cc2540 hex file size

tp ny

I built a simpleBlePeripheral project and wanted to flash it onto my keyfob board. I chose project configuration as "cc2540f128dk-mini keyfob" hoping to see the generated hex being < 128k, instead it generates to about 288k. I downloaded it to my keyfob board using smartrf flash programmer. It downloads successfully. How does it do that? the hex is > 256k which is larger than my physical flash on the soc cc2540f256. Then I use smartrf flash programmer to read back the hex from the soc to my pc, it works successfully too but the hex file size on my pc is 721k. How did it read back 721k of file from a 256k soc?

over 13 years ago

0 YiKai Chen over 13 years ago

Guru 735695 points

Hex is not a binary file. Please refer to wikipedia.

0 tp ny over 13 years ago in reply to YiKai Chen

Prodigy 70 points

But that's the file I assign as the flash image in smartRF Flash Programmer to download to my device.. So which file actually gets downloaded to my device? Or does the hex file get converted to another file before downloaded to my device? Please illuminate. Thank you!

0 Aslak N. over 13 years ago in reply to tp ny

TI__Mastermind 23440 points

Hi tp,

From wikipedia:

Intel HEX is a file format for conveying binary information for applications like programming microcontrollers, EPROMs, and other kinds of chips. In a typical application, a compiler or assembler converts a program's source code (such as in C or assembly language) to machine code and outputs it into a HEX file. That file is then imported by a programmer to "burn" the machine code into a ROM, or is transferred to the target system for loading and execution.

So as you suggest, the programmes uses the _instructions_ in the hex file to know where to write the data.

Best regards,
Aslak

Bluetooth®︎

Bluetooth forum

cc2540 hex file size