Abstract: A disk drive 30 conforms to the 1.8 inch form factor through of use of, for example, a removable cartridge 200 which has a disk 220 mounted on the hub 226 which hub 226 is manipulatable by a multifunction handle 58 of the disk drive 30, allowing the hub 226 to be seated on the spindle motor nose 56 of the disk drive 30. The multifunction handle 58 of the drive 30 provides for a compact, high capacity design by performing cartridge hub seating operations, cartridge ejection operations, head arm assembly unlocking operations, and handle locking and unlocking operations to ensure proper operation of the disk drive 30. The disk drive 30 includes an inventive ramp 66 design which allows the head arm assembly 64 to be initially received within the cartridge 200 as the cartridge 200 is inserted into its final registration position in the disk drive receiving mechanism 53 and to be more tangent with respect to the disk 220.

Abstract: A cartridge 20 for a disk drive 130 includes a door 44 which can be urged from a closed position to an opened position which is substantially within the cartridge 20 and located in a plane substantially parallel to the disk 42 contained in the cartridge 20. The cartridge 20 includes a mounting mechanism 48 for accomplishing the motion of the door 44 from the closed to the opened position and a locking mechanism 50 for locking the door 44 in the closed position. Further, the cartridge 20 includes a groove 52 which extends rearwardly and across the cartridge in order to lockingly engage the cartridge in the drive 130.

Abstract: An alternating "A/B" servo burst pattern for measuring and compensating for offset of the track centerline due to differential magnetic influence to the servo pattern, and a switching network to alternate the output of the servo system demodulators between the inverting and non-inverting terminals of a differential amplifier so that electrical distortion is minimized.

Abstract: A cartridge 52 adapted for being inserted into a disk drive 50 includes a housing 70 which contains a disk 256 mounted for rotation and an interlocking device 90 defined in the housing 70 and adapted for automatically lockingly positioning the cartridge 52 in the disk drive 50 as the cartridge 52 comes to a final position relative to the disk drive 50. The interlocking device 90 includes an element 90 which is defined in the cartridge housing 70 in the direction which is substantially across the direction of insertion of the cartridge 82 into the drive 50. The interlocking device 90 includes a recess 90 for lockingly positioning the cartridge 52 which recess 90 includes an opening 360 disposed through the front edge 98 of the cartridge 52 and which is directed therefrom in a direction which is substantially across the direction of insertion of the cartridge 52 into the drive 50.

Abstract: A disk drive 50 for receiving a removable cartridge 52 containing a disk 256 for storing data. The disk drive 50 includes a spindle motor 102 for engaging and causing the disk 256 of the cartridge 52 to spin at an appropriate speed and a mechanism 168 for mounting the spindle motor 102 to the disk drive 50 so that the spindle 102 motor is movable from a first position out of engagement with the disk 256 to a second position operably engaged with the disk 256. The spindle motor 102 can thus move in a plane which is not coplaner with the cartridge receiving plane. The disk drive further includes an ejecting mechanism 106 for engaging and lockingly holding the cartridge 52 in place in the cartridge receiver 60 and for ejecting the cartridge from the cartridge receiver 60.

Abstract: A cartridge 20 for a disk drive 130 includes a door 44 which can be urged from a closed position to an opened position which is substantially within the cartridge 20 and located in a plane substantially parallel to the disk 42 contained in the cartridge 20. The cartridge 20 includes a mounting mechanism 48 for accomplishing the motion of the door 44 from the closed to the opened position and a locking mechanism 50 for locking the door 44 in the closed position Further, the cartridge 20 includes a groove 52 which extends rearwardly and across the cartridge in order to lockingly engage the cartridge in the drive 130.

Abstract: A cartridge 52 adapted for being inserted into a disk drive 50 includes a housing 70 which contains a disk 256 mounted for rotation and an interlocking device 90 defined in the housing 70 and adapted for automatically lockingly positioning the cartridge 52 in the disk drive 50 as the cartridge 52 comes to a final position relative to the disk drive 50. The interlocking device 90 includes an element 90 which is defined in the cartridge housing 70 in the direction which is substantially across the direction of insertion of the cartridge 82 into the drive 50. The interlocking device 90 includes a recess 90 for lookingly positioning the cartridge 52 which recess 90 includes an opening 360 disposed through the front edge 98 of the cartridge 52 and which is directed therefrom in a direction which is substantially across the direction of insertion of the cartridge 52 into the drive 50.

Abstract: A cartridge 20 for a disk drive 130 includes a door 44 which can be urged from a closed position to an opened position which is substantially within the cartridge 20 and located in a plane substantially parallel to the disk 42 contained in the cartridge 20. The cartridge 20 includes a mounting mechanism 48 for accomplishing the motion of the door 44 from the closed to the opened position and a locking mechanism 50 for locking the door 44 in the closed position. Further, the cartridge 20 includes a groove 52 which extends rearwardly and across the cartridge in order to lockingly engage the cartridge in the drive 130.

Abstract: A disc drive (420) includes a spindle motor (432) having a stator assembly (436) which is provided in a radial gap configuration. A removable cartridge (422) includes a rotor assembly (472) mounted on a bearing arrangement (468) which additionally mounts the disc (430) contained in the cartridge (422). When the cartridge (422) is placed in the drive (420), the rotor assembly (472) of the cartridge (422) comes into alignment with the stator assembly (436) of the drive (420) so that the spindle motor (432) can cause the disc (430) contained in the cartridge (422) to rotate at the proper speed.

