[net.periphs] Storing Data on a VCR

rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard) (04/17/86)

The original article was put in net.micro.pc, but is being sent to
net.periphs in hopes of getting wider input.
In article <169@ablnc.UUCP> rcpilz@ablnc.UUCP (Robert C. Pilz) writes:
>
> 
>I just read about a new device that can transform a videocassette
>recorder, (I assume either Beta-format of VHS), into a backup
>storage system for the PC's hard disk.
>My questions are:
>Has anyone used such a device? If so, how long does it take to do a backup?
>Are there problems, recommendations?

I haven't used the Alpha-Micro system, but Corvus also has (had) a
"VCR Backup" interface.  It worked fairly well (no serious problems),
and used the video in/out plugs.  As I recall, it was a "pure streamer"
and couldn't start/stop, so the whole disk had to be backed up and
restored, single file backup wasn't possible.  This was several years
ago.  Backup took about 1 minute/meg.

Conservatively, VCR technology can store 1 megabyte per second, and
VHS tapes can be packed to 6 hours.

Actually, with slight changes in the drive motors, it would be possible
to store something like 7 Gigabytes on a VCR (anyone interested
in the library of congress :-) unformatted.  I remember a guy working
on a "helical head tape drive" that used stepper motor tranport, and
VCR-like heads with digital comparators and other special modifications
to the VCR which could theoretically store 30 Gigabytes.  I don't
know what happened to it, or him (he was buying the original video
disk players in hopes of turning them in to disk drives).

Does anybody know what else might be available in "helical head"
drives?

jk@tut.UUCP (#Juha Kuusama) (05/04/86)

In article <> rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard) writes:
>Conservatively, VCR technology can store 1 megabyte per second, and
>VHS tapes can be packed to 6 hours.
>
>Actually, with slight changes in the drive motors, it would be possible
>to store something like 7 Gigabytes on a VCR

A company called Valeport Developments Ltd. ( Unit 7, Townstal Industrial
Estate, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9LX, England; telex 42669 (VALEPT G); tel.
(08043) 3133/3146/4147/4347) makes a data recorder based on VCR technology.

The device is a standard 19" rack unit, 3U high, can store 1.75 gigabytes
and interfaces to RS232C, RS423 and IEEE 488.

I have no information about the prices, availability etc., but I got
the papers over an year ago, and it seemed that the device was real then :-)

Juha Kuusama ( jk@tut.UUCP )

joel@peora.UUCP (Joel Upchurch) (05/06/86)

In article <> rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard) writes:
>Conservatively, VCR technology can store 1 megabyte per second, and
>VHS tapes can be packed to 6 hours.
>
>Actually, with slight changes in the drive motors, it would be possible
>to store something like 7 Gigabytes on a VCR

In an article in the May 1986 BYTE on page 171 it says that  Honeywell
has  a  device  that can store 10,000 megabytes i.e. 10 gigabytes on a
VHS cassette.  It says that they use a VHS transport  with  their  own
encoding and decoding electronics.
-- 
     Joel Upchurch @ CONCURRENT Computer Corporation (A Perkin-Elmer Company)
     Southern Development Center
     2486 Sand Lake Road/ Orlando, Florida 32809/ (305)850-1031
     {decvax!ucf-cs, ihnp4!pesnta, vax135!petsd}!peora!joel