Quarter inch cartridge tape (abbreviated QIC, commonly pronounced "quick") is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972,[1] with derivatives still in use as of 2016. QIC comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic that holds two tape reels driven by a single belt in direct contact with the tape. The tape was originally 1⁄4 inch (6.35 mm) wide and anywhere from 300 to 1,500 feet (91 to 457 m) long. Data is written linearly along the length of the tape in one track[1] (mostly on pre-1980 equipment), or written "serpentine", one track at a time, the drive reversing direction at the end of the tape, and each track's data written in the opposite direction to its neighbor. Since its introduction, it has been widely used, and many variations exist. There is a QIC trade association that publishes QIC standards which include interfaces and logical formats. To a very large extent it was the efficiency and openness of this organization which encouraged hardware and software developers to use this type of drive and media.
Quarter inch cartridges: left, 400MB (QIC-EX); right, 120MB (QIC-80)
The QIC cartridge is distinguished from other types of tape cartridges by containing an endless drive belt which is moved at a uniform speed by a motorised capstan. Since the belt is in contact with the tape, this ensures both that the tape moves at uniform speed, and that neutral tension is maintained at all times. This is in contrast to cassette tapes or DATs, where the tape is moved past the head by a capstan and pinch wheel, but the takeup reel is driven by a servo motor or slipping clutch.
The tape in a QIC cartridge is not physically attached to the reels and is never completely unwound. This is again different from other cassettes or cartridges, which generally have some form of clip anchoring on at least one end of the tape. To ensure that the tape is never completely unwound, each end has a small beginning or end of tape hole which is detected by an optical sensor, and an "early warning" hole further from each end. If a defective drive—for example with fluff in a sensor—winds the tape past the BOT or EOT marker, the tape will detach from the spool and the cartridge will be unusable unless it is reattached.
The design of the QIC tape cartridge is very robust: the aluminium baseplate is 1⁄10 inch (2.54 mm) thick, and the robust plastic cover can withstand abuse and impacts that would damage other tape formats.
However, because the tape is belt-driven, seeking back and forth can eventually cause the tape to become unevenly tensioned. It is therefore necessary to periodically retension the cartridge. This is accomplished by winding the tape from beginning to end and back in one operation, allowing the belt to equalize itself. For newer QIC drives that use a SCSI interface, there is a SCSI "RETENSION" command to do this.
When the cartridge gets old, the belt may not provide enough friction to turn the takeup spool smoothly. When this happens, the tape will need to be replaced.
In some cases a cartridge must be formatted before use. The capability to do this is in the drive rather than the host computer.
The first QIC tape format was the 5+7⁄8 inches (150 mm) by 3+7⁄8 inches (98 mm) Data Cartridge (DC) format with two internal belt-driven reels and a metal base. The original product, the DC300, has 300 feet of tape and holds 200 kilobytes. Various QIC DC recording formats have appeared over the years,[2] including:
QIC-11: a four-track format giving 20 MB on a 450 ft DC300XL cartridge[3]
QIC-24: nine-track, 45 MB or 60 MB on a 450 or 600 ft DC600A cartridge, respectively[4]
QIC-525: 26-track, 525 MB on a 1020 ft DC6525 cartridge[7]
QIC-1350: 30-track, 1.35 GB on a DC9135 cartridge[8]
Other QIC DC standards include the QIC-02 and QIC-36 drive interface standards. Later QIC DC drives usually use the QIC-104/111SCSI and QIC-121 SCSI-2 interfaces.[5][9]
Other Data Cartridge (DC) look-alikes:
3M DC600HC, a preformatted tape with 16 tracks on 600 foot DC600A and software-based EOT/BOT detection. HP used these in the HP914x type of cartridge drives.
QIC Mini Cartridge (MC)
Later, the smaller Minicartridge (MC) form-factor was introduced. This is 2+3⁄8 inches (60 mm) by 3+1⁄8 inches (79 mm) size and is small enough to fit in a 3+1⁄2-inch (90 mm) drive bay.
Travan is an evolution of the QIC Minicartridge format, sold for personal computer use. This version, developed by 3M, uses a longer and wider (8 mm) tape to give higher capacities.[14]
SLR is Tandberg Data's name for its line of high-capacity QIC data cartridge drives. As of 2005, Tandberg was the only manufacturer of SLR/QIC drives in the world. The largest SLR drive can hold 70 GB of data (140 GB compressed).[1]
QIC-Wide
A variant from Sony that uses a wider .315 inch (8 mm) tape and increases the recording density. QIC-Wide drives are backwards compatible with QIC tapes.[15]
QIC-EX
QIC Extra, a modification to support longer tapes and thus more data by the Verbatim Corporation, was made possible by making the cartridges physically longer to accommodate larger spools.[16] In many cases a standard QIC drive and backup package can use the extended length to store additional data, however in some cases an attempt to reformat a QIC-EX cartridge fails since the time taken to traverse the extra length triggers a timeout in the drive or controlling software intended to detect a broken tape.
QIC-157
An interface standard for tape drives using the ATAPI (IDE) interface.[17]
^"New on the Market: TG-4020 and TG-4045". PC Magazine: 560. July 1983.
