Abstract: A printed circuit board (PCB) connector configured in accordance with a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) standard. The PCB connector is for connection to a PCB. The PCB connector includes a first blade connector for supporting a first electrical contact arrangement in accordance with a SATA standard, a housing for supporting the first blade connector and the first electrical contact arrangement, and a pair of laterally-opposed guide arm receiving cavities being integrally formed with the housing. The housing defines a cable connector receiving area around the first blade connector for receipt of a cable connector. Further, the guide arm receiving cavities are disposed outside of the cable connector receiving area and are adapted for the receipt of guide arms from a mating cable connector.

Abstract: A disk drive has an enclosure that includes a first portion and a second portion that is configured to mate with the first portion. A spindle motor is attached to the first portion and a disk is mounted to the spindle motor. A head stack assembly is pivotally coupled to the second portion prior to the first and second portions being mated to one another. The head stack assembly includes a read write head that is configured to read from and write to the recording surface of the disk after the first and second portions are mated to one another.

Abstract: The present invention may be regarded as a video recording system and method of transferring a non-time-critical, error-intolerant data segment stored or to be stored on a disk drive, which is responsive to a set of data transfer commands generated by a host processor and which is operating in a mode optimized for transferring time-critical, error-tolerant streaming data segments stored or to be stored on the disk drive. The method includes sending a sequence of data transfer commands generated by the host processor to the disk drive to transfer a respective sequence of time-critical, error-tolerant streaming data segments at a required data transfer rate. The method further includes selectively interposing a first data transfer command into the sequence of data transfer commands, the first data transfer command initiating a first transfer of the non-time-critical, error-intolerant data segment.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a velocity extraction circuit for extracting a velocity of an actuator arm from a back EMF voltage across a voice coil of a voice coil motor when embedded servo information is unavailable. The velocity extraction circuit comprises a dual slope integrator for integrating a voltage representing a current flowing through the voice coil and the voltage across the voice coil. The sum of the integrations cancels the resistance of the voice coil from the back EMF measurement. In one embodiment, the dual slop integrator also integrates the reverse polarity of the voltage representing the current flowing through the voice coil and the reverse polarity of the voltage across the voice coil in order to cancel the inductance (L·di/dt) of the voice coil from the back EMF measurement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for transmitting advertising information comprising a plurality of banner ads to a mobile terminal over a first connection during a synchronization session and storing the advertising information in a local memory of the mobile terminal. A web page is transmitted to the mobile terminal over a second connection, wherein the web page comprises web page content including a banner ad display area for displaying a banner ad. During a first time interval, a first one of the banner ads is retrieved from the local memory and the web page content is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal together with the first one of the banner ads in the banner ad display area. During a second time interval, a second one of the banner ads is retrieved from the local memory and the web page content is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal together with the second one of the banner ads in the banner ad display area.

Abstract: A production line spindle control circuit is disclosed for use in manufacturing a disk drive. The production line spindle control circuit generates sinusoidal driving currents applied to a spindle motor of the disk drive, and processes a back EMF signal generated by the spindle motor in order to control a commutation sequence as well as the angular velocity of the spindle motor. The production line spindle control circuit is attached to the spindle motor during a manufacturing procedure, such as servo writing, and detached from the spindle motor after the manufacturing procedure.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for recursively determining repeatable runout (RRO) cancellation values in a disk drive having a head disk assembly (HDA) and a sampled servo controller. The HDA includes a disk having distributed position information in servo wedges, a rotary actuator carrying a head that periodically reads the position information, and a voice coil motor circuit that responds to a control effort signal. The servo controller periodically adjusts the control effort signal during a track-following operation. In the method, resonant filter values for developing RRO cancellation values are iteratively learned and updated after each disk rotation during track following operations on a predetermined track until a threshold, such as a particular number of disk rotations, is obtained.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for defining tracks on a rotating magnetic disk medium of a disk drive. Reference tracks are followed using a servo control loop while writing servo burst patterns defining a first target servo track. The servo control loop includes a two-dimensional digital state compensator having a first input that receives position error signals, a first output that generates control signals for positioning a transducer head, a second output that generates track-following state variables, and a second input that receives stored track-following state variables. The first target track is followed using the servo control loop while servo burst patterns are written, and while the stored track-following state variables corresponding to the servo burst patterns defining the first target track are applied to the second input.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a magnetic element and a coil. The magnetic element includes an inner magnet set including first and second inner magnets. The magnetic element further includes an outer magnet set including first and second outer magnets. The first outer magnet is circumferentially disposed along the first inner magnet. The second outer magnet is circumferentially disposed along the second inner magnet. The coil is attached to a coil support of an actuator and disposed overlapping within a magnet periphery of the magnetic element. The coil includes an inner segment, an outer segment, and a pair of side segments electrically connecting the inner and outer segments. The inner segment is disposed overlapping with the inner magnet set, the outer segment being disposed overlapping with the outer magnet set. Each of the side segments is disposed equally overlapping with the inner and outer magnet sets.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a magnetic element having an inner magnet and an outer magnet. The disk drive further includes a first coil. The first coil includes a first coil inner segment, a first coil outer segment, and a first coil radial segment disposed generally perpendicular to the first coil inner segment and the first coil outer segment. The first coil radial segment overlaps the inner and outer magnets within a magnet periphery throughout a fill range of motion of the actuator. The disk drive further includes a second coil. The second coil includes a second coil inner segment, a second coil outer segment, and a second coil radial segment disposed generally parallel to the first coil radial segment. The second coil radial segment overlaps the inner and outer magnets within the magnet periphery throughout the full range of motion of the actuator.

