Abstract: A recording medium is written to using an energy source that heats the medium during the writing. A read error in a sector is determined when reading via a read transducer. While traversing a part of the recording medium that includes data, a write coil is activated before attempting to re-read the sector. The energy source does not heat the recording medium sufficiently to change a state of the data during the activation of the write coil. The activation of the write coil removes a magnetic instability of the read transducer.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for recovering user data from a rotatable data recording medium. In some embodiments, a moveable read element detects at least one uncorrectable read error in user data stored in a data sector arranged along a concentric track. A read retry operation is carried out to recover the user data by radially advancing the moveable read element from a first offset value to a different second offset value with respect to the track in accordance with a trajectory profile while transducing the user data from the data sector. This allows data that are variably overwritten (encroached upon) by different radial amounts from an adjacent track to be recovered.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for storing and retrieving user data from magnetic recording tracks in a data storage device. In some embodiments, a rotatable data recording medium has a circumferentially extending data track formed from spaced apart embedded servo wedges that extend radially across a recording surface of the medium to define intervening data wedges between each adjacent pair of the servo wedges. Each data wedge along the data track has only a single timing field at a beginning portion of the data wedge immediately adjacent a first servo wedge, followed by a plurality of data sectors that extend across the data wedge to an end portion of the data wedge immediately adjacent a second servo wedge. No inter-sector gaps are provided between the respective data sectors and no additional timing fields are provided between the first and second servo wedges.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a heat-assisted magnetic recording head configured to write to and read from a magnetic recording medium. The head comprises a reader and a writer including a near-field transducer (NFT). The reader comprises a center which is laterally offset relative to a center of the writer to define a reader-writer offset (RWO) therebetween. A magnetic recording medium comprises a plurality of tracks. The plurality of tracks comprises at least one track used as a region to test for a shift in the RWO. A processor is coupled to the recording head and configured to detect the RWO shift.

Abstract: Two or more reader sensors are commonly mounted on a read/write head that is configured to read data from a heat-assisted recording medium. For a region of the recording medium, a separation is determined for the reader sensors. A track spacing that provides a target areal density for the region is determined. The track spacing for the region is adjusted to approach a predetermined ratio of the separation.

Abstract: Data is read from a track of a magnetic recording medium via multiple read transducers located at different positions on a read head. The multiple read transducers are substantially positioned over the track when reading the track. The multiple read transducers have different design characteristics manifesting in differences in at least one of magnetic and electrical behavior of the multiple read transducers. One or more signals originating from the multiple read transducers are combined to assist in decoding the data.

Abstract: The implementations disclosed herein provide for a storage device including a preamplifier that dynamically adjusts at least one of a rise time and fall time of an analog write current pulse based on a length of a corresponding write transition and/or characteristics of a media location where the write transition is to be recorded.

Abstract: The implementations disclosed herein provide for a storage device including a preamplifier that dynamically adjusts at least one of a rise time and fall time of an analog write current pulse based on a length of a corresponding write transition and/or characteristics of a media location where the write transition is to be recorded.

Abstract: Multiple signals are read, respectively, from multiple different cross-track positions of a track of a magnetic medium. Weighting coefficients for each of the multiple signals are determined. The weighting coefficients are applied to the respective signals to form weighted signals. The weighted signals are combined and the combined signal is used to recover data stored in the track.

Abstract: A readback system includes a magnetic sensor that receives a sensor current. The magnetic sensor senses magnetic bits at a bit frequency and generates a sensor output. The readback system includes a channel circuit that modulates the sensor current at a modulation frequency higher than the bit frequency. The channel circuit samples the sensor output and combines multiple samples of the sensor output per magnetic bit into a combined sample output.