Exabyte EXB-8500C 5/10GB Internal SCSI 8mm Full Height Tape Drive 309071-002

Exabyte EXB-8500C 5/10GB Internal SCSI 8mm Full Height Tape Drive 309071-002

The Exabyte EXB-8500C is a full-height 5.25-inch internal 8mm tape drive offering 5 GB native and 10 GB compressed storage capacity over a SCSI interface. Originally manufactured by Exabyte Corporation in Boulder, Colorado, this unit also carries Intel part number 309071-002, reflecting its use as an OEM drive integrated into Intel-branded server and workstation platforms.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Exabyte Corporation, Boulder, CO
• Model: EXB-8500C
• Intel Alternate Part Number: 309071-002
• Tape Format: 8mm
• Native Capacity: 5 GB
• Compressed Capacity: 10 GB (2:1 compression)
• Interface: SCSI
• Form Factor: 5.25-inch Full Height Internal
• Power Requirements: 5VDC at 2.0A; 12VDC at 0.7A
• Manufacture Date: May 1993
• Drive only — no tapes or cables included

Applications

The Exabyte EXB-8500 series was a widely used 8mm helical-scan tape technology, derived from consumer 8mm video tape standards and adapted for high-capacity data storage in the early-to-mid 1990s. These drives were commonly deployed in Unix workstations, mid-range servers, and early networked backup systems from vendors including Sun Microsystems, SGI, HP, and Intel-based PC servers. The EXB-8500C supported hardware data compression, making it a cost-effective high-capacity backup solution for its era. Today these drives remain sought after for restoring legacy 8mm tape archives and maintaining older workstation or server environments still dependent on this media format. Exabyte recommended using only EXATAPE-brand 8mm cleaning cartridges to avoid damage to the tape path mechanism.