William Bateman wrote:
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"Do you have an RC on your reset pin?"
All I have is a wire from the RST pin to ground... is there something else I should do?
Yes, the CPU needs a certain time to get it self together when the power goes on. It needs a delay to HOLD it in reset for a few millisec. Personally I always use at least a rest generator (MAX 701 CSA)


"You need something like a MAX232 for your serial port."
I had assumed that I could connect the Rx/Tx pins directly to the Rx/Tx connections on a serial cable... is this not the case then? Could you explain why or point me to the answer?

Yes, the real RS232 levels are bipolar (+/- 12v) not +5/0V A Max 202 is nice part for the job.


"Do some searching"
It seems I've done nothing but search for the last month or so, and I haven't found anything resembling the answers to my questions... except the 8051 tutorial on this site, which was very helpful but doesn't contain everything I need to know. If you have some sites in mind that would help me, please point me to them.

Believe me, this site really does have all the answers ! I wrote a long article on basic hardware for a 8052 in the last 12 months. Since I have 1400 posts in here, I can' remember where...If anyone else knows, please let me know.

Search here on RS232, reset clocks, crystals, timing

Steve