This is a fully working Sony S-AIT SCSI tape drive. Tested working fine with sony Tape Tool Diagnostics - see photos for test results for this unit. does not come with a power lead. If you want SCSI cables etc, then please checkout my other auctions.

Requires a SCSI LVD connection. Works with Linux and Windows and many other operating systems.

NOTE: The SCSI LVD connection needs to be active in order to operate the tape drive. Not all tape drives will operate without a live SCSI connection so please make sure you are connected to a live SCSI bus before saying that the unit does not work, it does work once on the powered SCSI bus. This is an annoying feature of some tape drives and not just restricted to this model, so please be aware of this requirement when trying to use the unit.

SDZ-S100 Sony sAIT 500-1.3TB External SCSI Tape Drive

Sony sAIT 500-1.3TB External SCSI Tape Drive Refurbished 6 Months Warranty

The SDZ-S100 is the Sony SAIT1 500/1.3Tb external SCSI drive.

The SAIT format was developed by Sony in 2001 and released in 2003. It and uses helical scanning for recording, the same process used by a video cassette recorder (VCR). If errors are present, the write heads rewrite the data.
Between 1990 and 2000, tape recording densities increased up to ten fold, while the time to access that data increased less than two fold, creating a large mismatch between the amount of stored data and the ability to access it.
This large gap between data access latency and area density created a dilemma in application development and limited the potential to implement truly cost-effective tertiary storage solutions. Many applications compensated for this deficiency by incorporating multiple redundant tape drives, at higher cost, to achieve an acceptable level of service for their users. Sony's S-AIT design has recognized this need and provided an innovative approach to solving the data latency problem while increasing capacity and data transfer rates.
Traditional, older tape technologies relied mostly on conventional mechanical means, such as faster search speeds or an on-tape index to improve access to stored data. While improvements in electronics and magnetics had been the main enablers of increased capacity and transfer rates, rarely had these same technologies been employed to significantly improve access to data.
Sony’s Super Advanced Intelligent Tape (S-AIT) architecture deviated from conventional designs and employed electronic enhancements to significantly improve access to stored data, using a captive, non-volatile memory chip contained within the magnetic data cartridge. Known as Memory-In-Cassette, or MIC, this memory chip provides a direct and immediate connection to the tape drive’s on-board processors to enable quick media load, fast access to user files and provide a wealth of data about the history and current state of the data cartridge.
The Sony S-AIT 1 used 600M tapes to give a native capacity of approx 500GB with an expected compressed capacity of between 1000GB to 1500GB.
The Sony S-AIT1 full height tape drive is the first generation in the S-AIT family. It was manufactured by Sony for vendors including Spectra Logic, for use as standalone internal and external drives as well as inclusion into tape libraries. target markets were tertiary storage in the enterprise sector as well as other access speed dependent business markets.
The S-AIT1 offers 500GB native capacity or 1000 -1500GB compressed capacity on a single tape at transfer speeds of up to 60MBps or 210GB per hour. Native, the drive provides 500GB of storage capacity with a transfer speed of 30MBps.
The S-AIT drives employed new technology to allow helical scan tape tecnology to acheive higher data storage capacities and access speeds than seen before or even since.
The S-AIT1 uses SAIT1-500 media in order to achieve these higher capacities. It is not compatible with any other tape media.
The S-AIT1 was available in 68pin Ultra160 LVD, Single-ended or Low Voltage differential, interface version (the SDZ-100).
The S-AIT1 was also available in a 2Gb fibre channel interface version (the SDZ-130).

Media Compatibility


Data CartridgeNative CapacityCompatibility
SAIT1-500 data cartridge500GBRead and Write