MEETING THE FUTURE NEEDS FOR HIGH DATA RATE DIGITAL RECORDING

Abstract

In order to satisfy future instrumentation data recording requirements, the availability of high data rate recorders with long record times is most desirable. Also, assurance of commonality amongst the many users of these data requires that any system designed be compatible across the user data base. Hence, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has developed a tape format standard that will assure commonality and exchange of data in an acceptable manner. This standard also establishes data rate recording requirements using a commercially available media in cassette form that will satisfy the operational need. DATATAPE is developing a recorder system that will meet the ANSI requirements of the data format on tape, as well as the data rate and record times implied by the standard. This paper discusses the development of the tape format standard and the design of the system that will fully comply with the standard. Test data will be presented to verify system capabilities. Additionally, DATATAPE’s progress in developing a system that will comply with the similar Department of Defense (DOD) tape format Standard, MIL-STD2179, will be presented, along with a summary of DOD programs that require MIL-STD-2179 compliant recorder systems.