Bernoulli drive

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Bernoulli drive

A Bernoulli drive is a high-capacity removable storage device that uses Bernoulli’s principle to float a flexible disk platter above a spinning base, allowing for fast data transfer rates and high storage capacities.

What does Bernoulli drive Mean?

A Bernoulli drive is a removable Data Storage medium invented by Iomega and introduced in 1983. It uses Bernoulli’s principle of aerodynamics to achieve very high storage densities on removable cartridges. A Bernoulli drive uses two rigid metal plates separated by a very thin gap. The lower plate is coated with a magnetic recording medium, while the upper plate is smooth. When a cartridge is inserted into the drive, the upper plate is drawn down by a vacuum pump, creating a very thin air bearing between the two plates. This air bearing allows the cartridge to spin very smoothly and at very high speeds.

The data is recorded on the lower plate using a thin-film magnetic Head. As the cartridge spins, the head flies over the Surface of the lower plate, reading and writing data. The head is positioned very close to the surface of the lower plate, which allows for very high data densities. Bernoulli drives typically have a capacity of 20 to 120 megabytes.

Applications

Bernoulli drives were used in a variety of applications, including:

  • Desktop publishing: Bernoulli drives were used to store large files, such as graphics and page layouts, for desktop publishing systems.
  • CAD/CAM: Bernoulli drives were used to store CAD/CAM files, which are often very large and complex.
  • Data backup: Bernoulli drives were used to back up data from hard drives and other storage devices.

Bernoulli drives were popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but they were eventually replaced by other removable storage technologies, such as CD-ROMs and DVDs.

History

The Bernoulli drive was invented by Iomega in 1983. The first Bernoulli drive had a capacity of 20 megabytes. Over the years, Iomega released a number of different Bernoulli drives with capacities ranging from 20 to 120 megabytes.

Bernoulli drives were very popular in the 1980s and 1990s. They were used in a variety of applications, including desktop publishing, CAD/CAM, and data backup. However, Bernoulli drives were eventually replaced by other removable storage technologies, such as CD-ROMs and DVDs.

Iomega discontinued production of Bernoulli drives in 1998. However, Bernoulli drives are still used by some people today, particularly for legacy applications.