Autoloader

In armored warfare, an autoloader or auto-loader is a mechanical aid or replacement for the personnel that load ordnance into crew-served weapons, such as tanks and artillery. The term is generally only applied to larger weapons that would otherwise have a dedicated person or persons loading them.

An autoloader, as its name suggests, extracts a shell and propellant charge from the ammunition storage rack/compartment and loads it into a magazine, if the gun has one, or directly into the chamber of the gun if it does not. It can and often does replace a human loader. By automating the loading process, it can streamline and speed up the loading process, resulting in a more effective fighting machine. In addition, by removing the need for one (or more) crew member, the overall size of the vehicle can be reduced, which in turn reduces the amount of surface area that needs to be armored, and thus a vehicle designed to use an autoloader can benefit from a significant decrease in weight and size. Also, since an autoloader can take up less volume inside a tank than a human, it potentially allows for a lower profile, making the tank harder to hit. Autoloaders are mechanical devices, and therefore their reliability depends on how well they are designed, manufactured, and maintained.

Tape library

In computer storage, a tape library, sometimes called a tape silo, tape robot or tape jukebox, is a storage device which contains one or more tape drives, a number of slots to hold tape cartridges, a barcode reader to identify tape cartridges and an automated method for loading tapes (a robot).

One of the earliest examples was the IBM 3850 Mass Storage System (MSS), announced in 1974.

Design

These devices can store immense amounts of data, currently ranging from 20 terabytes up to 2.1 exabytes of data or multiple thousand times the capacity of a typical hard drive and well in excess of capacities achievable with network attached storage. Typical entry-level solutions cost around $10,000 USD, while high-end solutions can start at as much as $200,000 USD and cost well in excess of $1 million for a fully expanded and configured library.

For large data-storage, they are a cost-effective solution, with cost per gigabyte as low as 10 cents USD, or at least 60% less than most hard drives, and they also provide systematic access to very large quantities of data. The tradeoff for their larger capacity is their slower access time, which usually involves mechanical manipulation of tapes. Access to data in a library takes from several seconds to several minutes.

Autoloader (disambiguation)

An autoloader is a mechanical aid or replacement for the personnel that load ordnance into crew-served weapons, such as tanks and artillery.

Autoloader may also refer to:

  • A jargon term for a semi-automatic firearm.
  • Autoloader (data storage device), sometimes called a stacker or a jukebox, a data storage device containing multiple media units that can be automatically loaded into the drive.
  • A system to Autoload parts of a computer program on demand instead of defining them explicitly
  • A fictional magazine featured in the Punisher MAX imprint
  • Autoload a feature in some programming languages
  • Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Autoloader

    by: Goteki

    Retract your shaking arms
    Pull the wires out of your veins
    Regain control and regain your soul
    Take off the harness and take the reigns
    Click here and dissassociate
    Save now, and start again
    Shut down, and re-associate
    Save now, and never again
    Your path is preset living autoloader
    Close your eyes and feel the wind
    Watch the sky as dawn begins
    Step outside remember who you are
    You always return
    and strap back in.
    Your path is preset living autoloader...




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