Formation to Supply 25TB on Rugged HDDs to Conduant

Formation, Inc. announced that Conduant Corporation, a developer of high speed recording and playback systems, has selected its ToughDisk 3500 SATA (TD3500 SATA) Rugged Hard Disk for use in data recorders for a technology demonstration project.

Conduant is integrating 25 terabytes (TBs) of TD3500 SATA storage into its Big River LTX2 High Speed Data Recorders. The recorders will collect data on NASA’s WB-57 aircraft, a mid-wing, long-range airplane capable of operating for extended periods of time at altitudes ranging from sea level to greater than 60,000 feet. Five recorders will each house 16 TD3500 SATA disks for a total storage capacity of over 25 TBs. The reliability of the LTX2 coupled with TD3500 SATA creates an ideal high-speed recording system for harsh conditions. Delivery of the first TD3500 SATA units is scheduled for January 2008.

"ToughDisk’s ability to perform reliably in high altitude and extreme operating conditions plus its price advantage over solid state storage really caught our attention. As a drop-in replacement for standard non-rugged 3.5" disks, the TD3500 SATA’s size and low wattage saved development cost and time. These attributes plus Formation’s proven track record of providing technology for mission-critical applications drove our decision for this project," says Ken Owens, CEO of Conduant.

ToughDisk combines Formation’s latest patented developments with over three decades of leading-edge disk application innovation and is being used by all branches of the United States military and many commercial organizations. The company has delivered thousands of rugged disk systems, high-performance RAID systems, and avionics-class servers. The servers are being used for mission-critical applications including streaming multimedia (e.g., reconnaissance data), aircraft health information, and sensitive financial data.

Characteristics of the ToughDisk 3500-SATA include:

Operating altitude of -15,000ft to 85,000ft
Operating temperature range of -40C to +70C
Vibration and shock hardened standard form factor 3.5" SATA disk
88MB/s maximum internal transfer rate
Industry-leading 3GB/s SATA II interface with eSATA/xSATA support and ESD protection
Hi-Speed USB2.0 auxiliary port enables full 320GB access to systems lacking SATA connectivity
Low power 5VDC operation with options for additional 12VDC and 28VDC inputs
I2C management for applications that demand extended BITE

Conduant Corporation

Formation, Inc.