Develop MCS-51 (8051) on openSUSE

If you want a lightweight Linux workflow for 8051 development, openSUSE + SDCC is enough: edit in vim/emacs, compile with sdcc, convert the output, then flash over serial using a Python script. This post walks through the exact setup.

1. Install an editor (vim/emacs)

Pick one. Example with Emacs:

sudo zypper in emacs

2. Install SDCC

SDCC (Small Device C Compiler) supports the MCS-51 / 8051 family:

sudo zypper in sdcc

3. Download the flashing script (stcflash.py)

Download the Python script:

wget https://github.com/laborer/stcflash/raw/master/stcflash.py

You may also need the serial module:

sudo zypper in python-serial

4. Write your code

Create your source file (for example hello.c) and write your 8051 program.

5. Compile with SDCC

Compile the C source:

sdcc hello.c

This typically produces an Intel HEX intermediate file like hello.ihx.

6. Convert build artifacts

Convert .ihx to .hex, then optionally to a raw binary .bin:

packihx hello.ihx > hello.hex
objcopy -I ihex -O binary hello.hex hello.bin

7. Upload to the chip

Flash your image (hex or bin depending on your workflow). Example:

sudo python stcflash.py -l 9600 hello.hex

If you prefer binary:

sudo python stcflash.py -l 9600 hello.bin

Notes / Tips

• If you hit serial permission issues, add your user to the dialout group and re-login.
• Keep the first program simple (blink a pin / toggle a port) to verify wiring and flashing.
• Once stable, automate build + flash with a Makefile.