Abstract: A zone servo sector format alignment scheme 41 for a disc 22 of a disc drive 20 includes the disc 22 having an outer zone 42, a middle zone 44 and an inner zone 46, each zone having a plurality of tracks 48, 50, 52. The sectors, 54, 56, 58 of each zone 42, 44, 46 includes a plurality of sectors such as sector 60 which define a servo field 62 and a data field 64. The number of sectors 56 in each of tracks 50 of the middle zone 46 is less than the number of sectors 54 on each track 48 of the outer zone 42. The number of sectors 58 on each track 52 of the inner zone 46 is less than the number of sectors 56 on each tracks 50 of the middle zone 46. Further, by maintaining the same recording frequency of the servo fields 62 across all the zones 42, 44, 46, the placing of the sectors 56, 58 in the middle and inner zones 44, 46 can be adjusted in order to provide for alignment indicia 66 which include aligned sectors across all the zones.

Abstract: A spindle motor control circuit 20 for controlling the acceleration and position locking of a spindle motor 22 includes a first mode of operation whereby the spindle motor 22 is commutated through use of an external clock 32, 34. The control circuit 20 then causes the spindle motor 22 to be self-commutation based on the clock developed from transitions detected by a transition detector 71, which transitions are signals provided from the phase windings of the spindle motor 22. A final mode includes the reading of servo information from the servo sectors on the disc in order to control the final acceleration and position of the spindle motor 22.

Abstract: A disc drive 20 including a spindle motor assembly 42 having a magnetic clutch plate 46 and an actuator 47 receives a hermetically sealed cartridge 22 containing a plurality of discs 72, 74 with associated heads 80, 81 mounted in the cartridge 22. Associated with an arm assembly 84 which supports heads 80, 81 is a component 50 for use with the actuator 47. With the cartridge 22 inserted in the drive 20, the actuator 47 operates to cause the heads 80, 81 to traverse relative to the discs 72, 74 as the spindle motor assembly 42 uses a magnetic field to engage a magnetic plate 77 associated with cartridge 22 in order to spin the discs 72, 74. Data transfer connectors 52, 54 are associated with both the drive 20 and the cartridge 22 in order to allow for the transfer of data between the cartridge 22 and the drive 20.

Abstract: A sealed cartridge 22 vor selective use in a disc drive 20 includes a sealed housing 70 with a disc 72 positioned therein and heads 80, 81 positioned relative to the disc. An actuator mechanism 84 is provided for use with an actuator arrangement 47 of the disc drive 20 in order that the actuator mechanism 84 and the actuator arrangement 47 can cooperate to move the heads 80, 81 relative to the disc 72. A magnetic coupling mechanism 77 is adapted for magnetically coupling the disc 72 to the disc drive 20 in order to allow the disc drive 20 to rotate the disc 72, without the magnetic coupling mechanism 77 physically touching the disc drive 20.

Abstract: A disc drive 20 includes a tray assembly 34 for positively seating and locking a cartridge 21 onto a spindle motor 82. The drive 20 includes heads 108, 110 mounted on a radial arm voice coil actuator assembly 112 and appropriate mechanisms including the arm control assembly 126 and the ratchet 124 and pawl projection 170 to ensure that the heads 108, 110 are properly loaded onto the disc 90 and that the cartridge 21 insertion and ejection process does not cause damage to the heads 108, 110 or the disc 90 contained in the cartridge 21. Further the drive 20 includes controls such as the cartridge load lever 32 and the release button 30 which are not exposed and cannot be accidentally tripped during data transfer operations.

Abstract: A disc drive 22 having a head 26 actuated by an actuator 32 for seeking out a destination track 30 includes servo velocity control circuitry 51 and servo position control circuitry 41. The servo velocity control circuitry 51 seeks out the destination track and places the head within the boundaries of that track while the servo position control circuitry 41 using servo information places the head on the centerline of the destination track. The fine servo control circuitry 20 is provided for communicating the information generated by the servo position control circuitry 41 to the servo velocity circuitry 51 when the head 26 is several tracks from the destination track in order to allow the actuator 32 to smoothly and quickly cause the head to seek within the boundaries of the destination track without overshooting that track.

Abstract: A disc drive 20 includes a tray assembly 34 for positively seating and locking a cartridge 21 onto a spindle motor 82. The drive 20 includes heads 108, 110 mounted on a radial arm voice coil actuator assembly 112 and appropriate mechanisms including the arm control assembly 126 and the ratchet 124 and pawl projection 170 to ensure that the heads 108, 110 are properly loaded onto the disc 90 and that the cartridge 21 insertion and ejection process does not cause damage to the heads 108, 110 or the disc 90 contained in the cartridge 21. Further the drive 20 includes controls such as the cartridge load lever 32 and the release button 30 which are not exposed and cannot be accidentally tripped during data transfer operations.

Abstract: A removable cartridge 20 for a disc drive includes a door 34 which is movable from a locked closed position to an open position by a shutter lever of the disc drive.