Abstract: An apparatus includes: a disk; a spindle motor configured to rotate the disk; and control circuitry with a spindle motor control loop, coupled to the spindle motor, the control circuitry configured to: inject a bandwidth test frequency into the spindle motor control loop, measure an open loop gain of the spindle motor control loop, calculate, using coordinate transformations, an estimated loop bandwidth of the spindle motor control loop based at least on one iteration of the bandwidth test frequency injection and the open loop gain measurement, and generate optimum loop parameters of the spindle motor control loop.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a spindle motor configured to rotate the disk. The disk drive further comprises control circuitry configured to measure a rotation speed of the spindle motor, generate a feed-forward control based on the measured rotation speed, and spin-up the spindle motor based on the feed-forward control.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a media; a head assembly over the media; a head actuation motor coupled to the head assembly; control circuitry, coupled to the head actuation motor, configured to position the head assembly; and a head loading ramp, adjacent to the media; wherein: the control circuitry is further configured to: generate a seek count; and park the head assembly, off of the media, on the head loading ramp, controlling a speed of the head actuation motor based on the seek count.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a spindle motor operable to rotate the disk. The disk drive comprises control circuitry configured to a rotation speed of the spindle motor, generate a gain as a function of the measured rotation speed, wherein the function comprises a polynomial having a degree greater than one, and spin-up the spindle motor based on the gain.

Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a first disk surface, a first head, and a first microactuator configured to actuate the first head over the first disk surface. The first microactuator is configured into a first sensor, and a first load operation is executed to load the first head over the first disk surface. A fly height instability of the first head is detected during the first load operation based on a first sensor signal generated by the first microactuator.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, and a voice coil motor (VCM) operable to rotate an actuator arm about a pivot to actuate a head radially over the disk. A voice coil voltage is measured across the voice coil, a velocity command of the VCM is set to substantially zero, an inductor compensation circuit is toggled at least once by enabling and disabling the inductor compensation circuit, the inductor compensation circuit is enabled, the velocity command of the VCM is adjusted, and a control signal is generated and applied to the voice coil in order to move the actuator arm, wherein the control signal is generated in response to the adjusted velocity command, the voice coil voltage, and the estimated inductance voltage.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a disk, a head coupled to a distal end of an actuator arm, and a voice coil motor (VCM) operable to rotate the actuator arm about a pivot to actuate the head radially over the disk, wherein the VCM comprises a coil. Control circuitry within the disk drive measures a load resistance of the coil prior to executing a load operation, wherein the load operation moves the actuator arm off a ramp to load the head onto the disk. The load resistance of the coil is then converted into an initial coil temperature estimate.

Abstract: Disclosed is disk drive comprising an actuator including a head, a disk having a plurality of tracks, and a processor to control the movement of the actuator and the head relative to the disk. The processor is coupled to the actuator by a flex circuit cable. The processor commands the application of a pre-calibrated bias signal to the actuator during an idle mode to compensate for a bias force imparted by the flex circuit cable upon the actuator such that the head is maintained proximate a pre-determined track of the disk within a pre-determined idle zone of tracks and further determines if a back electromagnetic force (BEMF) reading associated with the actuator is greater than the threshold value, and if so, commands an exit out of the idle mode.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining fundamental-frequency repeatable runout (1FRRO) coefficients in a disk drive. The disk drive includes a transducer head, a rotating magnetic disk having a plurality of concentric data tracks defined by embedded servo wedges that provide position information, and an actuator coupled to the head. In the method, the head is caused to move in a substantially constant velocity motion across a selected portion of the tracks of the rotating magnetic disk in response to a control signal. The position information is read from the embedded servo wedges as the head moves across of the selected portion of the tracks. The 1FRRO coefficients are determined based on the position information read as the head moved in a substantially constant velocity motion across the selected portion of the tracks.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a spindle motor having a plurality of windings including at least a first winding, a second winding, and a third winding. During a spin-up operation, a voltage is applied to the first winding and a first rise time is measured for current flowing through the first winding to reach a predetermined threshold. A voltage is applied to the second winding and a second rise time is measured for current flowing through the second winding to reach a predetermined threshold. A voltage is applied to the third winding and a third rise time is measured for current flowing through the third winding to reach a predetermined threshold. A difference is computed in response to the first rise time, the second rise time, and the third rise time, and an angular position of the spindle motor is estimated by computing an arctangent in response to the difference.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk having a plurality of tracks, an actuator arm, a head connected to a distal end of the actuator arm, and a voice coil motor (VCM) for rotating the actuator arm about a pivot to actuate the head over the disk. A driving current is applied to the VCM to control the motion of the actuator arm. A back EMF voltage generated by the VCM is detected, and a velocity of the VCM is estimated in response to the back EMF voltage. The estimated VCM velocity is compared to a target velocity in a velocity profile, wherein the velocity profile comprises at least an acceleration component and a coast component. The driving current is adjusted in response to the comparison so that the velocity of the VCM substantially follows the velocity profile.