Conner Peripherals
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer storage |
| Founded | June 1985 in San Jose, California, United States |
| Founder | Finis Conner |
| Fate | Merged with Seagate Technology in 1996 |
| Headquarters | San Jose , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Hard drives, tape drives |
| Parent | Seagate Technology (from 1996) |
Conner Peripherals, Inc. (often referred to simply as Conner) specialized in producing hard drives and tape drives designed for personal computers. Established in June 1985 in San Jose, California by Seagate Technology co-founder Finis Conner, the enterprise combined forces in 1986 with CoData, a startup from Colorado founded by former MiniScribe executives Terry Johnson and John Squires. CoData was focused on developing a smaller hard disk that offered the storage capacity of a 5.25-inch drive within the more compact 3.5-inch size.
Design concepts
Conner distinguished its hard drives by eliminating the conventional "tub" head-disk assembly, instead utilizing a flat base plate structure. This design choice improved resistance to shocks and minimized thermal distortion. Initial models featured an aluminum cartridge housing the disks, head arm, and actuator, sealed by a sizable square O-ring and fastened to a bulkhead with two screws. Their 1/3-height (one-inch thick) drives incorporated a domed cast aluminum cover secured with a rubber gasket and attached via screws at each corner. The printed circuit board was installed underneath the base plate, which had built-in mounting tabs—this configuration became emblematic of Conner’s products throughout the 1990s.
From a technological standpoint, Conner’s drives employed sophisticated onboard intelligence reminiscent of the original MiniScribe designs, using a single Motorola 68HC11 microcontroller running proprietary real-time firmware. This controller handled track-following servo routines as well as bus interface operations, consolidating much of the drive’s control logic into software rather than hardware components.
Corporate history
Although Conner Peripherals was established in June 1985 in San Jose, California, it did not begin shipping products until after merging with CoData of Boulder, Colorado, in February 1986. The company's initial offerings were based on CoData’s designs and were delivered starting in early 1987, predominantly to Compaq, which represented approximately 90% of sales during that period.
By 1990, Conner Peripherals had reached $1.337 billion in revenue within just four years without any acquisitions, earning recognition as the fastest-growing manufacturing startup in U.S. history.
In December 1992, the company broadened its product range by acquiring Archive Corporation, thereby incorporating tape drives into its lineup.
Ultimately, Conner Peripherals was absorbed by Seagate Technology through a merger completed in 1996.