What is the difference between .elf and .hex file?

A Bin file is a pure binary file with no memory fix-ups or relocations, more than likely it has explicit instructions to be loaded at a specific memory address. Whereas.... read more

The Hex file, is a format used to store machine language code in hexadecimal form. It is widely used format to store programs to be transferred to microcontrollers, ROM and EEPROM. read more

Tells you how much binary you have and how much bss data is there that wants to be initialised to zeros (gnu tools have problems creating bin files correctly). The elf file format is a standard, arm publishes its enhancements/variations on the standard. read more

No, the hex file is used to program the AVR. Not with using AVR-GCC, that creates the elf file from which a hex file is generated. If using AVR Studio's assembler, it's possible that the hex file is directly generated from the .asm file without the intermediary elf file, but I'm not sure. read more