Abstract: A cable connector configured in accordance with a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) standard. The cable connector includes a first electrical contact arrangement in accordance with a SATA standard and is configured to mate with a first blade connector having a second electrical contact arrangement also in accordance with the SATA standard. The cable connector includes a first blade-receiving portion for enclosing the first electrical contact arrangement, a housing for supporting the first blade-receiving portion and the first electrical contact arrangement, and a pair of laterally-opposed guide arms being integrally formed with the housing. The housing has a cable entrance end and a mating end. The guide arms project from the mating end of the housing and are disposed outside of the first blade-receiving portion.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk drive base and a rotary actuator coupled to the disk drive base. The rotary actuator includes an actuator body including a bore defining a longitudinal axis. The rotary actuator further includes a coil portion including a coil and a support element for supporting the coil. The coil support element is integrally formed with the actuator body and radially extends from the actuator body. The coil support element has a coil supporting surface generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The coil is attached to the coil supporting surface. The coil support element is sized and configured to support the coil and formed of a thermo-conductive material for dissipating heat from the coil.

Abstract: A Head Gimbal Assembly (HGA) for use in a disk drive and further includes a head having a read element and a write element; and a Trace Gimbal Assembly (TGA) attached to the head. The TGA includes a conductor array having a first end connected to the read element and the write element and a distal end for connecting the read element and the write element to a signal processing circuit, a conductive substrate supporting the head and the conductor array and a dielectric layer disposed between the conductor array and the conductive substrate. The TGA further includes a shunt connected at the distal end for shunting the read element; and an anti-static coating, covering a substantial portion of the conductor array for neutralizing electrostatic charge accumulation on the conductor array.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed employing a spindle motor comprising a hub ratchet arm disengaged through angular velocity. In one embodiment the ratchet arm is connected to the hub and engages a spindle shaft or a stator, and in an alternative embodiment the ratchet arm is connected to the spindle shaft or the stator and engages the hub. In one embodiment the ratchet arm disengages through centrifugal force, and in an alternative embodiment the ratchet arm disengages through an air bearing or windage.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a spindle motor for rotating the disk, an actuator arm, and a head coupled to the actuator arm. While powered down the head is latched in a parked position. During a start-up process, the spindle motor is controlled to rotate the disk toward an operating speed and the head is unlatched prior to the disk reaching the operating speed. If the disk drive is in a first spin-up mode (e.g., a normal spin-up mode) the head is unlatched relative to a first target speed, and if the disk drive is in a second spin-up mode (e.g., a re-sync spin-up mode) the head is unlatched relative to a second target speed greater than the first target speed.

Abstract: A device is disclosed comprising encryption circuitry for encrypting plaintext data into ciphertext data. A memory stores an initial spectral signature representing an initial spectral characteristic of the device, and a signal generator for generating an operating spectral signature representing an operating spectral characteristic of the device. A comparator compares the operating spectral signature to the initial spectral signature and enables the encryption circuitry if the operating spectral characteristic substantially matches the initial spectral characteristic.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for reducing position error signal in a disk drive, which has an actuator and a magnetic medium, write the servo tracks with a servo track writer using a varying increment. The servo tracks are written after the servo track writer incrementally moves the actuator by a non-constant amount. The non-constant incrementing enables a servo track writing operation to write servo tracks that are at least as wide near the outer circumference as they are near the zero skew position or near the inner circumference.

Abstract: A method of expanding the on-track operational range of a disk drive based upon detection of an external vibration condition. The method involves detecting that a vibration state exists and, while the existence of the vibration state is detected, modifying the default on-track-declaration algorithm such that a data transfer operation can be completed in less time than if the default on-track-declaration algorithm was in use.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a head, an actuator arm for actuating the head radially over the disk during a seek operation, and a voice coil motor (VCM) for rotating the actuator arm about a pivot, the VCM comprising a coil comprising a VCM resistance R. A back EMF voltage detector measures a back EMF voltage across the coil, and a current detector detects a current I flowing through the coil. An IR voltage detector, responsive to the current I detected by the current detector, detects an IR voltage proportional to the current I times the VCM resistance R. A voltage compensator substantially cancels the IR voltage from the measured back EMF voltage to generate a compensated back EMF voltage. A control voltage generator, responsive the compensated back EMF voltage, generates a control voltage applied to the coil to generate the current I flowing through the coil. A memory stores a first compensated back EMF voltage generated at a first time period of the seek operation.

Abstract: A population of disk drives includes a first disk drive configuration that has a spindle motor made according to the spindle motor design and a second disk drive configuration that has a spindle motor made according to the spindle motor design. A population of spindle motors are manufactured according to a spindle motor design. Each of the spindle motors in the population of spindle motors has a track-following characteristic in a range. A first group of spindle motors that correspond to a first portion of the range are allocated to the first disk drive configuration. A second group of spindle motors that correspond to the second portion of the range are allocated either to the second disk drive configuration or to the first disk drive configuration.