Abstract: A CD-R drive has two USB ports. One USB port is connected as an ordinary interface port to a host computer by a USB cable, and the other USB port is connected as an assist power supply port to the host computer by another USB cable. With this arrangement, the CD-R drive can operate with maximum current consumption of 1.0 A without using a separate AC power supply adapter because each USB port allows passage of 500 mA of current at maximum.

Abstract: A CD-R drive has two USB ports. One USB port is connected as an ordinary interface port to a host computer by a USB cable, and the other USB port is connected as an assist power supply port to the host computer by another USB cable. With this arrangement, the CD-R drive can operate with maximum current consumption of 1.0 A without using a separate AC power supply adapter because each USB port allows passage of 500 mA of current at maximum.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus which eliminates the eject button on a front bezel and eliminates the opening for the eject button is provided. A tray carries a recording medium, and is movable between an eject position in which the recording medium in the tray is ejected and a disk loading position in which the recording medium is positioned inside the disk drive apparatus for reading operations. The tray is moved toward the eject position by a moving mechanism. The tray is maintained in the disk loading position by an engaging member engaging with the tray. An engagement of the tray is released by pressing the tray in a disk loading direction from the eject position to the disk loading position.

Abstract: A disk apparatus using a CLV method is provided in which disk apparatus a power consumption is reduced by providing a power save mode in which an operation of a head driving system is stopped during a standby state. The disk apparatus uses a constant linear velocity method by which method a recording/reproducing operation of information on a disk is performed while the disk is rotated at a variable speed so that the linear velocity of the head relative to the disk is maintained to be constant. A disk driving unit rotates the disk, and a head driving unit drives the head. A linear velocity controlling unit controls a rotational speed of the disk so that the linear velocity of the head relative to the disk is maintained to be constant. A constant rotational speed controlling unit rotates the disk at a constant rotational speed. A switching unit switches a control of the disk driving unit to be performed by either one of the linear velocity controlling unit and the constant rotational speed controlling unit.

Abstract: A disk apparatus comprising a controller receiving commands from a command input device and controlling an entire operation of the disk apparatus. The rotating control function is coupled to the controller for controlling the first motor. The pickupmotor control function is coupled to the controller for controlling the second motor. The pickup control function is coupled to the controller for controlling a focusing operation and a tracking operation of the pickup. And the signal processing function is coupled to the controller for processing a recording signal to be recorded on the disk-shaped recording medium and a reproduced signal read out therefrom. The controller is comprised function-stop function for determining whether or not any command is received from the command input device during a predetermined period of time in a state.

Abstract: A motor stopping apparatus detects a rotation frequency of a motor to which a load is attached, and applies break power in accordance with the rotation frequency to the motor until the motor is approximately stopped. The apparatus may be provided in a disk storage.

Abstract: A floppy disk drive controller has a control part which performs a plurality of kinds of controls by means of outputting control information appropriate to each kind of control, and a memory part in which information which selects a predetermined kind of control from among the plurality of kinds of controls is pre-stored, the control part outputting the control information corresponding to the predetermined kind of control which is selected based on the information from the memory part.

Abstract: A disc apparatus includes a drive mechanism rotatively driving a disc recording medium and having a motor and a chucking mechanism provided on a shaft of the motor, a head reading out information from the disc recording medium, a disc loading detector for outputting a loading detection signal when the disc recording medium has been loaded into the disc apparatus, a chucking control circuit outputting a motor rotation control signal for driving the motor during a chucking operation by the chucking mechanism, a motor drive control circuit driving the motor when at least one of a motor rotation control signal from the chucking control circuit and from an external information processing apparatus controlling the disc apparatus are supplied, an information output circuit supplying information obtained from the head to the external information processing apparatus during the motor is rotated on basis of the motor rotation signal, and an output prohibit circuit prohibiting the supply of information from the informat

Abstract: A flexible magnetic disk drive has an index sensor which, during the rotation of the magnetic disk, generates a series of index pulses representative of the angular position of the magnetic disk. The index pulses are delivered to a host system only when a drive select signal supplied therefrom to the disk drive is in a prescribed state dictating the execution of reading or writing by that disk drive. Since the host system responds to the leading edges of the incoming index pulses for formatting the magnetic disk, any index pulse should be suppressed if the drive select signal assumes the prescribed state during the duration of that index pulse; otherwise, the leading edge of the index pulse would erroneously represents the angular position of the magnetic disk.

