I strongly recommend you get one of the SILabs dev kits, I would consider the debugging features these devices have, mandatory for someone 'exploring' the '51 for the first time.

Anyhow a fact about the MCB900, it comes, probably, with a LPC932 in the socket, you can replace it with any LPC932-935 chip.

about documentation (I describe Philips, SILabs (and others?) is the same.

the datasheet
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/acrobat/d...32A1_1.pdf
require you know the user manual
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/acrobat/u...C932_3.pdf
which require you know "the bible" (links above)

and when all that is assimilated, you should read the errata
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/acrobat/e...1_v1_0.pdf

There is no way you can memorize it all, but read all 3 documents till you have a grasp on where information is to be found (of course you can skip the A/D chapters if you are not going to use A/D).

This may seem overwhelming, but is it not better that all info is there than a flimsy document that makes you guess half of what you need to know?. This does in no way indicate that the '51 is more complicated than other uCs, just that the complete information is available as opposed to some other products.

Erik