Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a magnetic disk drive capable of achieving error recovery stably in a simple configuration in the event of thermal asperity (TA) and minimizing the error recovery time required, and a method for controlling the disk drive. According to one embodiment, if TA occurs, a cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter to which a data read signal is input is first increased and a loop gain of a low-order finite impulse response (FIR) filter connected in series to an FIR filter is also increased as high as possible. Next, a Viterbi decoder to which a signal is input from the low-order FIR filter provides feedback to the low-order FIR filter so that an input signal error becomes a minimum. Tap coefficients of the low-order FIR filter are thus optimized.

Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a magnetic disk drive capable of achieving error recovery stably in a simple configuration in the event of thermal asperity (TA) and minimizing the error recovery time required, and a method for controlling the disk drive. According to one embodiment, if TA occurs, a cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter to which a data read signal is input is first increased and a loop gain of a low-order finite impulse response (FIR) filter connected in series to an FIR filter is also increased as high as possible. Next, a Viterbi decoder to which a signal is input from the low-order FIR filter provides feedback to the low-order FIR filter so that an input signal error becomes a minimum. Tap coefficients of the low-order FIR filter are thus optimized.

Abstract: A compact hard disk drive that operates silently at a low power consumption needs a suspension assembly that places a low load on the magnetic head. In one embodiment, a suspension assembly comprises a head arm mounted on a carriage shaft, a load beam capable of placing load on a magnetic head and serving as a beam, and a flexure assembly. The flexure assembly includes a flexure formed by processing a thin metal sheet, an insulating layer laminated to the flexure, a wiring pattern formed on the insulating layer, and a protective layer coating the wiring pattern. The flexure has a flexible part for placing load on the magnetic head, a gimbals to which the magnetic head is attached, and a base part attached to the head arm. The elastic part of the flexure generates a very load in the range of about 0.5 to about 1 g.