SuperSpeed USB Duplicator Introduced by Nexcopy

USB hard drives have carved out a permanent role in everyday computing because of their balance of versatility, portability, and cost. They let users expand storage on the fly, create reliable backups, or move large files between machines without relying on cloud connectivity.

If you need to duplicate a set of USB hard drives, what’s the play?

The USB Duplicator line from Nexcopy answers that question. Using SuperSpeed USB 3.0, the USB160PC can move 1GB of data to all sockets in less than a minute. On paper, a 100GB master takes about 1.5 hours to finish across 16 drives. In reality, that’s 1.6TB of data written in under two hours. It’s a reminder that while USB is serial by design, Nexcopy’s platform makes throughput add up quickly across multiple ports.

Why step up to a USB duplicator?

Portability: USB drives and portable HDDs are light, compact, and suited for field work or remote teams. Having an in-house duplicator lets IT departments roll out preloaded media in hours, not days.

Plug-and-Play: No extra power bricks or exotic drivers. Devices attach, enumerate, and run. The duplicator mirrors that same simplicity in its workflow.

Capacity: From a few gigs to multiple terabytes, USB has become the neutral storage format that works in nearly every environment. Whether it’s software distribution or media publishing, there’s a capacity tier to match.

Compatibility: USB crosses platforms—Windows, Mac, Linux, consoles, TVs. One duplicated set of drives reaches a wide user base without rework.

Performance and Market Context

The USB160PC is Nexcopy’s first SuperSpeed-class duplicator. By pushing 1GB per target per minute, it trims deployment time dramatically for promotional agencies, field service providers, and corporate IT shops handling large rollouts.

Price erosion in USB 3.0 media has only increased the appeal. As NAND costs dropped and controller tech matured, higher-capacity drives became cheaper to source. Manufacturers optimized supply chains, making bulk duplication not only possible but cost-effective. For businesses, that combination—cheap media plus fast duplication hardware—translates directly to lower per-unit cost and faster time to deployment.

With USB drives continuing to dominate as portable storage, the case for proper management gear is stronger than ever. The Nexcopy USB160PC sits squarely in that space, giving organizations a way to control content distribution, speed up workflows, and cut operating costs.

So here is a bit of information one could use for a cocktail conversation starter at your next computer club meeting, the start of flash memory.

The first piece of flash memory was invented way back in 1984.   Flash was invented by Toshiba and by a guy named Dr. Fujio Masuoka.   According to Toshiba records, the term “flash” was suggested by Dr. Masuoka’s colleague, Mr. Shoji Ariizumi because the erase process of the memory contents reminded him of a flash like in a camera.

Toshiba presented the new invention at the IEEE 1984 Integrated Electronics Devices Meeting in San Jose California and Intel saw the immediate value and jumped on board.   By 1988 the first commercial NOR type flash chip was commercially available.

NOR based flash has long erase and write times and has a full address/ data interface.   Meaning one can read or write data to any portion of the NOR chip.   The NOR technology is mostly used for low levels of read/write cycles.   So for example, NOR is great for BIOS and firmware of a device.   NOR was the first version of flash, but everyone quickly realized a cheaper, faster solution is also needed.

In 1989 the first NAND flash chip was introduced.   It had faster erase and write times, higher density, and lower cost than NOR flash – with ten times the endurance. The draw back with NAND [if you can call it that] is the I/O interface only allowing sequential access to data. Meaning you can only write to the device after the last bit of data has been written.   This makes it suitable for mass-storage devices such as PC cards and various memory cards like USB, SD and microSD, and somewhat less useful for computer memory.

As flash memory technology grew quickly in the earily 2000s, the growth enabled the development of USB flash drives to what we more commenly see today: compact, portable devices with unique body shapes, colors, styles and features. The USB flash drive, also known as a thumb drive or pendrive, was first brought to market in 2000 and has since grown into an inexpe nsive gadget nearly every computer owner has.

The invention is commonly attributed to an Israeli company, M-Systems, founded by Dov Moran. Along with engineers Amir Ban and Oron Ogdan, M-Systems filed the patent for the USB-based flash storage device in April 1999. Their product, known as the “DiskOnKey,” became the first commercially available USB flash drive.

At about the same time a Singapore-based Trek 2000 International launched its version of a USB flash drive, called the “ThumbDrive,” also in 2000. The company, led by Henn Tan, claimed independent invention and holds several patents related to its design.

One final player in the discussion about “where did flash memory start” is Pua Khein-Seng of Phison Electronics in Taiwan who is credited with creating the first single-chip USB flash controller, which dramatically reduced the cost and size of flash drives, helping pave the way for mass adoption.

Today, USB flash drives are ubiquitous and owe their success to the rapid advancement of NAND flash and the global contributions from innovators in Israel, Singapore, and Taiwan.