Microcomputer Peripheral, Shugart SA400 Disk Drive
date: label: date made
content: ca 1976
name: label: maker
content: Shugart Associates
notes: label: Description
content: In the course of the 1960s and 1970s, computer manufacturers developed diverse ways of storing data and programs on magnetic media. Expertise developed at large manufacturers like IBM found its way into more specialized firms. One such company was Shugart Associates. In 1976, the California-based company introduced the SA400 disk drive for reading and storing information from 5 ¼” floppy disks.
label: Description
content: A mark on a tag on the bottom front of the drive reads: SHUGART ASSOCIATES (/) MODEL NO. 400 (/) SERIAL NO. 000166 (/) MADE IN U.S.A. Another tag reads: U.S. PAT 3,964,103 (/) OTHER PATENTS PENDING. This example has no case.
label: Description
content: The drive sold both as a standalone unit and as part of microcomputers offered by other companies. By 1982 Shugart had shipped over a million units.
label: Description
content: U.S. patent 3,964,103, for a ‘Magnetic Transducer with Trim Erase and Housing Therefor,” was filed by Herbert E. Thompson and David A. Brown, both of Los Gatos, California. They applied for the patent May 19, 1975, and it was granted June 15, 1976 and assigned to Shugart Associates. Thompson had worked on memory devices at IBM before leaving for Memorex and then Shugart Associates. Brown had also left Memorex for Shugart Associates.
label: Description
content: For related materials see 1980.0612.01.3 (a press release on Shugart Associates) and drawings 1982.0385.02 through 1982.0385.10. For another, slightly earlier, Shugart SA400 disk drive received at the same time, see 1982.0385.01.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Accession file.
label: Description
content: "Background: Shugart Associates," September 1979, 1980.0612.01.3.
label: Description
content: U.S. Patent 3,964,103.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
label: See more items in
content: Computers & Business Machines
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Shugart Associates
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1982.3017.01
label: catalog number
content: 1982.3017
label: nonaccession number
content: 1982.3017
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Mainframe Peripheral
label: Object Name
content: microcomputer peripheral
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (case, wiring material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (boards, components material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18.5 cm x 15.2 cm x 22 cm; 7 9/32 in x 5 31/32 in x 8 21/32 in