interview of ECE students related to 8051 microcontroller:

1. Intel 8051 follows which architecture: Harvard or Newman?

2. What is the difference between Harvard and Newman architecture?
3. 8051 was developed using which technology nmos or pmos?
4. Why 8051 is called 8 bit microcontroller?
5. What is the width of data bus?
6. What is the width of address bus?
7. How many memory locations address bus can access (also tell in kb)?
8. The memory locations that the address bus can access will be of RAM or ROM or
both?
9. How much on-chip RAM is available?
10. On-chip RAM is also called memory?
11. How much on-chip ROM is available?
12. On-chip ROM is also called memory?
13. How many byte is of the bidirectional input/output port?
14. What is UART?
15. The original 8051 core runs at how many clock cycles per machine cycle?
16. With 12 MHz clock frequency how many instructions(of 1 machine cycle and 2
machine cycle) it can execute per second?
17. What are the four distinct types of memory in 8051?
18. Internal RAM is located from address 0x00 to ?
19. Tell the addresses which can be accessed directly?
20. Tell the addresses which are bit addressable?
21. Tell the addresses which can be accesssed only by indirect addressing mode?
22. Tell the addresses where the special function registers are present and also which
addressing mode is used to access them?
23. Are SFR bit addressable or byte addressable?
24. What type of memory is Program Memory? Read only/Read-write/write only?
25. *Does the program memory can be only used for storing code only, if not then how
that data is accessed?
26. What is the address of external data memory from which it starts?
27. How the external data memory is accessed?

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