Date: Mon, 30 Dec 1996 12:53:06 +0000 From: Simon Reading <aat81@dial.pipex.com> To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> Cc: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org, grog@lemis.de, se@freebsd.org Subject: Re: DAT reliability Message-ID: <3.0.32.19961230125151.0068a21c@pop.dial.pipex.com>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 12:59 30/12/96 +1030, Michael Smith wrote: >Simon Reading stands accused of saying: >> >> Do you have any experience of the SDT-7000? > >Not directly, no. > >> The SDT-7000 has a drum rotational speed twice that of the SDT-5200 >> (as Greg noted, to enhance performance). Running a drive at a >> higher speed can only make it more susceptible to mechanical >> failure. > >That presumes that everything else is the same, which isn't even close >to valid. This is precisely why I asked the question 'Do you have any experience of the SDT-7000?'. > The SDT-7000, as has been observed, has a completely >different head assembly design. The transport, insofar as any >helical-scan transport can be, is pretty good. You can whine all you >like about consumer-grade product, but TBH your average consumer-grade >transport is pretty bloody good. Sony are going to hurt a lot more >with 5% returns on a consumer product than on a computer product. 1. As you say, the SDT-7000 is a new design. Like ANY new product, I would expect more teething troubles than one which has been out in the market for longer. (NB. I'm not saying this was the cause of my problems). 2. The comment about consumer grade product was Paul Rubin's, not mine. 3. How many people listen to their DAT player four hours _every day_? How long would it last if they did? >> I would guess that the 5200 has been >> out for longer and that any bugs/problems would be more likely to be >> observed/sorted out than any with the 7000. The small price difference >> between the two models make me think that there has been little change in >> the funamental mechanism design and that 8000rpm may be too fast to >> transport the tape using the existing mechanism. > >The price of the unit has little or nothing to do with its cost, >design or taste when deep-fried. I've observed over the last few >years that as a general rule, most DAT units "just work". I've only >met a few "persistent plaintifs" who seem never to be able to get a >working unit. There are two separate issues here. 1. Infant mortality. The reason why I returned my SDT-7000 was because it didn't work. The reason why I have not exchanged for another SDT-7000, is in case it is a problem with the batch. (I can't afford to waste time with another dud). Fait accompli. 2. Expected Lifetime. As stated before, I'm much more interested in how long I could expect a DDS-2 to last. From correspondence I've received I'd guess 18 months+ light usage, six months or so heavy usage (I'm happy to be corrected on this). Does one DDS-2 manufacturer produce more reliable drives than another? I don't think we're much closer to an answer on this question. Regards Simon
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?3.0.32.19961230125151.0068a21c>