Abstract: A soft or passive latch to control a position of a head relative to a data storage media is disclosed. In illustrated embodiments, the latch provides a dwell point or region along the flex circuit assembly. In illustrated embodiments, the dwell point or region corresponds to alignment of the head in a middle region of the media. In illustrated embodiment, the latch is formed of a lower or reduced bending stiffness region, which in illustrated embodiment is formed via a cut-out, contoured, or reduced width portion of a constraint layer damper or other layer(s) along the flex circuit assembly.

Abstract: A soft or passive latch to control a position of a head relative to a data storage media is disclosed. In illustrated embodiments, the latch provides a dwell point or region along the flex circuit assembly. In illustrated embodiments, the dwell point or region corresponds to alignment of the head in a middle region of the media. In illustrated embodiment, the latch is formed of a lower or reduced bending stiffness region, which in illustrated embodiment is formed via a cut-out, contoured, or reduced width portion of a constraint layer damper or other layer(s) along the flex circuit assembly.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for compensating for imbalance in a data storage disc stack during assembly of the data storage device. An optical measurement system downstream of the disc clamp installation operation measures one or more parameters of a predetermined sample of disc-stacks produced on the assembly line A moving average of the sampled measurements is utilized to determine a component configuration type that will compensate for any measured disc stack imbalance.

Abstract: A film is placed between contacting surfaces in an assembly. The film has an optical property responsive to pressure. A compressive force is applied to the contacting surfaces to generate an initial pressure pattern. The film is removed from between the contacting surfaces. The optical property is sensed to derive a sensed initial pressure pattern. A stored setting controls the compressive force. The sensed initial pressure pattern is compared to a reference pressure pattern. The stored setting is updated to adjust the compressive force as a function of the comparing.

Abstract: A film is placed between contacting surfaces in an assembly. The film has an optical property responsive to pressure. A compressive force is applied to the contacting surfaces to generate an initial pressure pattern. The film is removed from between the contacting surfaces. The optical property is sensed to derive a sensed initial pressure pattern. A stored setting controls the compressive force. The sensed initial pressure pattern is compared to a reference pressure pattern. The stored setting is updated to adjust the compressive force as a function of the comparing.

Abstract: A data storage device and head-slap detection circuit combination for determining whether a data storage device encounters a head-slap event. The data storage device includes a data transducing head with a conductive film affixed thereon adjacent a conductive surface attached to a recording surface. A continuity circuit is formed by connecting the head-slap detection circuit to the conductive surface with a first lead and to the conductive film with a second lead. The head-slap detection circuit compares a resistance between the conductive surface and the conductive film to a threshold resistance level and reports a duration of a head-slap event upon a change in resistance between the conductive surface and the conductive film exceeding the threshold resistance level. A level of impact force experienced by the combination is translated from an empirically determined head-slap boundary curve based on the duration of the head-slap event.