Mini flash programmer

For not too extensive switching and control applications, microcontrollers with relatively few I/O lines, a limited instruction set and almost no peripherals are far better suited than power boxes like, say, the 8051 with 40 or more pins. Examples of small microcontrollers are RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processors such as the wellknown PICs from Arizona Microchip, the devices in the ST6 family from Thomson, and, recently, the two 8051 compatible Flash controllers type 89C1051 and 89C2051 from Atmel. For the latter devices we describe a programmer with the perfect balance: simple hardware and powerful software.