Abstract: A soft-stop mechanism for the carriage of a rotating disk storage system is presented. The mechanism consists of an assembly which is affixed to a nonmoving member of the storage system and a protruding pin on the moving carriage. The assembly has a hole at one end which the pin enters when the carriage exceeds its normal length of travel. The pin first strikes a rubber plate, which eliminates any shock which might be caused by a metal-to-metal contact. The rubber plate is mounted on the end of a piston which moves due to the force of the pin and compresses a cylindrical elastomeric tube. The elastomeric tube can be preloaded to cause a soft stop in a shorter distance without damage to the carriage.