Abstract: A disk drive controller controls a vacuum pump to establish a vacuum within a disk drive housing to conserve power while ensuring that the head of the drive does not crash into the disk. The controller compares actual spindle power to a predetermined maximum power threshold and actual fly height to a calibration fly height to control the pump. The calibration values are derived by comparing no-load and loaded values for a parameter, e.g., error rate, disk temperature, and so on.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 27, 2000
Date of Patent:
March 2, 2004
Assignee:
Hitachi Global Storages Technologies Nethlands B.V.
Inventors:
Donald Ray Gillis, Bernd Lamberts, Kris Victor Schouterden