Abstract: Automatic manufacture of integrated circuit packages including a leadless chip carrier is facilitated by providing, in strip form, flexible tape circuitry having a dielectric layer and a conductive layer. Through selective etching, regularly spaced central openings are formed in the strip for subsequent placement of the leadless chip carriers. The arms are formed in the conductive layer and extend into the openings. Members are formed in the dielectric layer around each opening. A leadless chip carrier is placed in an opening and its pads are bonded to the arms. With the chip carrier thus secured to the strip, its position is controlled by the strip drive means which moves each chip carrier to assembly and testing stations. Electrical testing is accomplished with probes adapted to contact the arms. Temperature cycling and other mechanical tests also are conducted with the chip carrier attached to the tape.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package includes a leadless ceramic chip carrier and four connectors mounted thereto. The chip carrier has a rectangular surface with a plurality of conductive pads at its periphery. Each connecter includes a set of elongate conductive arms attached to the contact pads and extended outward therefrom and parallel to one another. The outer ends of the arms in each connector are attached to a generally flat and dielectric member. The arms are folded back upon themselves to position each member opposite the leadless chip carrier surface, with the outer ends of its associated arms aligned with the pads. So aligned, the arm ends are positioned for direct connection to selected contacts on a printed circuit board.

Abstract: Apparatus is shown for mixing an epoxy adhesive. An epoxy resin and its associated curing agent are simultaneously loaded from separate cartridges into a length of flexible PVC tubing, part of which is contained between a rotor and a stator. Bearings, mounted rotatably about the rotor, engage and travel along the tubing as the rotor is revolved, each bearing compressing the tubing at its point of engagement. The tubing, repeatedly compressed and released by each bearing in succession, kneads the epoxy resin and curing agent into a homogeneous mixture.

Abstract: A disk cartridge assembly includes a rotatable magnetic disk enclosed within a rectangular cartridge. Attached to the top and bottom covers of the cartridge are a plurality of leaf springs which urge the top and bottom sections toward and against one another. Resilient cloth liners are mounted to the inside surfaces of the top and bottom covers. As the leaf springs urge these sections toward one another, the liners engage the disk surface to prevent the disk from moving freely within the cartridge. The leaf springs are flexible in the axial direction but rigid in the radial direction, thus to maintain the top and bottom sections in alignment with one another.

Abstract: An apparatus for positioning a magnetic transducer member with respect to a magnetic disk has an actuator which is rotated about an axis and includes an arm having a first end secured to the actuator for rotation of the arm about the axis. The arm has an oppositely disposed second end. A load spring member has a first end and a second end and is secured at its first end to the second end of the arm. A gimbal spring is secured to the second end of the load spring member and supports the transducer member. The gimbal spring permits the transducer member to move vertically and to pitch and roll as it flies over the rotating surface of the magnetic disk. The arm, load spring member, and gimbal spring are symmetrical with respect to a straight line running from the axis of rotation of the actuator to the center of the transducer. The transducer member is a two ski head and has a magnetic read/write core secured to the trailing edge of one of the skis.

Abstract: A disk memory assembly has a carriage structure which has a coil assembly secured to one end and is supported by bearings for rectilinear movement in response to the energization of a voice coil. The carriage has four fins, a tower member and a horizontal shoe member. The tower supports a plurality or arms carrying heads. The heads read or write upon disks rotated by a spindle about a spindle axis. A servo system is provided to energize the coil to position the heads at the desired locations on the disks. Rectilinear movement of the carriage in response to the servo excites resonances in the carriage. The carriage structure is designed to minimize low frequency resonance modes and to increase the frequency of the first major resonance mode of the carriage to improve servo control. The four fins of the carriage are orthogonally disposed with respect to one another and disposed at 45.degree. angles with respect to the spindle axis.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a negative pressure slider is disclosed which briefly comprises the steps of: (a) applying a dry negative photoresist layer to the surface of the slider; (b) positioning a mask having alignment marks which are too narrow to be resolved during exposure and development to pattern the photoresist layer to expose the portions of the flying surface of the slider to be milled by an ion milling process; (c) ion milling the slider wherein the patterned photoresist layer protects the flying surface of the slider while the negative pressure cavities of the slider are being milled; and (d) removing the remaining portions of the photoresist layer once the negative pressure cavities have been milled.

Abstract: A method of calibrating an analog machining sensor of the varying resistance type which has been deposited on a surface involves depositing adjacent it with great positional accuracy relative to a feature on the surface, discrete machining sensors. As machining takes place, the discrete sensor's continuities are successively broken as the analog sensor's height is reduced and its resistance increased. Measuring the resistance of the analog sensor at the time each discrete sensor breaks yields values from which the position of the analog sensor's machined edge can be very accurately related to the position of the feature on the surface.

