Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for locating a reference pattern on a storage medium. For example, various embodiments of the present invention provide systems for locating a reference pattern on a storage medium. Such systems include a sliding window phase calculator circuit, a delay circuit and a mark detector circuit.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for locating a reference pattern on a storage medium. For example, various embodiments of the present invention provide systems for locating a reference pattern on a storage medium. Such systems include a sliding window phase calculator circuit, a delay circuit and a mark detector circuit.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for peak signal detection. As one example, a method for peak signal detection that includes receiving a signal is disclosed. The received signal includes a signal region where the signal is increasing in amplitude, another signal region where the signal is decreasing in amplitude, and a transitional signal region coupling the first two signal regions. In some cases, the transitional region is of zero duration and the signal transitions directly from the increasing region to the decreasing region. The method further include calculating a distance between the signal region of increasing amplitude and the signal region of decreasing amplitude, and determining a peak of the received signal that is one half the distance from the signal region of increasing amplitude.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for accessing data via a variable polarity head assembly are disclosed herein. As one example, a method for accessing data is disclosed that includes receiving a data set, and sampling the data set using positive synchronization to create one data set and negative synchronization to create another data set. A respective sync mark is identified in each of the data sets, and the identified sync marks are compared. Based at least in part on the comparison of the sync marks, a polarity of the data set is identified. Based on the determined polarity of the data set, the data set may be delivered in a known polarity.