Exabyte EXB-8505 8mm - Manual (Page 38)

Helical-Scan Recording
To increase the amount of data that can be recorded on the tape, the
tape drive implements advanced helical-scan recording technology.
Helical-scan recorders write very narrow tracks at an acute angle to
the edge of the tape, as shown in Figure 2-1. This recording method
creates a track length that is several times longer than the width of the
tape. Tracks can be accurately positioned by the geometry of the tape
path to precise minimal tolerances, resulting in a very high number of
tracks per inch.
The combination of the helical wrap of the tape around the drum, the
rotation of the head/drum assembly, and the linear motion of the
tape causes the heads to trace a track across the tape that is 2.47 inches
(62.7 millimeters) long, at an acute angle of approximately 5 degrees
to the bottom edge of the tape.
Figure 2-1 Helical-scan recording
2-2 EXB-8205 and EXB-8505 510504
(Standard and XL)
2 Recording Format