Abstract: A safety finial for a stick flag includes a receiver collar for engagement with a flag stick of the stick flag, and a finial tip comprising a soft and deformable resilient material, to reduce the potential for injury or damage from contact with the finial. Also, a plastic flag stick for a stick flag, which has a polygonal cross-sectional configuration; and a stick flag including one or both of the safety finial and/or the plastic flag stick.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk having a first servo burst written with advancing phase as a radial distance on the disk increases, and a second servo burst written with decreasing phase as a radial distance on the disk increases, and a transducing head, and a read channel. The disk drive also includes an element for shifting the phase of the signal produced by the first burst pattern with respect to the signal produced by the second burst pattern by an amount sufficient to substantially cancel distortion in a signal produced by the first servo burst with distortion in a signal produced by the second servo burst when the signal from the first servo burst is added to the signal from the second servo burst.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present invention establish a sound production model of the storage drive and/or the host in which it is embedded, wherein the model represents the correlation between the current excitation to the storage drive and the acoustic response of the storage drive and/or the host produces. By monitoring and modeling the acoustic response in real time, the invention is operable to optimize/change the sound production of the storage drive and/or the host by tuning a plurality of parameters of the model and the storage drive controller. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: The amount of position error written into a servo burst pattern can be reduced by using additional media revolutions to write the pattern. Where servo bursts are used to define a position on the media, trimming a first burst and writing a second burst on separate revolutions of the media will result in a different amount of position error being written into each burst. The end result will be a reduction in the overall error in position information. In order to further reduce the position error given by a combination of bursts, each burst also can be trimmed and/or written in multiple passes. The overall error in position should decrease as the number of passes used to write a burst combination increases. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention enables the trimming and writing of servo bursts in a null burst servo pattern as multiple portions in multiple passes while still demodulating each of the servo bursts as a single burst to obtain PES. Alternatively, the servo bursts can be trimmed and written using different currents in different passes respectively so that a gap can be created in the radial direction between the servo bursts. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: An electronic storage device provides rapid data availability. The rapid data availability relates to sequences of reads and writes performed by the ESD responsive to critical events, such as power-up sequences or sequences of read and/or write operations. A sequence of reads is performed upon detecting a critical event. A record of reads to be performed is maintained in a reserved area of the disk. In the case of similar but different events, such as host power-up from an off state and host power-up from a hibernation state, different read and write sequences are performed for each scenario. Improvements to the sequence of reads and/or writes may be determined, thereby enabling the ESD to improve its response to critical events over time.

Abstract: The operation of propagation self servowrite can be improved by using spirals written upon the disk. The spirals can be used to reduce the DC drift of the propagation of the self servowrite. The writing of the spirals can be improved by using the back EMF signal for the VCM to control the velocity of the actuator during the writing of the spirals to produce a more consistent spiral shape. Additionally, back EMF crossings of the spindle can be used to space the spirals evenly about the disk.

Abstract: A rotatable storage media includes multiple concentric data tracks and servo sectors embedded within the tracks. In some embodiments, the servo sectors have servo burst patterns including a plurality of burst groups, with each of the burst groups including a trimmed burst that is stitched and trimmed such that is has a first width, and an untrimmed burst that has a second width that is less than the first width. In other embodiments, each of the burst groups include a pair of untrimmed bursts, with one of the untrimmed bursts being wider than the other. In still another embodiment, all bursts are trimmed, but some are wider than others. Preferably, such burst patterns are written using a two-pass-per-track servowriting scheme.

Abstract: The minor coherence-errors suffered during servowriting of bursts in a phase burst servo pattern may contribute to significant written-in runout of the resulting pattern. Embodiments of the present invention enables the servowriting of both the zig/zag bursts and/or the digital information of the phase burst pattern all in one single revolution so that the common coherence errors of the zig/zag bursts can be canceled during demodulation. Such single pass servowriting of both zig/zag bursts can be accomplished by either using additional phase-adjustment circuitry or by shifting the phase of the write clock to allow servowriting of the bursts and/or digital information all at edges of (different) integer clock cycles. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A disk drive system includes an adjustable output (linear or switching) voltage regulator including an output terminal that provides an output voltage. A plurality of loads each include a voltage supply terminal that receives the output voltage. A controller dynamically adjusts the output voltage based, e.g., based on which of the loads are active.

