Seagate's 6TB Helium-filled HDDs Coming in Early 2Q 2014

[Kewlx25]

dosmastr

The flying height of the head above the platter is about 3 nanometers these days. It's awfully difficult to maintain that with a rigid system, let alone one designed to put the head in contact with the platter when it is "parked" (disk has stopped spinning). So the height is controlled with aerodynamics - it's like a plane flying low over landscape, or more accurately a wing in a wind tunnel. The rotating disk provides the wind by dragging the gas along. Imagine a plane held in place by a flexible rod while the landscape moves under it.

This allows much more precise control of the height of the head over the disk than a mechanical solution of the same cost.

I can't find a decent article on why this is the most effective way to maintain nanometer separations. The best that I came across is this: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/op/heads/opHeight-c.html . I've seen illustrations that depict the disk surface as jagged, not smooth, at that level.

My understanding is it is less of "flying" and much closer to being like a normal ball bearing. The shape of the device causes a build-up of fluid(gasses are also fluids) which acts as a compressible cushion.

 

[WyomingKnott]

Kewlx25

You are right. The papers that I found on this are frequently in journals on tribology. I looked it up and found that it means lubrication, friction, and wear. So it's like the air moving at 80 MPH (!) forms a lubricant layer that separates the head from the disk surface.

 

[Kewlx25]

Kewlx25

You are right. The papers that I found on this are frequently in journals on tribology. I looked it up and found that it means lubrication, friction, and wear. So it's like the air moving at 80 MPH (!) forms a lubricant layer that separates the head from the disk surface.

80mph and only ~3nm of separation. That's crazy. I don't care how much slower mech HDs than SSDs, it's still impressive.

 

[68vistacruiser]

I remember when 5GB hard drives first came out, and I thought that was the end of my hard drive needs. Now someone needs 36TB for "legally obtained files from the internet". WOW! As for Seagate, the last drive I bought from them was a 500GB SATA. It went bad, so I sent it back under warranty, and they sent me a 500GB PATA drive. And that, my friends, was the last drive I ever bought from them. My Toshiba's are not only fast, but very reliable.

 

[dosmastr]

wow! thanks for all the info knott! That is indeed pretty crazy! I thought when they parked it was the head was rotated off the platter and had a... uh.....parking...spot.....lol heheh I remember when you needed to use the park command at dos prompt yeeee.


Kewlx25, you will probably appreciate this....if you haven't seen it already
http://www.techspot.com/news/49023-working-hard-drive-innards-recorded-at-1000fps-a-thing-of-beauty.html

 

[dosmastr]

3nm ---- as in, smaller than a transistor in the latest CPU's?? that is indeed amazing!

 

[WyomingKnott]

IBM did indeed produce a parking method that took the head entirely off the platters - off to the side. Think it is called "unloading." Makes more sense than putting the head in contact with a solid surface, but may increase startup time after an idle spin-down.

 

[alchemy69]

No seal is perfect, that Helium will have all leaked out within a couple of years at which point your warranty will have conveniently expired.

 

[hannibal]

No seal is perfect, that Helium will have all leaked out within a couple of years at which point your warranty will have conveniently expired.

That is the idea. Sell new hard drive to the customer after that. Good business to company, not so good for customer. In anyway most big companies will buy new HD:s after 2-3 year usage, so this is just fine for them.

 

[yawafrifa2000]

I edit movies, and a single 6TB drive to add to my system drive would be a great blessing for me. But at this period why spend the time and money developing a new type of HDD instead of new and better type of SSD?

 

[hannibal]

6TB hd 300$ 6TB ssd 6000$ I think that that is reason enough for making new HDD... The SSD is not even near in price wice at this moment, and not in many years. But eventually... who knows.