This is the HiFD product that Cirrus has design wins at Fuji and Sony.
This will be announced shortly. THis is from the sony web page
New Technologies: HiFD
Sony has always provided the most innovative solutions for
personal and network storage needs. Sony continues its history
of innovation with the announcement of HiFD, a 200 MB floppy
disk drive technology to replace your existing floppy drive. Sony
expects to have this technology available for purchase by the
general public in the Spring of 1998. Below is the preliminary
information on this newest technology from Sony.
HiFD Technology
Sony takes the standard floppy disk drive out of low gear and
shifts it into high! For years, people have been predicting the
replacement of the standard floppy disk. The current 3.5-inch
floppy is not enough to handle the new data intensive and
performance sensitive applications of today, but is too
entrenched in the computer world to give up. Now, Sony, a
leader in drive and media technology, together with FujiFilm, an
expert in media recording, present the floppy disk solution. This
high capacity floppy disk will be called HiFD (High FD). The
HiFD format provides a 200 MB capacity with a fast 3.6 MB/s
transfer rate, backward compatibility with 3.5-inch floppy disks
and high reliability similar to today's hard disk drives. With the
creation of HiFD, users finally have an easy upgrade path. The
new HiFD gives users the high capacity they need, the fast
performance they require, the backward compatibility they
demand and the high reliability they expect.
HiFD HIGHLIGHTS
Backwards Compatibility with 1.44 MB floppy (read/write
compatibility)
The HiFD drive offers the user full read and write backward
compatibility with current 3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy disks. With
the huge installed base of floppy disk drives and media, it is
essential that the next generation product be backward
compatible with the current FDD. Sony is able to achieve this
by using a "dual discrete gap head" that allows read and write
compatibility between the HiFD drive and current 1.44 MB
3.5-inch floppy disks.
Large Storage Capacity- 200 MB
The HiFD drive can easily handle large data files such as
graphics, digitized video or audio. A typical application such as
a PowerPointr presentation would generally take up several
standard floppy disks. With HiFD's 200 MB capacity, this
problem is significantly reduced. Sony realized a 200 Megabyte
storage capacity by using a super-thin layer metal disk coating
and a dual discrete gap head.
High Data Transfer Rate and Quick Access
3.6 MB/s maximum transfer rate (read)
1.2 MB/s maximum transfer rate (write)
The HiFD drive, with a maximum transfer rate of 3.6 MB/s, can
transfer information about 60 times faster than the conventional
3.5-inch floppy drive. Because of the high linear density of the
HiFD disk and the 3,600 rpm rotational speed of the HiFD
drive, HiFD is fast enough to play back full motion video. In
addition, the dual discrete gap head (flying head type) similar to
those used in hard disk drives, and a high speed head actuator
with VCM (voice coil motor) provide the quick access speed.
High Reliability of the Media
HiFD media protects information in several ways. First, a new
structure in which head-loading is done softly, reduces wear on
the disk. Next, an error correction scheme ensures high data
reliability. Finally, the cartridge uses a new shutter that protects
the disk from dust. All of this care is taken in producing media
which will protect your information investment.
SPECIFICATIONS
Recording Capacity: 200 MB (formatted), 240 MB
(unformatted)
Disk Diameter: 86 mm
Dimension: 94 mm x 90 mm x 3.3 mm (3.5-inch type)
Track Pitch: 9 m (micrometers)
Track Density: 2822 TPI (111 tpmm)
Linear Recording Density: 72-91 kb pi (2.83-3.58 kb
pmm)
Encoding/Decoding Method: PRML (16-17 code)
Transfer Rate: 3.6 MB/s (max.)
c1997 Sony Electronics Inc.
Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is
prohibited. All rights reserved.
Sony, Storage by Sony and the HiFD logo are trademarks of
Sony. PowerPoint is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Nonmetric weights and measurements are approximate.
Features and specifications subject to change without notice. |
