Castlewood Systems
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer storage |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Ex-employees of SyQuest Technologies |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Fate | Filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased business activities |
| Products | Orb Drive removable hard disk drive |
The Orb Drive is a removable hard disk drive measuring 3.5 inches, launched by Castlewood Systems in 1999 with an initial storage capacity of 2.2 GB. In 2001, a larger 5.7 GB model was introduced. Production of the device concluded in 2004.
Castlewood Systems
Castlewood Systems, established in 1996 by ex-employees of SyQuest Technologies, was the manufacturer behind the Orb Drive. Shortly after its debut, SyQuest initiated legal action against Castlewood.
In 2004, Castlewood filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and terminated its business activities.
Interfaces
The Orb Drive was available in both internal and external configurations. Internal variants supported either IDE or SCSI interfaces, whereas external models came with parallel, SCSI, USB, or FireWire connection options.
2.2 GB drive specifications
Recognized for its quiet operation, the Orb Drive featured several notable aspects:
- A recessed control allowed users to set the SCSI ID with four selectable positions (0, 4, 5, or 6).
- The drive included a front cover that completely enclosed the disk; pressing a central button raised this cover to facilitate disk insertion or removal (dimensions: 97 mm wide × 103 mm high × 7 mm deep). The cover closed automatically once the disk was engaged.
- A smoked transparent plastic shell provided visibility of power and activity indicators (steady green and flashing amber/red lights) as well as the read/write mechanism.
Disks were produced in Malaysia and Thailand, formatted for either Macintosh or IBM-compatible platforms, and supplied within protective cases.
The Model ORB2SE00 drive (paired with Model 777-052000S-KF power adapter) was compatible with current PC and Mac systems and operating environments.
During its availability, Castlewood offered two types of SCSI/USB adapters:
- An adapter converting the drive’s HD50 "SCSI IN" port to a DB25 female socket for USB cable connection;
- The proprietary "ORB USB Smart Cable" (Part Number 88205-001), which integrated locking pins and included an attached USB cable equipped with surge protection via eight toroidal ceramic magnets.
5.7 GB drive specifications
- Storage capacity: 5.7 GB
- Sustained transfer speed: 17.35 MB/s
- Burst transfer speed: 66 MB/s
- Average seek time: 11 ms for reading, 12 ms for writing
- Rotation speed: 5,400 rpm
- Drive head technology: GMR (Giant Magneto-Resistive)
- Processor: 30 MIPS DSP
- Average start/stop duration: approximately 25 seconds to start and 8 seconds to stop (including eject)
- Supported operating systems: Windows 98/98SE, NT 4.0 (SP4+), 2000, ME, Mac OS 8.6 and later
- Expected operational lifespan: 5 years
- Estimated shelf life of disks: around 20 years
- Warranty coverage: limited to one year
The 5.7 GB Orb Drive maintained backward compatibility with cartridges designed for the original 2.2 GB model.