History (1993): LaserByte Introduced First Product, 3.5 M-O Drive

LaserByte Corporation (Sunnyvale, CA), a US start-up, has just introduced its first product, the LB3 128, a 3.5-inch magneto-optical drive with an average seek time of 28ms on a 128MB disk.

The multifunction drive supports partial read-only-memory (PROM) media, optical read-only memory (O-ROM) and rewritable media, and complies with the ISO standard for compatibility with 128 M byte 3.5-inch optical disks.

It is being marketed to OEMs, VARs, and systems integrators through LaserByte’s national sales force.

“The L83128 raises the bar in terms of performance in rewritable optical drives,” said Robert (Bobby) Toda, president and CEO. “We’ve addressed users’ performance leader for M-O drives. As an American optical storage company, we intend to build alliances with OEM customers and collaborate with them on the design of next generation products that continue to lead the market in performance.”

The LB3 128 features a standard 256KB, or optional 1MB onboard buffer and includes an embedded SCSI that also supports all mandatory SCSI-I commands.

Additional features include burst transfer rates of 4MB/s and sustained rates of 768KBs/s.

The drive includes self-test diagnostics and automatic calibration routines embedded in microcode to provide added reliability, a 3,600rpm spindle and a cartridge loading mechanism with motorized eject that is specified for 10,000 cartridge insertion cycles.

The LB3 128 incorporates LaserByte’s proprietary, patent pending optical mechanical assemble (OMA) that helps achieve the 28ms seek time. The OMA utilizes split optics so that only part of the optics are resident on the drive’s actuator, making it lighter and faster. The split optics, combined with LaserByte’s low mass carriage design, enable the actuator to move across the disk faster.

In addition, the LB31 28 incorporates an enhanced seek algorithm embedded in microcode that provides for faster access to data on the optical media.

Pricing for the standard configuration of the LB3 128 is $800 for OEM evaluation units.

Sample quantities are available immediately, with production scheduled for 4Q93.

LaserByte has a strategic partnership with Hyundai Electronics of Korea, with Hyundai holding a 55%t ownership in LaserByte, The Korean company will provide LaserByte’s volume manufacturing in its Ichon factory.

This article is an abstract of news published on the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter on issue 66, published on July 1993.