Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing the acoustic output of a computer disk drive during a load or unload operation are provided. According to the invention, a pulse train having pulse widths that vary from one pulse to the next is provided to a voice coil motor while the transducer head is being loaded to or unloaded from the surface of the disk. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a proportional term equal to the inverse of the pulse width is supplied to the controller such that, with all other inputs to the controller being equal, a pulse train having pulses of equal total power are produced. By providing pulses of varying widths, the acoustic output of the disk drive is spread among multiple frequencies, and the amplitude at any one frequency is diminished as compared to a pulse train having pulses of equal width.

Abstract: A novel ramp loading scheme minimizes wear and friction between the rubbing surfaces (typically the flexure and the ramp surface) where both the ramp assembly and the actuator arm are coated with a hard, low-friction fluoropolymer compound. Tests conducted with this coating-on-coating scheme demonstrated that, after multiple load/unload cycles, the coefficient of friction along the rubbing surfaces was low and did not change appreciably. To minimize flying debris, if any, from contacting sensitive disc drive parts, a lubricant is coated on the stationary part (i.e., the ramp assembly).