In January 1987, NEC announced the N7641-21 cartridge magnetic tape unit which used 1/2-inch wide cartridge magnetic tapes, and the N7642-21 cartridge magnetic tape unit with auto changer which added a magnetic tape cartridge automatic changer and storage rack to the magnetic tape drive of the N7641-21.
The 1/2-inch cartridge magnetic tape (540 feet long) had a capacity of 200MB, even though it was 1/4 the size of conventional 1/2-inch open reel magnetic tape. These units used a thin film head for writing and an MR (magnetoresistance element) for reading, and data transfer was done at a high speed of 3MB/s.
| Model name | N7641-21 | N7642-21 |
|---|---|---|
| Media specifications | Width 1/2inch,Length 540feet,18tracks,Capacity approx. 200MB | |
| Cartridge dimensions(mm) | 109(W)×125(D)×25.4(H) | |
| Recording density(byte/inch) | 38000 | |
| Tape speed(m/s) | 2 | |
| Data transfer speed(MB/s) | 3 | |
| Max. memory capacity(GB) | - | 3.2(with 16 tapes) |
| External dimensions(mm) | 520(W)×720(D)×1000(H) | - |
