Microprocessors 1

The 8051 Instruction Set

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 1

Broitman
 Instruction Groups
• The 8051 has 255 instructions
– Every 8-bit opcode from 00 to FF is used except
for A5.

• The instructions are grouped into 5 groups

– Arithmetic
– Logic
– Data Transfer
– Boolean
– Branching

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 2

Broitman
 Arithmetic Instructions
• ADD
– 8-bit addition between the accumulator (A) and a
second operand.
• The result is always in the accumulator.
• The CY flag is set/reset appropriately.

• ADDC
– 8-bit addition between the accumulator, a second
operand and the previous value of the CY flag.
• Useful for 16-bit addition in two steps.
• The CY flag is set/reset appropriately.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 3

Broitman
 Example – 16-bit Addition
Add 1E44H to 56CAH

CLR C ; Clear the CY flag

MOV A, 44H ; The lower 8-bits of the 1st number
ADD A, CAH ; The lower 8-bits of the 2nd number
MOV R1, A ; The result 0EH will be in R1. CY = 1.
MOV A, 1EH ; The upper 8-bits of the 1st number
ADDC A, 56H ; The upper 8-bits of the 2nd number
MOV R2, A ; The result of the addition is 75H

The overall result: 750EH will be in R2:R1. CY = 0.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 4

Broitman
 Arithmetic Instructions
• DA
– Decimal adjust the accumulator.
• Format the accumulator into a proper 2 digit packed BCD
number.
• Operates only on the accumulator.
• Works only after the ADD instruction.

• SUBB
– Subtract with Borrow.
• Subtract an operand and the previous value of the
borrow (carry) flag from the accumulator.
– A ← A - <operand> - CY.
– The result is always saved in the accumulator.
– The CY flag is set/reset appropriately.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 5

Broitman
 Example – BCD addition
Add 34 to 49 BCD

CLR C ; Clear the CY flag

MOV A, #34H ; Place 1st number in A
ADD A, #49H ; Add the 2nd number.
; A = 7DH
DA A ; A = 83H

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 6

Broitman
 Arithmetic Instructions
• INC
– Increment the operand by one.
• The operand can be a register, a direct address, an
indirect address, the data pointer.

• DEC
– Decrement the operand by one.
• The operand can be a register, a direct address, an
indirect address.

• MUL AB / DIV AB
– Multiply A by B and place result in A:B.
– Divide A by B and place result in A:B.
Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 7
Broitman
 Logical Operations
• ANL / ORL
– Work on byte sized operands or the CY flag.
• ANL A, Rn
• ANL A, direct
• ANL A, @Ri
• ANL A, #data
• ANL direct, A
• ANL direct, #data

• ANL C, bit
• ANL C, /bit

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 8

Broitman
 Logical Operations
• XRL
– Works on bytes only.

• CPL / CLR
– Complement / Clear.
– Work on the accumulator or a bit.
• CLR P1.2

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 9

Broitman
 Logical Operations
• RL / RLC / RR / RRC
– Rotate the accumulator.
• RL and RR without the carry
• RLC and RRC rotate through the carry.

• SWAP A
– Swap the upper and lower nibbles of the
accumulator.

• No compare instruction.
– Built into conditional branching instructions.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 10

Broitman
 Data Transfer Instructions
• MOV
– 8-bit data transfer for internal RAM and the SFR.
• MOV A, Rn
• MOV A, direct
• MOV A, @Ri
• MOV A, #data
• MOV Rn, A
• MOV Rn, direct
• MOV Rn, #data
• MOV direct, A
• MOV direct, Rn
• MOV direct, direct
• MOV direct, @Ri
• MOV direct, #data
• MOV @Ri, A
• MOV @Ri, direct
• MOV @Ri, #data

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 11

Broitman
 Data Transfer Operations
• MOV
– 1-bit data transfer involving the CY flag
• MOV C, bit
• MOV bit, C

• MOV
– 16-bit data transfer involving the DPTR
• MOV DPTR, #data

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 12

Broitman
 Data Transfer Instructions
• MOVC
– Move Code Byte
• Load the accumulator with a byte from program memory.
• Must use indexed addressing

• MOVC A, @A+DPTR
• MOVC A, @A+PC

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 13

Broitman
 Data Transfer Instructions
• MOVX
– Data transfer between the accumulator and a byte
from external data memory.
• MOVX A, @Ri
• MOVX A, @DPTR
• MOVX @Ri, A
• MOVX @DPTR, A

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 14

Broitman
 Data Transfer Instructions
• PUSH / POP
– Push and Pop a data byte onto the stack.
– The data byte is identified by a direct address from
the internal RAM locations.

