Most people don’t even know what an optical archive is, much less why they should use one. In layman’s terms, an optical archive is essentially a CD or DVD. It is a way of storing data and using laser light to read and interpret. They are also an excellent way to store data as they are very accident resistant and can last for a very long time.
How Optical Archives Work
The round plastic disc that represents the optical archive is actually very complicated. The information is stored on the surface of an injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic, by way of microscopic bumps. These bumps are so tiny that they are not visible by the human eye. In fact, if you were to remove them from the disc and stretch them end to end, they would be 0.5 microns wide, and 3.5 miles long! That is just off of one disc.
Obviously they are incredibly compact to achieve this. With such precise data, it is essential to have a way of interpreting it that is just as precise. So optical archive discs also have optical archive readers.
Optical Archive Readers
What most people refer to as a CD (or DVD) player is actually a complicated and exacting system of lasers and lenses. There are three main parts to optical archive readers.
1) Drive Motor: Everyone knows that CD players work by spinning the disc around and around at high speeds. This is what the drive motor does. It spins the disc at about 200-500 rpm (really fast). This spinning moves that data bumps along so they can be read.
2) Laser: That shiny stuff on the bottom of the disc is actually light reflecting off the microscopic bumps. These bumps are the key to the disc being read. As laser and lens system shins and reads each bump individually, and with the drive motor spinning so fast, they have to work quickly.
3) Tracking Mechanism: With the whole system working so quickly, it might be easy to loose the place or get off track on a disc. This is where the tracking mechanism comes in. It keeps the lasers in place, so they can continue working.
Uses of Optical Archives
Contrary to popular belief, optical archives are not just for movies and music. They are an ideal way to store long term data because they do not break down. Even most scratches can be fixed because of the resiliency of the injection-molded clear polycarbonate plastic. They are not susceptible to electrical breakdowns and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Backing up any important data or documents on an optical archive is a great and reliable solution to keep secrets safe and keepsakes guarded.
How Optical Archives Work
The round plastic disc that represents the optical archive is actually very complicated. The information is stored on the surface of an injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic, by way of microscopic bumps. These bumps are so tiny that they are not visible by the human eye. In fact, if you were to remove them from the disc and stretch them end to end, they would be 0.5 microns wide, and 3.5 miles long! That is just off of one disc.
Obviously they are incredibly compact to achieve this. With such precise data, it is essential to have a way of interpreting it that is just as precise. So optical archive discs also have optical archive readers.
Optical Archive Readers
What most people refer to as a CD (or DVD) player is actually a complicated and exacting system of lasers and lenses. There are three main parts to optical archive readers.
1) Drive Motor: Everyone knows that CD players work by spinning the disc around and around at high speeds. This is what the drive motor does. It spins the disc at about 200-500 rpm (really fast). This spinning moves that data bumps along so they can be read.
2) Laser: That shiny stuff on the bottom of the disc is actually light reflecting off the microscopic bumps. These bumps are the key to the disc being read. As laser and lens system shins and reads each bump individually, and with the drive motor spinning so fast, they have to work quickly.
3) Tracking Mechanism: With the whole system working so quickly, it might be easy to loose the place or get off track on a disc. This is where the tracking mechanism comes in. It keeps the lasers in place, so they can continue working.
Uses of Optical Archives
Contrary to popular belief, optical archives are not just for movies and music. They are an ideal way to store long term data because they do not break down. Even most scratches can be fixed because of the resiliency of the injection-molded clear polycarbonate plastic. They are not susceptible to electrical breakdowns and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Backing up any important data or documents on an optical archive is a great and reliable solution to keep secrets safe and keepsakes guarded.