Sounds of the Disctron D519

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Disctron D519
Country of Origin: USA
Introduced: 1981
Interface: ST-412 (MFM nominal)
Capacity: 15MB
Form: 5.25" x 3" (FH)
CHS: 306 / 6 / 17
LZN: 306
WPC: 128
Track-track: 17.2ms
Linear access: 62.5ms
Random access: 105.2ms
Rotational: 3600RPM
Media: Ferrous oxide with inline TF heads
Disks: 3
Actuation: Stepper driven rotary band swingarm
Feedback: None
Lift/Lock/Park: None
Brake: Electromechanical
Service life: Unknown
Related models: D507 (1 disk), D514 (2 disk), D527 (4 disk), Otari C507/C514/C519/C527 (post-buyout)
Failures: Unknown

Settings: No link at this time

My thoughts:
Disctron made some absolutely fantastic drives during their short time in the industry, and the D519 is no exception at all to this rule. This is the same as the venerable D514 with a third platter stacked inside, for a capacity of 15MB. This drive was in direct competition with the Seagate ST-419, CMI CM5619, and Tandon TM503, and bests all of them in terms of quality, and most of them in terms of power draw and performance. It's also far more reliable than both the CMI and the Tandon. Another absolute win for Disctron, who unfortunately did not get to see many of the benefits of their engineering labors before they went out of business. The extra weight of another pair of heads does blunt the D519's seek performance ever so slightly, but it is not enough to cause any problems.