Overview
ISO/IEC 17594:2004 - Information technology - Cases for 120 mm and 80 mm DVD‑RAM disks - defines the physical and mechanical characteristics of cases (cartridges) used with DVD‑RAM optical media. The standard covers nine case implementations (Types 1–9) for 120 mm (4.7 Gbytes per side) and 80 mm (1.46 Gbytes per side) DVD‑RAM disks and specifies environments, dimensional tolerances and mechanical interfaces to ensure mechanical interchangeability between data processing systems and optical disk drives.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Case types and general description: Nine related but different case implementations with drawings and type-specific features.
- Environments: Test, operating, storage and transportation conditions under which cases must perform.
- Dimensional characteristics: Detailed overall dimensions, location and alignment holes, reference surfaces, insertion slots, gripper slots, label areas and identification marks for each case type.
- Mechanical characteristics: Requirements for material, mass, edge distortion, compliance and shutter opening force to ensure reliable handling and drive compatibility.
- Interface features: Spindle and head windows, capture cylinder dimensions, inner case dimensions and paths for shutter openers to enable standard mechanical interchange between drives and cartridges.
- Operational elements: Write‑inhibit/write‑protect holes, sensor holes and sensing areas, mis‑insertion protection slots and disk orientation guidance for one‑ and two‑sided disks.
- Safety and durability: Temperature shock, flammability and basic safety requirements to support long‑term storage and transport.
Applications and practical value
- Ensures interoperability between DVD‑RAM media, cartridges and optical drives across manufacturers.
- Guides manufacturers of optical media, cartridges and drive mechanisms in producing compatible hardware.
- Supports system integrators, archival storage providers and IT procurement teams who need assured mechanical interchange and reliable handling.
- Used by quality assurance, test engineers and design teams to define tolerances, test conditions and acceptance criteria for cases and cartridge‑style packaging.
- Useful for preserving media integrity in supply chains, archives and automated media libraries where consistent mechanical interface and labeling is required.
Who should use this standard
- Optical media and cartridge manufacturers
- Optical drive designers and OEMs
- Test laboratories and QA teams
- Data center, archival and media library administrators
- Procurement and compliance officers specifying media handling and interchangeability
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 17592 - DVD‑RAM disk characteristics (referenced by ISO/IEC 17594).
- Standards for volume and file structure (referenced for full data interchange).
Keywords: ISO/IEC 17594:2004, DVD‑RAM cases, 120 mm DVD‑RAM, 80 mm DVD‑RAM, optical disk cartridge, dimensional characteristics, mechanical interchangeability, shutter, write‑protect, sensor holes, spindle.