hex2bin

A command-line tool for converting between Intel HEX and binary file formats. This tool is particularly useful for embedded systems development, firmware updates, and memory programming.

Description

hex2bin is a simple yet powerful tool that allows you to:

• Convert Intel HEX files to binary format
• Convert binary files to Intel HEX format
• Preserve memory addresses and data organization during conversion
• Handle extended linear addresses and data records properly

The tool is written in Go and provides a reliable way to work with Intel HEX files, which are commonly used in embedded systems and microcontroller programming.

Installation

Using Go Install

If you have Go installed on your system, you can install hex2bin using:

go install github.com/igorrius/hex2bin@latest

Using Pre-built Binaries

Linux

1. Download the latest Linux binary from the Releases page
2. Make it executable:

   chmod +x hex2bin

3. Move it to your PATH:

   sudo mv hex2bin /usr/local/bin/

Windows

1. Download the latest Windows binary from the Releases page
2. Add the directory containing the binary to your PATH environment variable

Usage

The tool supports two conversion modes:

• hex2bin: Intel HEX to binary
• bin2hex: binary to Intel HEX

Arguments

• input_file: Path to the input file (required)
• output_file: Path to the output file (optional)
• mode: Conversion mode (hex2bin or bin2hex, optional)
• --all: (optional, for bin2hex only) Write all data, including 0xFF fill bytes, to the HEX file. By default, the tool writes only non-0xFF data (sparse HEX output).
• --record-bytes=N: (optional, for bin2hex only) Set the number of bytes per HEX record (default: 16, e.g., 16 or 32).

If output_file is not provided, it will be automatically determined from the input file name and mode. If mode is not provided, it will be inferred from the input file extension:

• .hex → hex2bin
• .bin → bin2hex

If both output_file and mode are omitted, both will be inferred from the input file extension.

HEX Output Modes

By default, when converting from binary to Intel HEX (bin2hex), the tool writes only non-0xFF data to the HEX file (sparse output). This matches the structure of reference HEX files and avoids unnecessary fill records.

To force the tool to write all data (including 0xFF fill bytes) in the HEX file, use the --all flag:

hex2bin firmware.bin --all

To control the number of bytes per HEX record, use the --record-bytes=N flag (e.g., 16 or 32):

hex2bin firmware.bin --record-bytes=16

You can combine both flags:

hex2bin firmware.bin --all --record-bytes=16

This will produce a HEX file with records of the specified size (default is 16 bytes per record).

Examples

Minimal (auto mode and output):

hex2bin firmware.hex         # Converts to firmware.bin (mode: hex2bin)
hex2bin firmware.bin         # Converts to firmware.hex (mode: bin2hex)

Specify output file, auto mode:

hex2bin firmware.hex my.bin  # Converts to my.bin (mode: hex2bin)
hex2bin firmware.bin my.hex  # Converts to my.hex (mode: bin2hex)

Specify mode, auto output:

hex2bin firmware.hex hex2bin   # Converts to firmware.bin
hex2bin firmware.bin bin2hex   # Converts to firmware.hex

Full explicit:

hex2bin firmware.hex out.bin hex2bin
hex2bin firmware.bin out.hex bin2hex

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/igorrius/hex2bin.git
   cd hex2bin

2. Build the project:

   make

3. Install the binary:

   make install

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgement

This project was generated using only AI via the Cursor app.