New hard drives for cars from Hitachi

**Magician** · 09-01-2006, 01:37 PM

Read the full story at
(http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6111780.html)

Hitachi revs up new hard drives for cars

As cars become more computerized--offering such features as navigation, multimedia and communications systems--the gear that goes into them is becoming better designed for the rigors of the road.

With that notion in mind, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies announced Friday that it will offer two new hard drives designed specifically to handle the jostle of a bumpy, swervy ride.

The Endurastar J4K50 is designed to withstand temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 185 degrees, and can operate at altitudes ranging from 300 meters below sea level to 5,000 meters above. The Enduraster N4K50 is designed to operate at temperatures ranging from minus 3 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, and at altitudes up to 3,000 meters, according to Hitachi GST.

Both car drives have a maximum storage capacity of 50GB and are designed to withstand relatively hard shocks from vibration and other motion, according to the company. Fluid dynamic bearings are used in the motors, as opposed to ball bearings, for more stable operation.

**bland** · 09-01-2006, 03:02 PM

Just about to post this but you beat me to it.

**2k1Toaster** · 09-01-2006, 03:04 PM

I wonder how much the price is... 50Gb, and probably real expensive.

**thekl0wn** · 09-01-2006, 03:05 PM

What kind of price tags will one of these run?

**TruckinMP3** · 09-01-2006, 03:10 PM

Much more expensive for not much real differance.

**thekl0wn** · 09-01-2006, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by TruckinMP3

Much more expensive for not much real differance.

That's what I was thinking! Don't most laptop HDD's use fluid dynamic bearings in their motors?

**2k1Toaster** · 09-01-2006, 03:16 PM

I like my huge drive. And when it dies, I'll still be able to buy like 3 more before the cost difference is made up! (I'm guessing as I haven't even clicked the link to know if they quote a price...)

**TruckinMP3** · 09-01-2006, 03:36 PM

Based on the cost of 3.5 inch drives and the very low failure rate I see no reason to spend the money on another storage option.

Others have different views on this. Here are several valid reasons from my point of view to spend more on storage:

Power consumption, 2.5" drives use less power
Physical size, 2.5" drives are smaller.

I am certain other reasons exist... I run a lower power system on purpose so it is easy to find a DC to DC solution that has more than I need.

Other benefits of lower powered solutions: less heat to worry about and the hardware is generally less expensive.

**DarquePervert** · 09-01-2006, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by thekl0wn

That's what I was thinking! Don't most laptop HDD's use fluid dynamic bearings in their motors?

IIRC, most hard drives for all applications use fluid dynamic bearings.

**RedGTiVR6** · 09-01-2006, 03:46 PM

For our applications, there is little to no value in this.

However, in mass produced applications there's a HUGE market IMO.

A manufacturer isn't going to pull a drive off the shelf like we use and use it in their application.

Take police vehicles for instance. Ambulances, etc. $2000 for a screen is a LOT of money. But for the ruggidness and guarantee that it will not fail....it's worth it for those applications.

The biggest thing I see on these forums is that people can't seem to realize that many of these products that come out that look like great options for us, aren't made for us in the first place. They are made for more demanding users and applications, and with that comes a higher price tag!