Abstract: A control system for a disk drive operating under the control of a host system for data transfer with a magnetic disk medium. The host system provides a signal indicative of whether the disk drive is in operation in a read-only mode or in a write-only or read-and-write mode. During operation in the write-only and read-and-write modes, the control system inhibits the delivery to the host system of both read data and index pulses during, for example, a disk start-up time, and access time and a transducer loading time, because the data recovered from the disk medium during such times may be inaccurate, inviting inaccurate writing. However, during operation in the read-only mode, the control system constantly permits the delivery of read data and index pulses to the host system with a view to the curtailment of the average read access time.

Abstract: An apparatus having a pair of magnetic transducer head assemblies for data transfer with both sides of a recording medium such as a flexible magnetic disk. One of the head assemblies is mounted via a planar flexure seat on a carriage movable radially of the medium, whereas the other head assembly is mounted via another planar flexure seat on a load arm which is hingedly mounted on the carriage for pivotal motion toward and away from the medium. At least one, preferably both, of the head assemblies has a data transfer coil such as a read/write coil at least partly, preferably wholly, disposed on that side of the flexure seat which is directed toward the recording medium. An erase coil, if any, of each head assembly may also be disposed on the same side of the flexure seat. This coil arrangement affords a significant reduction in the thickness of the apparatus.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement for a flexible magnetic disk drive having an index sensor for optically sensing an index hole defined eccentrically in the magnetic disk, with the index sensor putting out an electric index pulse of less than a predetermined duration each time it detects the index hole during the rotation of the magnetic disk. The index sensor is prone to put out invalid pulses of not less than the predetermined duration as a result of the displacement of the magnetic disk relative to the index sensor.

Abstract: An apparatus having a pair of magnetic transducer head assemblies for data transfer contact with the opposite faces of a flexible magnetic disk. One of the head assemblies has its disk engaging surface disposed at an angle to the normal plane of the magnetic disk in order to hold the disk engaging surfaces of both head assemblies in proper data transfer contact with the magnetic disk in spite of its wobbling movements during rotation. The disk engaging surface of that one head assembly slants away from the normal disk plane in a direction that can be anywhere between a radially inward direction of the magnetic disk and a tangential direction of a notional circle drawn concentrically on the magnetic disk, the tangential direction being upstream of the magnetic disk with respect to its predetermined direction of rotation.

Abstract: In a stepping motor of the type having one or more sets of four phase windings on respective stator poles, with the four phase windings being excited sequentially to cause the rotation of a rotor having magnetic poles, a drive method and system are disclosed for stopping the rotor in exact angular positions required. Since the stator can less magnetically control the rotor when the latter is positioned with its magnetic poles in axact alignment with the stator poles, the stator windings are sequentially excited in such a manner that upon termination of the sequential excitation, the rotor comes to a stop in a position angularly displaced to a predetermined degree in a predetermined direction from a position of exact alignment with the stator poles. Basically, for stopping the rotor in such angular positions, at least two of the four phase windings are excited at a time with currents of predetermined different magnitudes.

Abstract: A drive method and system are disclosed for a stepping motor typically having several sets of four phase windings on respective stator poles of annular arrangement, and a rotor having several alternating N and S poles at constant circumferential spacings. Normally, the windings are sequentially excited as by a single or two phase drive mode to cause the rotor to rotate by increments. For stopping the rotor in a required angular position, any one or two of the four phase windings are excited in a normal direction to polarize the associated stator pole or poles into one polarity to attract one of the opposite poles of the rotor. Further, the other phase windings on both sides of the noted one or two windings are excited in the reverse direction, as by the discharge of capacitors, with the consequent polarization of the associated stator poles into the opposite polarity.