From 869badbc4399a456128ca22376c49d72437e4504 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ragnar <ragnar@firebee.org>
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2025 12:55:12 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] add cf card howto

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+# Write a FireBee Image to a CF-Card using Balena Etcher (Windows, macOS, Linux)
+this little tutorial will guide you on writing a HD-Image containing the FireBee Setup to a Compact Flash Card which is used as a harddisk replacement. Here's how you can do that.
+
+   > ⚠ **A word of warning. The entire CF-Card will be erased and overwritten. If you have important files on it, please make a backup first!**
+
+## Requirements
+✔ **A CompactFlash (CF) card** 16GB or 32GB 
+✔ **CF card reader** (USB adapter or built-in reader)
+✔ **The FireBee Image** to be written to the CF card
+✔ **A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux**
+✔ **Balena Etcher** installed ([Download: https://www.balena.io/etcher/](https://www.balena.io/etcher/))
+
+   > ❗ Please note! Modern CFFAST or CFexpress are not supported and therefore will not work with the FireBee!
+
+# 1. Download & Install Balena Etcher
+
+### Windows
+1. Go to the official **Balena Etcher** website: 🔗 [https://www.balena.io/etcher/](https://www.balena.io/etcher/)
+2. Download the **Windows version** (`.exe` file).
+3. Run the installer and follow the instructions.
+4. Once installed, launch **Balena Etcher**.
+
+### macOS
+1. Go to the official **Balena Etcher** website: 🔗 [https://www.balena.io/etcher/](https://www.balena.io/etcher/)
+2. Download the **macOS version** (`.dmg` file).
+3. Open the **.dmg** file and drag the **Etcher icon** to the **Applications folder**.
+4. Launch Balena Etcher from the Applications folder.
+
+   > ⚠ **If you get a security warning**, go to **System Preferences > Security & Privacy** and allow the application to run.
+
+### Linux
+1. Go to the official **Balena Etcher** website: 🔗 [https://www.balena.io/etcher/](https://www.balena.io/etcher/)
+1. Download the appropriate package for your system (`.deb`) for Debian based system or (`.rpm`) for Red Hat based systems
+2. Install the package you have downloaded previously accordingly to the Etcher Wiki [https://github.com/balena-io/etcher#debian-and-ubuntu-based-package-repository-gnulinux-x86x64](https://github.com/balena-io/etcher#debian-and-ubuntu-based-package-repository-gnulinux-x86x64)
+3. Once installed, launch **Balena Etcher**.
+
+---
+
+# 2. Prepare the CompactFlash Card
+
+### Windows
+1. **Insert the CF card** into your **card reader**.
+2. **Check if Windows detects the card:**
+   - Open **File Explorer** and check for a new drive (e.g., **E:**).
+   - If the CF card is not detected, open **Disk Management** (`diskmgmt.msc`).
+
+### macOS
+1. **Insert the CF card** into your **card reader**.
+2. **Check if the CF card is recognized:**
+   - Open **Disk Utility** (`Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility`).
+
+### Linux
+1. **Insert the CF card** into your **card reader**.
+2. **Check if the CF card is recognized:**
+   - As long as the card holds a valid FAT32, FAT16 filesystem contains, a File Explorer is opening a new windows and show the content of the drive
+
+---
+
+# 3. Write the ISO File to the CF Card Using Balena Etcher
+
+### **1. Start Balena Etcher**
+- Open **Balena Etcher** on your system.
+
+### **2. Select the ISO File**
+- Click **"Flash from file"** and select the downloaded **FireBee image**.
+
+### **3. Choose the CF Card as the Target**
+- Click **"Select target"** and pick the **CompactFlash card** from the list.
+  > ⚠ **Be careful** not to select the wrong drive, as all data will be erased!
+
+### **4. Start the Flashing Process**
+- Click **"Flash!"** to begin writing the ISO image to the CF card.
+- **Wait for the process to complete** (this may take several minutes).
+
+---
+
+# 4. Verify & Finalize the Process
+✔ **Balena Etcher will automatically verify** the written data to ensure accuracy.
+✔ Once completed, you can safely **eject the CF card**.
+
+### **Safely Remove the CF Card**
+✔ **Windows**: Click the **USB icon** in the taskbar and select **"Eject"**.
+✔ **macOS**: Drag the CF card icon to the **Trash** or click **"Eject"** in Finder.
+✔ **Linux**: Run one of the following commands according to your system:
+   - Open a terminal and type:
+     ```bash
+     lsblk
+     ```
+     or
+     ```bash
+     fdisk -l
+     ```
+   - Identify the correct device (e.g., `/dev/sdb`) and the type:
+   ```bash
+   sudo umount /dev/sdX
+   ```