SDT5200 Sony DDS2 4GB DAT Drive without compression

Description

The SDT5200 is the Sony DDS2 internal SCSI DAT drive without data compression.

The DDS / DAT (Digital Data Storage / Digital Audio Tape) format was initially developed by a collaboration between Sony, HP and Digital in 1991 and uses helical scanning for recording, the same process used by a video cassette recorder (VCR). If errors are present, the write heads rewrite the data.

DDS DAT tapes used between Sony DDS1 and the DDS4 have a width of 3.81mm, known as 4mm, to give a compressed capacity of up to 40GB.

The Sony SDT-5200 half height tape drive is the second generation in the DDS family and the first version of the DDS2 drive that Sony produced. It was manufactured by Sony for vendors including Compaq and Dell, for use as standalone internal and external drives targetting the small business market.

The SDT-5200 DDS2 offers 4GB native capacity on a single tape at transfer speeds of up to 366KBps or 1.25GB per hour Native. The SDT-5200 is unusual in that it does not have data compression and so cannot write using compression and cannot read from data tapes that have been written using a compressed format.

The SDT-5200 drive employs the same technology as previous DAT products, and uses DDS2
media in order to achieve higher capacities. However, it maintains backward compatibility and can still read and write data to DDS2 and DDS1 4mm tapes. As mentioned above the SDT-5200 cannot read from data tapes that have been written using a compressed format.

The SDT-5200 was only available in 50pin SE SCSI-2, interface versions.

Media Compatibility

Data Cartridge	Native Capacity	Compatibility
DDS1 60M 4mm data cartridge	1.3GB	Read and Write
DDS1 90M 4mm data cartridge	2GB	Read and Write
DDS2 120M 4mm data cartridge	4GB	Read and Write

The SDT-5200 cannot read from data tapes that have been written using a compressed format.

This refurbished product comes complete with a full 6 month return to base warranty.

For help and information on DDS DAT drive repairs
and repairs of other tape drives please visit Tape-Drive-Repair.com

For DDS DAT Tape Media please click HERE