Jim Rankin wrote:
>
> --- Tim Jones <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > Ditto Max drives don't even have a FORMAT command in
> > their firmware.
> > Sorry, no dice.
> >
>
> WOW! What a lemon! You just saved me much grief.
> Thanks!
Actually, it's a very good drive so long as you stay within its design
parameters. With the latest ftape on a high speed machine (233MHz +)
and the Ditto DASH EZ Accellerator card, it's a relatively good, low
cost option for backup. However, with drives like the OnStream DI-30
providing 1MB/sec, a native capacity of 15GB per tape, an ATAPI
interface, and a price of $299, it's hard to accept the MUCH lower
performance and 1/3 the capacity of a drive like the Max (or other
QIC-117 drives).
> Looks like ALL the newer tape drives on the market are
> rigged against older and/or other manufacturer's tapes
> one way or another, so I guess I'll buy a used, older
> drive at auctions.
If you're price sensitive, then an older TR-3 may be your answer. Just
keep in mind that you'll only see around 250k/sec and media is becoming
scarce and very expensive in $/MB valuation.
> Seems to me this might be an arena for a class action
> lawsuit eventually, what with all the rigged,
> anticompetitive models being made!?
Well, that's going a bit far. The problem with the Max/TR-3 issue is
one of head assembly. Some time, the laws of manufacturing and physics
prohibit carrying forward old technology. In order to create a head
assembly that can place 90+ tracks on a piece of tape that is .318"
wide, the physical magnet pieces have to be so small that they could not
possibly write a track wide enough to be recognized by a TR-3 capable
head. Plus, the magnetic properties of the new, thinner media makes the
electronic model much different between drive types.
There is another version of the Max drive out there, called the Ditto
Max Merkat Formatter. If you would like one, you can possibly pick one
up from Tecmar for around $1,200.00. This price isn't because of high
profits -- this is what it costs to make the drive. It was designed for
tape media manufacturers so it will actually format a tape in 1/4 the
time a normal drive would require. Of course, you can't use it for
writing data....
--
Tim Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Vice President http://www.estinc.com/
Enhanced Software Technologies, Inc. (602) 470-1115
"The BRU Guys"