• PUSH DPL
• POP 40H

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 15

Broitman
 Data Transfer Instructions
• XCH
– Exchange accumulator and a byte variable
• XCH A, Rn
• XCH A, direct
• XCH A, @Ri

• XCHD
– Exchange lower digit of accumulator with the lower digit of
the memory location specified.
• XCHD A, @Ri

• The lower 4-bits of the accumulator are exchanged with the

lower 4-bits of the internal memory location identified indirectly
by the index register.
• The upper 4-bits of each are not modified.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 16

Broitman
 Boolean Operations
• This group of instructions is associated with the
single-bit operations of the 8051.
• This group allows manipulating the individual bits
of bit addressable registers and memory
locations as well as the CY flag.
– The P, OV, and AC flags cannot be directly
altered.

• This group includes:

– Set, clear, and, or complement, move.
– Conditional jumps.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 17

Broitman
 Boolean Operations
• CLR
– Clear a bit or the CY flag.
• CLR P1.1
• CLR C

• SETB
– Set a bit or the CY flag.
• SETB A.2
• SETB C

• CPL
– Complement a bit or the CY flag.
• CPL 40H ; Complement bit 40 of the bit
addressable memory

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 18

Broitman
 Boolean Operations
• ORL / ANL
– OR / AND a bit with the CY flag.
• ORL C, 20H ; OR bit 20 of bit addressable
memory with the CY flag
• ANL C, /34H ; AND complement of bit 34 of bit
addressable memory with the CY
flag.

• MOV
– Data transfer between a bit and the CY flag.
• MOV C, 3FH ; Copy the CY flag to bit 3F of the
bit addressable memory.
• MOV P1.2, C ; Copy the CY flag to bit 2 of P1.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 19

Broitman
 Boolean Operations
• JC / JNC
– Jump to a relative address if CY is set / cleared.

• JB / JNB
– Jump to a relative address if a bit is set / cleared.
• JB ACC.2, <label>

• JBC
– Jump to a relative address if a bit is set and clear
the bit.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 20

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• The 8051 provides four different types of
unconditional jump instructions:
– Short Jump – SJMP
• Uses an 8-bit signed offset relative to the 1st byte of the next
instruction.
– Long Jump – LJMP
• Uses a 16-bit address.
• 3 byte instruction capable of referencing any location in the
entire 64K of program memory.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 21

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
– Absolute Jump – AJMP
• Uses an 11-bit address.
• 2 byte instruction
– The upper 3-bits of the address combine with the 5-bit
opcode to form the 1st byte and the lower 8-bits of the
address form the 2nd byte.
• The 11-bit address is substituted for the lower 11-bits of
the PC to calculate the 16-bit address of the target.
– The location referenced must be within the 2K Byte
memory page containing the AJMP instruction.

– Indirect Jump – JMP

• JMP @A + DPTR

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 22

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• The 8051 provides 2 forms for the CALL
instruction:
– Absolute Call – ACALL
• Uses an 11-bit address similar to AJMP
• The subroutine must be within the same 2K page.
– Long Call – LCALL
• Uses a 16-bit address similar to LJMP
• The subroutine can be anywhere.

– Both forms push the 16-bit address of the next

instruction on the stack and update the stack
pointer.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 23

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• The 8051 provides 2 forms for the return
instruction:
– Return from subroutine – RET
• Pop the return address from the stack and continue
execution there.
– Return from ISV – RETI
• Pop the return address from the stack.
• Restore the interrupt logic to accept additional interrupts
at the same priority level as the one just processed.
• Continue execution at the address retrieved from the
stack.
• The PSW is not automatically restored.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 24

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• The 8051 supports 5 different conditional jump
instructions.
– ALL conditional jump instructions use an 8-bit
signed offset.

– Jump on Zero – JZ / JNZ

• Jump if the A == 0 / A != 0
– The check is done at the time of the instruction execution.

– Jump on Carry – JC / JNC

• Jump if the C flag is set / cleared.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 25

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
– Jump on Bit – JB / JNB
• Jump if the specified bit is set / cleared.
• Any addressable bit can be specified.

– Jump if the Bit is set then Clear the bit – JBC

• Jump if the specified bit is set.
• Then clear the bit.

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 26

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• Compare and Jump if Not Equal – CJNE
– Compare the magnitude of the two operands and
jump if they are not equal.
• The values are considered to be unsigned.
• The Carry flag is set / cleared appropriately.

• CJNE A, direct, rel

• CJNE A, #data, rel
• CJNE Rn, #data, rel
• CJNE @Ri, #data, rel

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 27

Broitman
 Branching Instructions
• Decrement and Jump if Not Zero – DJNZ
– Decrement the first operand by 1 and jump to the
location identified by the second operand if the
resulting value is not zero.

• DJNZ Rn, rel

• DJNZ direct, rel

• No Operation
– NOP

Microprocessors 1 Msc. Ivan A. Escobar 28

Broitman