Abstract: A disk is rotated at high speed on a spindle while fluid carrying magnetic medium material is applied to the disk through a dispensing nozzle which starts at the outside diameter of the disk and travels to the inside diameter, pauses momentarily, and then travels back to the outside diameter. As the fluid is applied, a thin film of medium material adheres to the disk while the excess fluid forms a protective coating over this thin film as it flows radially off of the disk due to the centrifugal force generated by the high speed of rotation. The nozzle discharge pressure and the high rotational speed of the disk result in a very thin film of magnetic medium material being applied to the disk. The rate of nozzle travel can be adjusted to vary the medium material film thickness. Immediately following the high speed coating application step the speed of the disk is substantially reduced and the disk is exposed to a magnetic orienting field during an orientation step.

Abstract: Apparatus for precisely machining the surface of a workpiece comprises a rotating plate with a flat, horizontal abrasive-laden surface against which the workpiece surface is forced by gravity. The workpiece is carried on the free end of an arm pivotably supported remote from the end of the arm carrying the workpiece. Loading of the workpiece work surface can be varied by shifting weights along the length of the arm or transverse to the length of the arm. The workpiece itself can comprise a bar on which several magnetic transducing heads have been deposited. Machining the workpiece surface to a preferred position accurately defines a dimension of choice, such as the throat height of these transducers.

Abstract: A data recovery circuit useful in magnetic data recording systems employs doublet pulses to at least partially encode data. Measurement of the slope of the transition between doublet pulse half-cycle peaks and of the amplitude of this transition allows rejection of high frequency low amplitude noise and high amplitude low frequency noise. The use of nearly the entire peak-to-peak voltage swing of doublet pulses makes identifying them relatively reliable.

Abstract: In the process for manufacturing the ferrite cores used in magnetic data transducer heads, a novel stacking of the bars from which the core pieces are cut allows these bars to mutually shield each other's back gap areas during the alumina sputtering step which sets the lengths of the read/write flux gaps. An inexpensive fixture supports the bars in the desired position during the sputtering operation.

Abstract: An improvement in a wind electric generation system of the type disclosed in Jacobs et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,059,771, 4,228,361, and 4,228,362, with particular reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,361.

Abstract: This amplifier circuit for a magnetic transducer such as a magnetic head includes a pair of transistors which function both as write current modulators and read signal preamplifiers. The transistors are suitable for in situ deposition on a magnetic transducer carrier adjacent the winding, which keeps the signal lines of the data read by the transducer very short until amplification.

Abstract: An improvement of the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,075 permits the propeller assembly of a wind energy system to swing in two directions, both left and right with respect to wind direction. The improvement includes a snubber assembly which has a plurality of springs mounted on a central bar.

Abstract: A workpiece carrier includes a flat support surface to which a workpiece is attached by bonding. The carrier includes means for bending the carrier support surface so that it becomes concave. When dealing with a relatively flexible workpiece, one can cause the workpiece's surface to be machined to attain a convex shape by bending the support surface of the carrier concavely, and then bonding the workpiece attachment surface to the carrier while the carrier support surface is concavely bent. Allowing the carrier's support surface to assume a less concave shape then imparts a convex shape to the surface of the workpiece to be machined.

Abstract: A logic system maintains current least recently used information among the elements of each group in a plurality of groups where each group includes two or more elements. A memory stores intermediate information regarding the relative precedence between each combination of elements in a given group. A logic network recomputes this value each time an element in a group is used and provides this new information to the memory and to a network which resolves the current least recently used status.

Abstract: A wind electric system intended to provide power to a power grid, for use with a wind turbine which has no starting torque. The generator is one which can function as a motor as well. When the wind is too light to permit generation, an overriding clutch mechanically disconnects the generator shaft from the turbine shaft. The clutch has also the capability of locking the generator shaft to the turbine shaft in response to a control signal. When wind speed is great enough to permit generation and the turbine is stopped, a control signal is issued locking the generator shaft to the turbine shaft. Power from the power grid causes the generator to function as a motor and accelerate the turbine to permit it to be rotated by the wind. The clutch is then returned to overriding operation and electrical generation continues until wind speed again becomes too light.

Abstract: A wind electric generator employs a freewheeling clutch and an induction generator having several synchronous speeds. By selecting the synchronous speed as a function of the ambient wind speed, the generator can be made to operate more efficiently and without overloading. The freewheeling clutch which connects the generator to the wind turbine prevents the generator from acting as a motor when connected to a power grid, and wasting energy in turning the wind turbine.

Abstract: The cooling of electronic modules on a circuit board is improved by the use of heat sinks comprising a plurality of longitudinal fins projecting from the modules. Individual tubes communicating with an air plenum fit around and part way along each heat sink. Air drawn from or forced into the plenum causes air flow within the tubes and along the fins to cool them and the modules to which they are attached.