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• Acronym: SCOTSMAN
• ESPRIT Project #21674

Participants

• Nomaï SA [F], Co-ordinating Partner
• Calluna Technology Ltd. [UK], Partner
• Silmag SA [F], Partner
• Myrica (UK) Ltd. [UK], Associate Partner
• Fast Multimedia AG [D], Associate Partner

Objectives

The purpose of this 18-month ESPRIT project – which started in February 1996 – was to develop the following items:

• a high capacity 3½" removable cartridge magnetic disk drive together with a range of application-optimised 3½" cartridges – plus a prototype version using ultra high areal density heads
• a high capacity 1.8" PC Card magnetic disk drive – plus a prototype version using ultra high areal density heads
• an 800 Mbpsi planar inductive head – plus a prototype 1.5 Gbpsi version
• a prototype GMR planar head
• a video editing demonstration system using the cartridge drive

European links

This project built on ESPRIT III's MagDrive project (EP 9257), in which Nomaï, Myrica and Acorn developed a 540MB removable magnetic cartridge drive – marketed as the MCD (Multimedia Cartridge Drive). Silmag's work in the project built on MIHFAD (EP 6189), in which they and other partners developed their planar heads for 400Mbit/sqin applications.

Approach

The only two indigenous disk drive development companies in Europe, Myrica and Calluna, addressed different niche markets, and yet a large part of their design activity was very similar. As both developed their next generation of products, it therefore made perfect sense for them to collaborate in Scotsman by drawing on the advanced technologies being developed for the mainstream fixed disk drive industry. Myrica's French parent company, Nomaï, had strong expertise in removable storage products, particularly magnetic disk cartridges, and used this to develop a range of cartridges – for a number of different applications – that were compatible with Myrica's drive.

Silmag, another French company, invented a superior type of disk drive head, and was the only company manufacturing these planar silicon thin film heads for the industry. Their technology proved to be extremely versatile, and they planned to enhance their current designs in a number of ways. They first improved the areal density capabilities of their conventional inductive products, whilst simultaneously applying their planar construction in the development of a revolutionary Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) version. The unique, advanced capabilities of both types of head were used to allow Myrica and Calluna to offer products at the very leading edge of disk drive technology.

To ensure that the cartridge drive wais focused clearly on the needs of the market, it was guided by an aggressive user of such products. The German company, Fast Multimedia, used disk drives in a very demanding multimedia application: video editing – a field where they were a world leader.