8051 NET-ISP: Internet-Based Remote Programmable Embedded Micro-Controller System

Two general schemes of programming a microcontroller unit (MCU) are integrated-circuit burner-based and in-system programming (ISP) methods. The former requires a physical contact with MCUs, whereas the latter requires MCUs containing universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) or universal serial bus (USB) interfaces. This study proposes an Internet-based remote programming system, namely 8051 NET-ISP. Unlike traditional methods, the proposed NET-ISP system allows a remote user to easily update/download a program through the Internet as well as remotely control the applicable circuit. This system combines an embedded TCP/IP Ethernet module and an applicable controller module so that users do not need to physically access the system and specialized interfaces are not required while it is being operated. The proposed 8051 NET-ISP system can incorporate MCU-based applicable circuits and extend MCU programming from local to global access via the Internet, thus achieving better management efficiency and scalability, particularly when considerably large MCUs are deployed.