History (1995): QIC Travan

This article was published by the Museum of Obsolete Media.

Travan (1995-2002)

Travan is a magnetic tape format based on QIC and introduced by 3M in 1995.

Although based on QIC (Quarter Inch Cartridge), Travan tapes use 8mm wide tape of 750 feet.

The tape is not attached to the hubs, and is prevented from coming off at the ends using small holes punched in the tape, which are detected by optical sensors in the tape drive using a 45°C mirror inside and a window on the side the cartridge.

There have been several generations of Travan, beginning with TR-1 that had a capacity of 400MB on 36 tracks, to TR-7 with 20GB capacity on 108 tracks.

Travan technology does not automatically verify data after writing, and this must be done separately otherwise it is possible for backups to be found to be corrupt and unusable when the tapes need to be used.