The F6473K, which began shipping in July 1993, was Fujitsu’s high-performance magnetic tape unit that used IBM 3490-format tape media. Fujitsu already had the F6470 magnetic tape unit (which started shipping in September 1987) that worked with IBM 3480-format tape media and the F6473A (which started shipping in March 1991) that could be expanded to house up to four drives. The F6473K, however, increased the storage capacity per tape fourfold to address needs for more data by utilizing double-length tape and a 36-track recording format.
- The F6473K had the following features:
- （1）The 36-track magnetic head, which used thin-film technology, could record 75,742 bytes per inch; this, plus the use of double-length cartridges, enabled per-cartridge storage capacities of up to 800 MB
- （2）The unit recorded in a two-pass 18-track serpentine pattern and could read 18-track media
Note: The name serpentine came from the snake-like pattern that resulted from multi-pass tape recording
| F6473K magnetic tape unit |
F6473A magnetic tape unit |
F6470 magnetic tape unit |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial shipping date | July 1993 | March 1991 | September 1987 |
| Tape media | Single-reel tape cartridges (width: 1/2 inch, length: 1,080 feet*1) |
Single-reel tape cartridges (width: 1/2 inch, length: 540 feet) |
Single-reel tape cartridges (width: 1/2 inch, length: 540 feet) |
| Cartridge dimensions [mm] | 110 x 128 x 26 (w x d x h) | 110 x 128 x 26 (w x d x h) | 110 x 128 x 26 (w x d x h) |
| Number of drive decks [decks/unit] | FACOM6473A4:4 FACOM6473A2:2 |
FACOM6473A4:4 FACOM6473A2:2 |
2 |
| Recording density [bytes/inch] | 75,742 | 37,871 | 37,871 |
| Recording tracks | 36(two-pass 18-track serpentine) | 18 | 18 |
| Recording format | GCR | GCR | GCR |
| Data transfer speed [MB/s] | 3.0 | 3.0 | FACOM6470A:3.0 FACOM6470B:1.5 |
| Tape speed [inches/s] | 78.7 | 78.7 | FACOM6470A:78.7 FACOM6470B:39.3 |
| Storage capacity [MB/volume] | 800 max.（*2） (~2,400 with data compression) |
200 max.（*3） (~400 with data compression) |
200 max.（*3） (~400 with data compression) |
| Access time [ms] | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Rewind time [s] | 40/80*1 | 40 | 55 |
| Unload time [s] | 7/10*1 | 7 | 7 |
| Autoloader | Autoloader with six-cartridge capacity | Autoloader with six-cartridge capacity | Autoloader with six-cartridge capacity |
*1. With double-length tape.
*2. When recording data in 32 Kbyte blocks with double-length tape.
*3. When recording data in 32 Kbyte blocks.