The Largest and Smallest Hard Drives Ever Made
Submitted by Tom Owad on February 18, 2019 - 11:27pm
This is a 4 MB hard disk platter from 1961:
This is a 4,000 MB hard disk platter from 2004:
The 4,000 MB platter is the dot you see in the center of the first photo:
These are the largest and smallest commercial hard drives ever made, respectively.
The larger drive is from a Bryant Model 2 Series 4000 Disk File. The platter is 39" diameter and 1/4" thick. It is made of magnesium. This particular platter came from a drive that was originally installed at Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids, IA.
The smaller drive is a Toshiba MK4001MTD. The platter is 0.85" diameter.
Edge view:
A photo of the Bryant Model 2 Series 4000 Disc File, from the Computer History Museum:
Computer Type:
Comments
Here is an IBM drive
Here is an IBM drive, I think it's a 5mb drive from the the late 50's/early 60's. My son is standing next to it for size comparison.
[img]https://www.applefritter.com/files/IMG_1431.jpg[/img]
If I remember correctly...
@Corey986: the shown disk drive is an IBM 3380 Model E drive, build around 1981/1982 time frame. Such systems where build and tested in San Jose (California), in Japan (I don't remember the city name), as well as in West-Berlin (Germany) during cold war and before the German wall falls. I was a technician at IBM Germany and here in Berlin we build and tested such systems prior they where shipped to customers.
Such systems where setup as a so called string and are based on a controller (master) machine and max. 3 slave machines attached to each other via BUS Cable. This diskdrive system family consists of 3380 D/E/J/K later one 3390... and are the successor of 3350 / 3370 / 3375 diskdrives.
Update: 06/15/2019 - tokabln
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Beside some more chronological informations about the IBM DASD series 33xx family
3330 series
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3330.html
3340 series
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3340.html
3350 series - together with colleagues I did the endtest of such machines during my workmanship for IBM
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3350.html
3370 series
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3370.html
3380 series - together with colleagues I did the endtest of such machines during my workmanship for IBM
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3380.html
3390 series - together with colleagues I did the endtest of such machines during my workmanship for IBM
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_3390.html
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While the following one is the tiniest Harddisk which where ever build (to my knowledge):
IBM MiniDisk 1GB.jpg
It's close, but not quite.
It's close, but not quite. The Microdrive has a 1" platter. The Toshiba MK4001MTD (pictured in the center of the Bryant platter) is 0.85". Below is a photo of the Toshiba enclosure next to a CompactFlash card:
P6120004.jpeg
Bryant 39"
Great Bryant 39" hard disk platter.
After all, I now have it in my collection as well. Including the original wooden box from Bryant.
I have white paint around the aluminum ring in the middle, which is very porous, comes off and sticks to the plate. I still have to remove it all and then hope to be able to clean the panel.
So far, I know only about 4 Bryant 39" hard disk platters in private hands, one in the CHM and one in the National UK Computer Museum. Any more?
achimhb wrote:After all, I
Do you know anything about the history? If it came in a box, it sounds like it might have been a spare.
achimhb wrote:So far, I know
I have two Bryant 39" platters (in BC, Canada)
I used to have a third when I was in Ontario. Not sure where that one ended up.