The Anatomy of HEX files

When we develop software for a microcontroller, the compiler or assembler will, as final output, create a file that we need to program into the program memory of the controller. In the vast majority of cases this file will have the so-called Intel-HEX (Intellec) file format, a file that in addition to the machine code itself also includes the destination addresses showing where this code has to be located. The file also incorporates checksums that allow the integrity of the code to be verified.