Binary Files

Binary files store programs as a series of zeros and ones (bits) that represent machine language code that a computer understands. Machine language is the lowest level of programming; all programs, regardless of language (BASIC, FORTRAN and C++, for example), are translated to machine language (assembly language). Binary files are stored with the BIN file extension. Eight bits represent one byte. "01100101" is binary for the decimal number "101."

Hexadecimal Files

EPROM Hexadecimal files, stored with the HEX file extension, store binary data as hexadecimal numbers. Hexadecimal is a number system based on the number 16; it uses 0 through 9 and the letters A through F to represent its numbers. Counting from zero to sixteen in HEX code looks like this: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E and F. Hexadecimal numbers make machine language easier for programmers to deal with. The binary number 01100101 is "65" (101 in decimal). The number 255 is written as "FF."

Motorola HEX Files

Motorola HEX programmers store files with the S19 file extension. S19 files store the hexadecimal code as text. This file type is proprietary to Motorola.

Generic EPROM File

The generic file type for EPROM files was stored with the EEP file extension. It is an older file format that is in limited use today.