^James Winsor (2003). Solaris Operating Environment System Administrator's Guide. p. 245. ISBN978-0131014015.
^ abM. David Stone (October 16, 1990). "Backing Up: Guide to Media Choices". PC Magazine: 283.
^M. David Stone (October 16, 1990). "QIC 150 Tape Drives: The Rising Star for Backup". PC Magazine: 270.
^J.K. Petersen (2002). The Telecommunications Illustrated Dictionary (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 768.
^Oliver Rist (April 14, 1992). "Backup Alternatives: What's Out There". PC Magazine: 196.
^John Black, ed. (1992). The System Engineers Handbook (1 ed.). p. 324. ISBN978-0121028206.
^ abc"Everex Systems Excel 60F". InfoWorld: 58, 62. July 23, 1990.
^Andrei Khurshudov (2001). The Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage: From Floppy to DVD. Prentice Hall. p. 140. ISBN978-0130927392.
^Catherine D. Miller (August 1989). "Beyond Floppy Disks: A Look at Backup Alternatives". PC Magazine.
^Scott Mueller (2003). Upgrading and Repairing PCs (14 ed.). Que. p. 698.
^Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Scott Seebass, Trent Hein (2000). Unix System Administration Handbook (3 ed.). pp. 172, 175. ISBN978-0-13-020601-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^M. David Stone (February 7, 1995). "The Bigger Backup". PC Magazine: 238.
^"PC Magazine Encyclopedia: Definition of: QIC-EX". PC Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
^"PC Magazine Encyclopedia: Definition of: QIC-157". PC Magazine.
External links
The QIC international trade organisation
List of different QIC formats
January 17, 2023
quarter, inch, cartridge, other, uses, cartridge, disambiguation, quarter, inch, cartridge, tape, abbreviated, commonly, pronounced, quick, magnetic, tape, data, storage, format, introduced, 1972, with, derivatives, still, 2016, comes, rugged, enclosed, packag. For other uses see Cartridge disambiguation Quarter inch cartridge tape abbreviated QIC commonly pronounced quick is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972 1 with derivatives still in use as of 2016 QIC comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic that holds two tape reels driven by a single belt in direct contact with the tape The tape was originally 1 4 inch 6 35 mm wide and anywhere from 300 to 1 500 feet 91 to 457 m long Data is written linearly along the length of the tape in one track 1 mostly on pre 1980 equipment or written serpentine one track at a time the drive reversing direction at the end of the tape and each track s data written in the opposite direction to its neighbor Since its introduction it has been widely used and many variations exist There is a QIC trade association that publishes QIC standards which include interfaces and logical formats To a very large extent it was the efficiency and openness of this organization which encouraged hardware and software developers to use this type of drive and media Quarter inch cartridges left 400MB QIC EX right 120MB QIC 80 Contents 1 Features of QIC 2 Generations 2 1 3M Data Cartridge DC 2 2 QIC Mini Cartridge MC 2 3 Travan TR 2 4 SLR 2 5 QIC Wide 2 6 QIC EX 2 7 QIC 157 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksFeatures of QIC EditThe QIC cartridge is distinguished from other types of tape cartridges by containing an endless drive belt which is moved at a uniform speed by a motorised capstan Since the belt is in contact with the tape this ensures both that the tape moves at uniform speed and that neutral tension is maintained at all times This is in contrast to cassette tapes or DATs where the tape is moved past the head by a capstan and pinch wheel but the takeup reel is driven by a servo motor or slipping clutch The tape in a QIC cartridge is not physically attached to the reels and is never completely unwound This is again different from other cassettes or cartridges which generally have some form of clip anchoring on at least one end of the tape To ensure that the tape is never completely unwound each end has a small beginning or end of tape hole which is detected by an optical sensor and an early warning hole further from each end If a defective drive for example with fluff in a sensor winds the tape past the BOT or EOT marker the tape will detach from the spool and the cartridge will be unusable unless it is reattached The design of the QIC tape cartridge is very robust the aluminium baseplate is 1 10 inch 2 54 mm thick and the robust plastic cover can withstand abuse and impacts that would damage other tape formats However because the tape is belt driven seeking back and forth can eventually cause the tape to become unevenly tensioned It is therefore necessary to periodically retension the cartridge This is accomplished by winding the tape from beginning to end and back in one operation allowing the belt to equalize itself For newer QIC drives that use a SCSI interface there is a SCSI RETENSION command to do this When the cartridge gets old the belt may not provide enough friction to turn the takeup spool smoothly When this happens the tape will need to be replaced In some