BalenaEtcher developer unveils device that can flash 16 SD cards

By admin On Jan 6, 2021

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The developer of the BalenaEtcher software comes with the EtcherPro. This device allows users to simultaneously flash an OS image to up to sixteen SD cards or USB sticks. The EtcherPro will be delivered later this year and costs about 972 euros converted and including VAT.

The EtcherPro comes from the developers of BalenaEtcher, an open source program that allows users to flash OS images to storage media such as USB sticks or SD cards. The EtcherPro should act as a ‘hardware extension’ of this software, the maker reports on its website. BalenaEtcher already announced the device in 2018.

The device can flash images to up to sixteen devices simultaneously using the BalenaEtcher software. The EtcherPro can also duplicate the contents of a USB stick, SD card or Micro SD card to other storage media. Users can also use the EtcherPro to directly flash a Raspberry Pi Compute Module with emmc storage.

Users can flash images to a local storage medium or download them directly to the EtcherPro via a URL. The device has Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet and thus also keeps itself up-to-date. Users can also connect up to ten EtcherPro devices together. This allows an image to be flashed to a maximum of 160 drives simultaneously.

According to the manufacturer, the device achieves write speeds of up to 200MB/s when writing to a single drive. When users flash sixteen storage media simultaneously, the maximum write speed is 52MB/s. The EtcherPro is operated via a 7″ touchscreen. The manufacturer does not mention a screen resolution.

The device has a suggested retail price of $990. Converted and including VAT, this amounts to 970 euros. The EtcherPro is therefore not intended for consumers. For example, companies can use the device to supply USB sticks or SD cards with a pre-installed OS to single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. The special, gray edition of the device will be delivered within two to three months, but is now sold out. The regular blue issue will ship within four to six months.