ECMA 145 : 1ED 90

SECTION I - GENERAL
1 SCOPE
2 CONFORMANCE
3 REFERENCES
4 DEFINITIONS
   4.1 AC Erase
   4.2 Average Signal Amplitude
   4.3 Azimuth
   4.4 Back Surface
   4.5 Bit Cell
   4.6 Byte
   4.7 Cartridge
   4.8 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Character
   4.9 Error Correcting Code (ECC)
   4.10 Flux Transition Position
   4.11 Flux Transition Spacing
   4.12 Magnetic Tape
   4.13 Master Standard Reference Tape
   4.14 Physical Beginning of Tape (PBOT)
   4.15 Physical End of Tape (PEOT)
   4.16 Physical Recording Density
   4.17 Secondary Reference Amplitude
   4.18 Secondary Reference Field
   4.19 Secondary Standard Reference Tape
   4.20 Standard Reference Current (Ir)
   4.21 Test Recording Current
   4.22 Tone
   4.23 Track
   4.24 Typical Field
5 ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY
   5.1 Testing Environment
   5.2 Operating Environment
   5.3 Storage Environment
   5.4 Transportation
   5.5 Safety
   5.6 Flammability
SECTION II - REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CASE
6 DIMENSIONAL AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CASE
   6.1 General
   6.2 Overall Dimension (figure 3)
   6.3 Holding Areas
   6.4 Cartridge Insertion
   6.5 Window (figure 1)
   6.6 Loading Grips (figure 3)
   6.7 Label Areas (figure 3)
   6.8 Datum Areas and Datum Holes (figures 4, 5 and 6)
   6.9 Support Areas
   6.10 Recognition Holes (figures 5, 6 and 7)
   6.11 Write-inhibit Hole (figures 6 and 7)
   6.12 Pre-positioning Surfaces (figures 3 and 5)
   6.13 Cartridge Lid (figures 3 and 8)
   6.14 Cartridge Reel Lock (figure 11)
   6.15 Reel Access Holes (figure 5)
   6.16 Interface between the Reels and the Drive
        Spindles (figures 17 and 18)
   6.17 Light Path (figures 5, 7, 15 and 16)
   6.18 Position of the tape in the case (figure 16)
   6.19 Tape Path Zone (figures 16 and 17)
   6.20 Tape Access Cavity (figure 5)
   6.21 Tape Access Cavity Clearance Requirements
        (figure 19)
SECTION III - REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UNRECORDED TAPE
7 MECHANICAL, PHYSICAL AND DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
   OF THE TAPE
   7.1 Materials
   7.2 Tape Length
        7.2.1 Magnetic Tape
        7.2.2 Leader and Trailer Tapes
        7.2.3 Splicing Tape
   7.3 Width
   7.4 Discontinuities
   7.5 Thickness
        7.5.1 Thickness of Magnetic Tape
        7.5.2 Thickness of Leader and Trailer Tape
   7.6 Longitudinal Curvature
   7.7 Cupping
   7.8 Coating Adhesion
   7.9 Layer-to-Layer Adhesion
   7.10 Tensile Strength
        7.10.1 Breaking Strength
        7.10.2 Yield Strength
   7.11 Residual Elongation
   7.12 Electrical Resistance of the Surface
   7.13 Tape Winding
   7.14 Light Transmittance of Tape
8 MAGNETIC RECORDING PERFORMANCE
   8.1 Test Conditions
   8.2 Typical Field
   8.3 Signal Amplitude
   8.4 Resolution
   8.5 Narrow-band Signal-to-noise Ratio
        8.5.1 Requirement
        8.5.2 Procedure
   8.6 Ease of Erasure
   8.7 Tape Quality
        8.7.1 Missing Pulses
        8.7.2 Missing Pulse Zone
   8.8 Inhibitor Tape
9 FORMAT
   9.1 General
   9.2 Information Matrix
        9.2.1 Loading of the Information Matrix
10 METHOD OF RECORDING
   10.1 Physical Recording Density
        10.1.1 Long-Term Average Bit Cell Length
        10.1.2 Short-Term Average Bit Cell Length
        10.1.3 Rate of Change
   10.2 Bit Shift
   10.3 Read Signal Amplitudes
        10.3.1 Amplitude of Data Signals
        10.3.2 Amplitude of Servo Signals
        10.3.3 Signal Amplitude on an Analogue Tape Mark
               Track
   10.4 Erasure
11 TRACK GEOMETRY
   11.1 Track Positions
        11.2.1 Average Track Pitch
        11.2.2 Adjacent Track Pitch
   11.2 Track Pitch
   11.3 Track Width
   11.4 Track Angle
   11.5 Linearity of Track Edges
   11.6 Azimuth
12 FORMAT OF AN INFORMATION TRACK
   12.1 Channel Bit
   12.2 Information Segment
        12.2.1 Bit Synchronization Field
        12.2.2 Information Segment Number
        12.2.3 Information Segment field
   12.3 Information Block
   12.4 Information Zone
   12.5 Servo Zone
   12.6 Information Tracks
        12.6.1 Format ID Track
        12.6.2 Data Track
        12.6.3 Tape Mark Track
        12.6.4 Splice Track
13 TAPE MARK
   13.1 Description
   13.2 Long Tape Mark
   13.3 Short Tape Mark
        13.3.1 Normal Short Tape Mark
        13.3.2 Alternative Short Tape Mark
14 ID INFORMATION
   14.1 Column 00, Row 00
        14.1.1 Block Type - Data Block
        14.1.2 Block Type - Tape Mark
        14.1.3 Block Type - Format ID
        14.1.4 Block Type - Pad Block
   14.2 Column 00, Row 01
   14.3 Column 00, Row 02
   14.4 Column 00, Row 03
   14.5 Column 00, Row 04
   14.6 Column 00, Rows 05,06
        14.6.1 Row 05
        14.6.2 Row 06
   14.7 Column 00, Row 07
   14.8 Column 00, Rows 08,09,10
        14.8.1 Block Type - Data Block
        14.8.2 Block Type - non-Data Block
   14.9 Column 00, Rows 11,12,13
15 REWRITTEN INFORMATION BLOCKS
16 PHYSICAL TAPE FORMAT
   16.1 Initial Erased Area
   16.2 Logical Beginning of Tape Area (LBOT Area)
   16.3 Usable Area of the Tape
   16.4 Post Data Erased Area
APPENDIX A - MEASUREMENT OF LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE OF TAPE
             AND LEADERS
APPENDIX B - MEASUREMENT OF BIT SHIFT
APPENDIX C - REPRESENTATION OF 8-BIT BYTES BY 10-BIT
             PATTERNS
APPENDIX D - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION
APPENDIX E - INHIBITOR TAPE

Specifies the physical and magnetic characteristics of an 8 mm wide magnetic tape cartridge to enable interchangeability of such cartridges. Also provides a format and recording method, thus allowing, together with Standard ECMA-13 for Magnetic Tape Labelling, full data interchange by means of such magnetic tape cartridges.