Prototype Optical Tape Recorder

Abstract

In 1994 a new concept for an optical tape recorder, based on a very fast spinning polygon, was presented. Since then, a prototype tape recorder has been developed on the basis of this technology. In order to reduce the complexity of the system, the optical configuration was redesigned. Also, a new polygon with 10 facets was developed. Finally, the tape transport mechanism was modified in order to further decrease the access time. The result is a smaller recorder consisting of fewer components and having better performance than the original one. Typically, a storage capacity on the order of 50–100 Gbyte is possible in a small cassette. Bit rates are up to 25 Mbit/s. An access time of less than 3 s was realized for 50 Gbytes of storage capacity.