Managing flash drive data can be a little bit tedious when using a computer, but this project streamlines the process in the form of a handheld. Maker Shaun Jay has created a USB flash drive copier using a Raspberry Pi Zero.
The best Raspberry Pi projects are ones with practical uses, and this one absolutely fits the bill. This handheld allows the user to easily view, remove and copy the contents of one flash drive to another using a custom interface.
It relies on an Adafruit 128 x 64 OLED Bonnet and a Zero4U USB hub. Together, these provide a visual display and plenty of USB ports for the project's needs. A joystick and two buttons are used to navigate the options and make selections.
The application side of this project relies on an open source development called USB Copier, created by Luke Hutchinson. Hutchinson's code relies on Rsync and can be found on Github for anyone interested.
The USB copier isn't perfect, Jay admits — it doesn't support sector-to-sector cloning, which you'll need for copying boot disks. But for general files, it's pretty handy.
For an in-depth look at how this project goes together, visit the official blog post on Shaun Jay's website.