cases a cartridge must be formatted before use The capability to do this is in the drive rather than the host computer Generations Edit3M Data Cartridge DC Edit QIC DC 600A cassette SunOS 4 1 1 QIC 24 tape The first QIC tape format was the 5 7 8 inches 150 mm by 3 7 8 inches 98 mm Data Cartridge DC format with two internal belt driven reels and a metal base The original product the DC300 has 300 feet of tape and holds 200 kilobytes Various QIC DC recording formats have appeared over the years 2 including QIC 11 a four track format giving 20 MB on a 450 ft DC300XL cartridge 3 QIC 24 nine track 45 MB or 60 MB on a 450 or 600 ft DC600A cartridge respectively 4 QIC 120 15 track 125 MB DC6150 cartridge 5 QIC 150 18 track 150 MB DC6150 cartridge 6 QIC 525 26 track 525 MB on a 1020 ft DC6525 cartridge 7 QIC 1350 30 track 1 35 GB on a DC9135 cartridge 8 Other QIC DC standards include the QIC 02 and QIC 36 drive interface standards Later QIC DC drives usually use the QIC 104 111 SCSI and QIC 121 SCSI 2 interfaces 5 9 Other Data Cartridge DC look alikes 3M DC600HC a preformatted tape with 16 tracks on 600 foot DC600A and software based EOT BOT detection HP used these in the HP914x type of cartridge drives QIC Mini Cartridge MC Edit Later the smaller Minicartridge MC form factor was introduced This is 2 3 8 inches 60 mm by 3 1 8 inches 79 mm size and is small enough to fit in a 3 1 2 inch 90 mm drive bay QIC 40 20 track DC2000 mini cartridge 205 ft 40 MB 10 20 track DC2000XL mini cartridge 307 ft 60 MB 10 QIC 80 28 track DC2080 mini cartridge 205 ft 80 MB 11 28 track DC2120 mini cartridge 307 ft 120 MB 10 The QIC 40 and QIC 80 were designed to use the same floppy disk controller as a standard floppy drive 12 with MFM or RLL encoding 13 Travan TR Edit 40GB Travan tape cartridge Main article Travan Travan is an evolution of the QIC Minicartridge format sold for personal computer use This version developed by 3M uses a longer and wider 8 mm tape to give higher capacities 14 Format Capacity MB Speed kB s TracksQIC 80 80 500 62 5 28 36TR 1 400 62 5 36TR 1EX 500 62 5 36QIC 3010 340 62 5 40 50TR 2 800 62 5 50QIC 3020 670 62 5 40 50TR 3 1 600 125 50TR 3EX 2 200 125 50QIC 3080 1 200 1 600 125 60 72TR 4 4 000 1024 72QIC 3095 4 000 1024 72TR 5 10 000 1024 108SLR Edit Main article Scalable Linear Recording SLR is Tandberg Data s name for its line of high capacity QIC data cartridge drives As of 2005 Tandberg was the only manufacturer of SLR QIC drives in the world The largest SLR drive can hold 70 GB of data 140 GB compressed 1 QIC Wide Edit A variant from Sony that uses a wider 315 inch 8 mm tape and increases the recording density QIC Wide drives are backwards compatible with QIC tapes 15 QIC EX Edit QIC Extra a modification to support longer tapes and thus more data by the Verbatim Corporation was made possible by making the cartridges physically longer to accommodate larger spools 16 In many cases a standard QIC drive and backup package can use the extended length to store additional data however in some cases an attempt to reformat a QIC EX cartridge fails since the time taken to traverse the extra length triggers a timeout in the drive or controlling software intended to detect a broken tape QIC 157 Edit An interface standard for tape drives using the ATAPI IDE interface 17 See also EditApple Tape Backup 40SCReferences Edit a b c Larry Coyne 2011 IBM Tape Library Guide for Open Systems p 9 ISBN 978 0738435558 Development Standards Adopted by QIC New on the Market TG 4020 and TG 4045 PC Magazine 560 July 1983 James Winsor 2003 Solaris Operating Environment System Administrator s Guide p 245 ISBN 978 0131014015 a b M David Stone October 16 1990 Backing Up Guide to Media Choices PC Magazine 283 M David Stone October 16 1990 QIC 150 Tape Drives The Rising Star for Backup PC Magazine 270 J K Petersen 2002 The Telecommunications Illustrated Dictionary 2 ed CRC Press p 768 Oliver Rist April 14 1992 Backup Alternatives What s Out There PC Magazine 196 John Black ed 1992 The System Engineers Handbook 1 ed p 324 ISBN 978 0121028206 a b c Everex Systems Excel 60F InfoWorld 58 62 July 23 1990 Andrei Khurshudov 2001 The Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage From Floppy to DVD Prentice Hall p 140 ISBN 978 0130927392 Catherine D Miller August 1989 Beyond Floppy Disks A Look at Backup Alternatives PC Magazine Scott Mueller 2003 Upgrading and Repairing PCs 14 ed Que p 698 Evi Nemeth Garth Snyder Scott Seebass Trent Hein 2000 Unix System Administration Handbook 3 ed pp 172 175 ISBN 978 0 13 020601 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint uses authors parameter link M David Stone February 7 1995 The Bigger Backup PC Magazine 238 PC Magazine Encyclopedia Definition of QIC EX PC Magazine Retrieved October 11 2016 PC Magazine Encyclopedia Definition of QIC 157 PC Magazine External links EditThe QIC international trade organisation List of different QIC formats Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Quarter inch cartridge amp oldid 1107253086, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
