There is a program that you can get that you can put into an 8051 that permits the 8051 to operate as a BASIC language interpreter. The 8051 in these applications communicates in and out the 8051 UART to an RS232 port on a computer, (Usually a PC running a terminal emulator program).

For a processor to support running the 8051-BASIC it is also necessary that there be a bank of RAM called External Ram that is used to hold the actual basic program that one writes via the terminal emulator user interface to the 8051. Some of the newer more robust 8051 type parts have some of this "external memory" actually built on board. Older evaluation boards that were equipped to run the BASIC typically had an 8031 or 8032 ROMLESS processor and that was interfaced to some external EPROM (32K x 8 was common) and some external RAM (32K x 8 was typical).

You can use the search box on the main page of this forum to search for other threads that have talked about 8051 BASIC in the past.

You can also go to the Links page here at 8052.com and look in the section INTERESTING SITES. The third link in that section is a link to a project page for someone that got the BASIC running on some hardware they designed.

Have Fun
Michael Karas