Can I use an Altera-generated Hexidecimal file (.HEX) to program my Altera® configuration device?

Description

No. The HEX file format for the Altera-generated HEX file is the Intel HEX-32 format and is created for programming a parallel EPROM with the configuration data needed for a FLEX^® or APEX^TM device. The Altera-generated HEX file should not to be used to program a serial configuration device (e.g., EPC1). When programming Altera configuration devices, use the Programmer Object File (.pof).

If the HEX file is used with a microprocessor and it is processing the HEX file directly (the HEX file is not programmed into a parallel EPROM), the Intel HEX-32 file format must be considered when extracting the configuration data from the HEX file. For example, the address information must be separated from the configuration data.