Re: Digital hard drive (was Re: project)

[mjk31124@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael J. K.)]

90taobri@wave.scar.utoronto.ca (TAO BRIAN T) writes:

>> How about building a digital scsi drive with chips instead of a platter,
>> less energy, fast, and include like a battery backup that keep the drive
>> alive for months or years incase of power failure.

>    It's been done already.  The problem is expense.  You can pick up
>hard drives (external ones, even) for a lot less than $3 a meg.  This
>"digital hard drive" you envision would simply be a very large
>battery-backed RAM disk in a separate housing with a SCSI connector.  At
[stuff about high costs deleted]

Some years ago Canon announced a prototype storage system that utilized
credit card-sized non-volitale RAM cards.  The early systems had a box
which connected to your PC via SCSI interface and had 8 slots for the 
cards.  Each card was in itself a volume holding about 2megs.  I liked
the idea because there was no power supply to worry about.  Of course
the idea was shelved with the introduction of low cost hard drives...

As RAM densities get higher, I think the idea of slim storage cards of
20meg+ capacites would be interesting.  Yes it would be expensive but
the advantages of non-volitale memory and instant access is something to
consider.             ^^^^^^^^ sp?
BTW:  just how fast are flopticals?  Access and throughput?

I'm going to dig up my old issues of Popular Science and find that
article...  If anyone wants details email me.

-- 
-- Michael J. Kim (aka mips)  |  -Industrial Designer-
-- mjk31124@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu  |  -RCA, London or bust-