Do / how do people generate Intel Hex format files without using a 
compiler ?

I want a client to be able to make eeprom files for an AVR product 
without their having to use or need a language compiler.

The ideal tool would take a file in some other format - say text or 
spreadsheet and convert it to an Intel Hex format file that AVR Studio 
can use for eeprom programming. The aim is to allow them to change 
system parameters during production without having to require either 
source code or a compiler.

Lacking such a tool I have just written one for myself - it takes a 
custom formatted text file and outputs an Intel Hex file. Options 
allow sparse file generation - only 16 byte data lines which are not 
solely $FF are generated, and a 'brief' option stops file generation 
when the last non $FF containing line in eeprom space is processed. 
(Brief is a subset of sparse).

It occurs to me that I may have just reinvented the wheel and that 
there may already be better wheels in existence. Not being able to 
find a suitable wheel at the time I'm happy with what I've got, but 
knowing what else is around may be useful.

Conversely, while clunky, what I've produced may be useful to others. 
It needs tidying but is functional as is.
Most inconvenient part is the use of one line per data entry at 
present :-(. That may change but it's fine for me for now.




        Russell


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