SD Card Installation

Illustration for SD Card Installation documentation

Summary

This guide provides a complete walkthrough for preparing a microSD card and installing an operating system on your Banana Pro or Banana Pi. The SD card is the primary boot medium for these boards, so getting this step right is essential for a smooth experience.

Who This Is For

First-time users setting up their Banana Pro or Banana Pi, or anyone who needs to re-flash their SD card with a fresh OS image.

What You Will Do

  • Select an appropriate microSD card.
  • Download and verify an OS image.
  • Flash the image to the SD card.
  • Boot the board and verify the installation.

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1 — Choose the Right SD Card

Not all SD cards are equal. For reliable operation:

  • Speed class: Class 10 or UHS-I minimum. Faster cards improve boot time and general responsiveness.
  • Capacity: 8 GB minimum. 16 GB or 32 GB is recommended to leave room for packages and data.
  • Brand: Stick with reputable manufacturers (SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston). Cheap no-name cards have higher failure rates and may report incorrect capacities.

Step 2 — Download the OS Image

Visit the official LeMaker image downloads page at lemaker.org/resources/9-38/image_files.html. Available images include Raspbian, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch Linux ARM, and Android. Choose the image that matches your board model (Banana Pi or Banana Pro).

Step 3 — Verify the Checksum

Always verify the download integrity before flashing:

  • Linux / macOS: sha256sum image-file.img.gz
  • Windows: certutil -hashfile image-file.img.gz SHA256

Compare the output with the checksum published on the download page. If they differ, the file is corrupted — download it again.

Step 4 — Format the SD Card (Optional)

Formatting is not strictly necessary because the flash tool overwrites the entire card. However, if you have previously used the card for other purposes, a full format with SD Card Formatter (from the SD Association) can resolve partition table issues.

Step 5 — Flash the Image

Recommended: balenaEtcher (All Platforms)

Download balenaEtcher. Select the image file (it can handle compressed .gz and .xz files directly), select the SD card, and click Flash. Etcher validates the write automatically.

Linux: dd

Identify the SD card device with lsblk, then flash:

sudo dd if=image.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Warning: Double-check the device path. Writing to the wrong device will destroy data on that drive.

Windows: Win32 Disk Imager

Open Win32 Disk Imager, select the uncompressed .img file, choose the SD card drive letter, and click Write.

Step 6 — Verify the Flash

Safely eject the card and re-insert it. A small FAT partition labelled boot (or similar) should appear. If your OS can read Linux partitions, you may also see the root filesystem.

Step 7 — Insert and Boot

  1. Insert the microSD card into the board's card slot (contacts facing down on Banana Pro).
  2. Connect your display (HDMI) or serial console.
  3. Connect Ethernet if needed.
  4. Connect power last. The board begins booting immediately when power is applied — there is no power button.

Verification

The board should display U-Boot messages followed by the Linux kernel boot log. After 30–60 seconds, a login prompt appears. Log in with the default credentials for your chosen distribution.

Troubleshooting

  • Board does not boot (no output at all): Re-flash the card. Ensure you selected the correct image for your board model.
  • Bad SD card: Try a different card. Use f3 (Linux) or H2testw (Windows) to test the card for fake capacity or bad sectors.
  • Corrupt image: Re-download and verify the checksum before flashing again.
  • Wrong board image: Banana Pi and Banana Pro images are different. Using the wrong one will cause a boot failure.
  • Card does not fit: The Banana Pi and Banana Pro use a microSD slot, not full-size SD.

Related Pages

Author: LeMaker Documentation Team
Last updated: 2026-02-10