Abstract: Methods are provided for selecting write elements, that can be used in a media-writer, for writing servo burst patterns that have a desired width. Methods for writing preferred servo patterns are also provided. Methods for controlling a write current to produce servo bursts have a desired width are also provided. In accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention, the desired burst width is three-fourths of a data track wide. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures and the claims.

Abstract: Systems for writing preferred servo patterns, and rotatable storage media including preferred servo patterns, are provided. Systems for controlling write currents to produce servo bursts having a desired width are also provided. In accordance with specific embodiments, the desired burst width is three-fourths of a data track wide. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures and the claims.

Abstract: A disk drive system includes a fixed output voltage regulator including an output terminal that provides a substantially fixed output voltage. A plurality of loads, each includes a voltage supply terminal. A programmable resistor bank which is adapted to selectively provide a plurality of different resistances, is connected in series between the output terminal of the voltage regulator and the voltage supply terminals of the plurality of loads. One of the plurality of different resistances can be selected to adjust a voltage provided to the voltage supply terminals of the plurality of loads.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer readable media for calibrating storage devices such as hard drives. Storage devices include storage media that are divided into differing data zones having differing data densities. A testing system initiates a series of microjog tests in the storage that are configured to determine read/write offsets indicating a distance between a write position associated with a particular location and a preferred read position for the location. To calibrate the storage device, the testing system or other product measures read/write offsets at different locations on an actuator stroke within a read/write zone. The storage device then determines predicted read/write offsets for the zone based upon the determined read/write offsets at locations in the read/write zone.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer readable media for calibrating storage devices such as hard drives. Storage devices include storage media that are divided into differing data zones having differing data densities. A testing system initiates a series of microjog tests in the storage that are configured to determine read/write offsets indicating a distance between a write position associated with a particular location and a preferred read position for the location. To calibrate the storage device, the testing system or other product measures read/write offsets at different locations on an actuator stroke within a read/write zone. The storage device then determines predicted read/write offsets for the zone based upon the determined read/write offsets at locations in the read/write zone.

Abstract: Methods in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can be applied to determine a width of a data stroke along a rotatable medium of a data storage device. In one embodiment, the width can be determined by measuring a distance from a marker zone edge of a template pattern to a ramp, and measuring a distance from the marker zone edge to an inner crash stop. A track layout can be determined based on the width of the data stroke.

Abstract: A two-step self-servowriting process first writes an intermediate pattern based on a reference pattern, and then writes a final pattern based on the intermediate pattern, wherein the reference pattern can be a printed media or a spiral pattern. Such an approach can be utilized to reduce the noise/runout, eliminate timing eccentricity, and increase the sample rate of the final pattern. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A two-step self-servowriting process first writes an intermediate pattern based on a reference pattern, and then writes a final pattern based on the intermediate pattern, wherein the reference pattern can be a printed media or a spiral pattern. Such an approach can be utilized to reduce the noise/runout, eliminate timing eccentricity, and increase the sample rate of the final pattern. In addition, a disk drive containing multiple rotatable disks can perform two-step self servowriting using either a per-cylinder process to further improve written-in runout. In such a process, intermediate servo patterns can be written via each head in the drive, and the final servo patterns can be written and/or re-written via each head at one time based on an optimal intermediate pattern. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A two-step self-servowriting process first writes an intermediate pattern based on a reference pattern, and then writes a final pattern based on the intermediate pattern, wherein the reference pattern can be a printed media pattern. Such an approach can be utilized to reduce the noise/runout, eliminate timing eccentricity, and increase the sample rate of the final pattern. In addition, a disk drive containing multiple rotatable disks can perform two-step self servowriting using either a per-head self-servowriting process to further improve written-in runout. In such a process, intermediate servo patterns can be written via each head in the drive, and the final servo patterns can be written and/or re-written via each head either individually. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A two-step self-servowriting process first writes an intermediate pattern based on a reference pattern, and then writes a final pattern based on the intermediate pattern, wherein the reference pattern can be a printed media or a spiral pattern. Such an approach can be utilized to reduce the noise/runout, eliminate timing eccentricity, and increase the sample rate of the final pattern. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.