
DS87C530/DS83C530
070898 22/41
TIMER RATE CONTROL
There is one important difference between the
DS87C530/DS83C530 and 8051 regarding timers. The
original 8051 used 12 clocks per cycle for timers as well
as for machine cycles. The DS87C530/DS83C530
architecture normally uses 4 clocks per machine cycle.
However, in the area of timers and serial ports, the
DS87C530/DS83C530 will default to 12 clocks per
cycle on reset. This allows existing code with real–time
dependencies such as baud rates to operate properly.
If an application needs higher speed timers or serial
baud rates, the user can select individual timers to run at
the 4 clock rate. The Clock Control register (CKCON;
8Eh) determines these timer speeds. When the relevant
CKCON bit is a logic 1, the DS87C530/DS83C530 uses
4 clocks per cycle to generate timer speeds. When the
bit is a 0, the DS87C530 uses 12 clocks for timer
speeds. The reset condition is a 0. CKCON.5 selects the
speed of Timer 2. CKCON.4 selects Timer 1 and
CKCON.3 selects Timer 0. Unless a user desires very
fast timing, it is unnecessary to alter these bits. Note that
the timer controls are independent.
POWER–FAIL RESET
The DS87C530/DS83C530 uses a precision band–gap
voltage reference to decide if V
CC
is out of tolerance.
While powering up, the internal monitor circuit maintains
a reset state until V
CC
rises above the V
RST
level. Once
above this level, the monitor enables the crystal oscilla-
tor and counts 65536 clocks. It then exits the reset state.
This power–on reset (POR) interval allows time for the
oscillator to stabilize.
A system needs no external components to generate a
power–related reset. Anytime V
CC
drops below V
RST
,
as in power–failure or a power drop, the monitor will gen-
erate and hold a reset. It occurs automatically, needing
no action from the software. Refer to the Electrical
Specifications for the exact value of V
RST
.
POWER–FAIL INTERRUPT
The voltage reference that sets a precise reset thresh-
old also generates an optional early warning Power–fail
Interrupt (PFI). When enabled by software, the proces-
sor will vector to program memory address 0033h if V
CC
drops below V
PFW
. PFI has the highest priority. The PFI
enable is in the Watchdog Control SFR (WDCON –
D8h). Setting WDCON.5 to a logic 1 will enable the PFI.
Application software can also read the PFI flag at
WDCON.4. A PFI condition sets this bit to a 1. The flag is
independent of the interrupt enable and software must
manually clear it. If the PFI is enabled and the band–gap
select bit (BGS) is set, a PFI will bring the device out of
Stop mode.
WATCHDOG TIMER
To prevent software from losing control, the
DS87C530/DS83C530 includes a programmable
Watchdog Timer. The Watchdog is a free running timer
that sets a flag if allowed to reach a preselected time–
out. It can be (re)started by software.
A typical application is to select the flag as a reset
source. When the Watchdog times out, it sets its flag
which generates reset. Software must restart the timer
before it reaches its time–out or the processor is reset.
Software can select one of four time–out values. Then, it
restarts the timer and enables the reset function. After
enabling the reset function, software must then restart
the timer before its expiration or hardware will reset the
CPU. Both the Watchdog Reset Enable and the Watch-
dog Restart control bits are protected by a “Timed
Access” circuit. This prevents errant software from acci-
dentally clearing the Watchdog. Time–out values are
precise since they are a function of the crystal frequency
as shown in Table 8. For reference, the time periods at
33 MHz also are shown.
The Watchdog also provides a useful option for systems
that do not require a reset circuit. It will set an interrupt
flag 512 clocks before setting the reset flag. Software
can optionally enable this interrupt source. The interrupt
is independent of the reset. A common use of the inter-
rupt is during debug, to show developers where the
Watchdog times out. This indicates where the Watch-
dog must be restarted by software. The interrupt also
can serve as a convenient time–base generator or can
wake–up the processor from power saving modes.
The Watchdog function is controlled by the Clock Con-
trol (CKCON – 8Eh), Watchdog Control (WDCON –
D8h), and Extended Interrupt Enable (EIE – E8h) SFRs.
CKCON.7 and CKCON.6 are WD1 and WD0 respec-
tively and they select the Watchdog time–out period as
shown in Table 8.