Abstract: The present invention is directed to a disk drive that includes a head disk assembly on a base plate, a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the head disk assembly, and a printed circuit board fastened beneath the head disk assembly. The printed circuit board has a port connector at one end of the board opposite an end having power and signal connectors.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam having a main body and a transducer support element which is movable relative to the main body. A sheet of dielectric material extends along the load beam and carries a plurality of transducer signal traces and a coil. A microactuator is positioned along the load beam and includes a first magnet, the coil and a lever arm. The lever arm is secured to the transducer support element and supports one of the first magnet and the coil. The other of the first magnet and the coil is secured relative to the load beam.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on the base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage device, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on the base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage device, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam having a main body and a transducer support element which is movable relative to the main body. A sheet of dielectric material extends along the load beam and carries a plurality of transducer signal traces and a coil. A microactuator is positioned along the load beam and includes a first magnet, the coil and a lever arm. The lever arm is secured to the transducer support element and supports one of the first magnet and the coil. The other of the first magnet and the coil is secured relative to the load beam.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam having a main body and a transducer support element which is movable relative to the main body. A sheet of dielectric material extends along the load beam and carries a plurality of transducer signal traces and a coil. A microactuator is positioned along the load beam and includes a first magnet, the coil and a lever arm. The lever arm is secured to the transducer support element and supports one of the first magnet and the coil. The other of the first magnet and the coil is secured relative to the load beam.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided to position a transducing bead with respect to a selected radial track of a rotatable recording disc in a disc drive including an actuator arm and a suspension load beam connected to the actuator arm. A plate is hingedly attached to the load beam, and a flexure is attached to the plate. A slider supporting the transducing head is attached to the flexure. A microactuator is attached to the plate and is operable in response to electrical control signals to move the plate relative to the load beam in the general plane of the load beam to selectively position the transducing head proximate to the selected radial track on the rotatable recording disc.

Abstract: A disk drive having a novel head-gimbal assembly (HGA) which is attached to an actuator arm of an actuator assembly. The HGA includes a read/write head, a flexure, and a suspension arm. The suspension arm has a first end including the flexure supporting the read/write head, and a second end including a hole having an attached swaging member extending through it. The swaging member includes a baseplate and a swaging boss which interface at an annulus region. A circular hole is formed through a top surface of the baseplate and extends downward partially through the swaging member. A non-circular hole, concentric with the circular hole, is formed through a bottom surface of the swaging boss, and extends upward partially through the swaging member. The non-circular hole has a smaller diameter than the circular hole. The shape of the non-circular hole may be any geometric shape such as a two-lobbed swaging hole, a three-lobbed swaging hole, an elliptical hole or a hexagonal hole.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1"). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks, an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A hard disk drive implemented as a plug-in module has a height of 10 mm and a foot print of 85.6 mm.times.54 mm. The footprint corresponds to the dimensions of memory cards. The disk drive uses a modified suspension in which the load beams are welded to actuator plates, thereby eliminating the use of a stakable suspension. The disk may be a glass substrate having a thickness of approximately 0.381 mm (0.015") or an aluminum substrate having a thickness of approximately 0.635 mm (0.025").

Abstract: An apparatus for a disk drive having at least one disk mounted in a housing having a controlled environment defined by the housing. Such a disk drive generally includes, within the controlled environment, one or more transducers for reading information from and writing information to the disk, and at least one actuator for selectively positioning the transducers with respect to the disks. Each actuator includes at least one magnet for providing a magnetic field and an actuator coil, mounted on the actuator, arranged so that a current in said coil creates a force to pivot the actuator. The apparatus comprises a magnet shield encasing each such magnet for preventing matter, generated during the decomposition of said magnet over a period of time, from interfering with the operation of the disk drive.

Abstract: A magnetic parking device for a disk drive includes a magnet and a member for containing the magnetic field produced by the magnet. The magnetic field containing member has an air gap which is substantially parallel to the magnet flux lines of the magnetic field so that there is no fringing of the magnetic field outside of the gap. The device magnetically captures a magnetically permeable capture member provided on the actuator of a disk drive without contacting the capture member and only when the actuator enters the gap in the magnetic field containing member.

Abstract: The method for assembling the drive includes: providing an assembly member; stacking a first actuator arm and a second actuator arm in an orientation where the axes of the arms are non-parallel; inserting a comb assembly between the first and second arms; rotating the arms about the assembly member to a position where the radials are in parallel; and securing the arms against rotation relative to each other. In another aspect, wherein each arm includes a read/write head having wires coupled thereto, the method further including the step of attaching a wire carrier to the arm prior to the stacking step.

Abstract: A two and one half inch form factor single disk drive has a height of 0.60. The spin motor is mounted in a recess in a housing base to reduce height of the housing. A printed circuit board is mounted to the base with all components of the circuit board being mounted on one side of the board opposite from the base. The cover and base are preferably made of cast aluminum alloy with the cover being convex configured for added strength.

Abstract: A latch mechanism for locking an actuator arm in a disk drive includes a latch pivotably supported in the disk drive for engaging the actuator arm and an electromagnet for capturing and holding the latch to disengage the latch from the actuator arm. A spring is provided to bias the latch to engage with the actuator arm. A swivel plate is provided on the actuator arm and the electromagnet captures the swivel plate; in particular, the electromagnet has two poles and the swivel plate contacts one of the poles and an air gap exists between the swivel plate and the other pole. The air gap allows the electromagnet to release the swivel plate. The swivelling action of the swivel plate causes the swivel plate to seat with the entire surface of the one pole of the electromagnet, increasing the ability of the electromagnet to hold the swivel plate once the swivel plate has been captured.