A Programmer for the Silicon Laboratories 8051 - GaryA/antweight-esc GitHub Wiki

The cheapest method of programming the Silicon Laboratories 8051 microcontrollers is to use an Arduino programmed as OlliW's owSilProg. In addition to an Arduino, a USB-to-serial connection is required (needed to program any Arduino). These can be bought from most Arduino suppliers, or built like this.

See the page for the software download and plenty of information on how to program the Arduino and connect it to the target system. The tutorials provide detailed instructions.

Sadly, owSilProg is closed-source code so only a .hex file is provided. This means it cannot be programmed using the normal Arduino tools. However, the software download includes the AVRDude programming software and details on how to program the Arduino.

Note that whilst the Pololu Baby Orangutan board is broadly Arduino-compatible it will not work with owSilProg. The Baby-O uses a 20MHz clock which is not supported by owSilProg.

The Windows program BLHeliTool (included in the download package) handles much more than just programming the 8051. For programming the antweight-esc code, only the Flash BLHeli to BESC tab is required, and only the Hex File needs to be selected. After selecting the correct COM port to connect to the Arduino clicking the Flash button will program the microcontroller.

Alternatively, the Silicon Labs ToolStick can be used to program the ESC without the need for an Arduino and the owSilProg software.