Abstract: A hard disk drive damper plate comprises a planar main body having a generally rectangular cross-section and a splitter portion extending away from the main body in a radial direction. The splitter portion operates to disrupt vortex shedding corresponding to secondary gas flow associated with the planar main body. Various embodiments involve the length, thickness, and shape of the splitter portion, as well as how much of the planar main body may be provisioned with such a splitter portion.

Abstract: A haptic actuator may include a housing having opposing ends and opposing sides extending therebetween. The haptic actuator may also include at least one coil carried by the housing and a field member having opposing ends and opposing sides extending therebetween. The haptic actuator may also include a respective flexure coupling each end of the field member to an adjacent end of the housing so that the field member is reciprocally movable within the housing responsive to the at least one coil over an operating range and while maintaining a respective sidewall clearance between each side of the field member and an adjacent side of the housing. At least one sidewall clearance restricting feature may be configured to restrict the sidewall clearance when the field member moves beyond the operating range when subject to mechanical shock.

Abstract: A hard disk drive damper plate comprises a planar main body having a generally rectangular cross-section and a splitter portion extending away from the main body in a radial direction. The splitter portion operates to disrupt vortex shedding corresponding to secondary gas flow associated with the planar main body. Various embodiments involve the length, thickness, and shape of the splitter portion, as well as how much of the planar main body may be provisioned with such a splitter portion.

Abstract: A hard disk drive damper plate comprises a planar main body having a generally rectangular cross-section and a splitter portion extending away from the main body in a radial direction. The splitter portion operates to disrupt vortex shedding corresponding to secondary gas flow associated with the planar main body. Various embodiments involve the length, thickness, and shape of the splitter portion, as well as how much of the planar main body may be provisioned with such a splitter portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for aligning a rotating device such as an actuator assembly to a base of, for example, a disk drive. The device is rotatably mounted to the base about the pivot pin. The method may involve adjusting the angular position of the pivot pin relative to the base unless or until the actuator assembly rotates in a first plane parallel to a second plane containing a surface of the data storage disk. In one embodiment, the data storage disk is mounted for rotation on a disk rotation motor. The disk rotation motor, in turn, is mounted to a base. With the device positioned between the base and the data storage disk, the device is rotated about the pivot pin. While the device is rotated about the pivot pin, electrical current is provided to the device. The magnitude of the electrical current is proportional or inversely proportional to a distance D separating the device from the data storage disk. The electrical current is monitored as the device rotates about the pivot pin.

Abstract: A hub assembly for a data storage disk including a hub member and a raised boss near a center axis of the hub member, the raised boss being surrounded by an annular bonding surface and being configured so as to protrude into a center hole of a data storage disk when the bonding surface is in contact with a surface of the disk.

Abstract: An optical pickup assembly includes an optical pickup unit (OPU), a thermally conductive plate, and a flex circuit. The flex circuit is mounted atop the plate. The OPU is also mounted atop the plate through a cutout of the flex circuit. Alternatively, the flex circuit is mounted below the plate and the OPU is mounted atop the plate. The optical pickup assembly further includes an actuator arm. The OPU is mounted on the actuator arm with a portion of the plate contacting the actuator arm.

Abstract: An optical assembly including a service loop extended from a focus section of an actuator arm. A portion of the service loop bends when a tracking section of the actuator arm rotates around a tracking axis while a portion of the flex circuit twists when the focus section of the actuator arm rotates around a focus axis.

Abstract: An optical pickup assembly includes an optical pickup unit (OPU) and a flex circuit. The OPU is mounted atop a thermally conductive plate through a cutout of the flex circuit. Bond wires couple contacts pads on the OPU and the flex circuit. Alternatively, OPU is mounted atop the plate and the plate is mounted atop the flex circuit. The plate includes a cutout where bond wires pass through to couple the contact pads on the OPU and the flex circuit.

Abstract: An optical assembly includes a service loop extended from a focus section of an actuator arm. A portion of the service loop bends when a tracking section of the actuator arm rotates around a tracking axis while a portion of the flex circuit twists when the focus section of the actuator arm rotates around a focus axis.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for aligning a rotating device such as an actuator assembly to a base of, for example, a disk drive. The device is rotatably mounted to the base about the pivot pin. The method may involve adjusting the angular position of the pivot pin relative to the base unless or until the actuator assembly rotates in a first plane parallel to a second plane containing a surface of the data storage disk. In one embodiment, the data storage disk is mounted for rotation on a disk rotation motor. The disk rotation motor, in turn, is mounted to a base. With the device positioned between the base and the data storage disk, the device is rotated about the pivot pin. While the device is rotated about the pivot pin, electrical current is provided to the device. The magnitude of the electrical current is proportional or inversely proportional to a distance D separating the device from the data storage disk. The electrical current is monitored as the device rotates about the pivot pin.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus such as a disk drive that includes a base, a first device, and a second device. The first device can read or write data to a data storage disk. The first device is movably mounted to the base. For example, the first device can move in orthogonal first and second planes. The second device is mounted to the base and is configured to limit movement of the first device in the second plane. In one embodiment, the first device is rotatably mounted to the base and includes first and second portions. The first portion is rotatably mounted to the base, and the second portion is rotatably connected to the first portion. In this embodiment, the first portion rotates in the first plane, and the second portion rotates in the second plane. The second device is configured to limit rotation of the second portion in the second plane. Rotation of the second portion is limited when the second portion engages the second device.

Abstract: A method of designing an actuator arm of a head stack assembly for use in a disk drive is disclosed. The disk drive comprises a disk, the actuator arm for positioning a head over the disk while the disk is rotating at a selected spin-rate. The actuator arm having a leading edge and a trailing edge and a selected thickness, and the head stack assembly having a structural resonance frequency. The disk is rotated such that the disk generates air flow around the actuator arm while the disk is spinning at the selected spin-rate. The actuator arm positions the head over the disk while the disk is spinning at the selected spin-rate, wherein the air flow travels from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the actuator arm such that the air flow causes vortex shedding at a vortex shedding frequency resulting in an undesirable force being applied to the actuator arm when the vortex shedding frequency is aligned with the structural resonance frequency.

Abstract: A hub assembly for a data storage disk comprises a hub member and a raised boss near a center axis of the hub member, the raised boss being surrounded by an annular bonding surface and being configured so as to protrude into a center hole of a data storage disk when the bonding surface is in contact with a surface of the disk. Two hub assemblies are disposed on opposite sides of the disk, the respective raised bosses of the hub assemblies protrude into a center hole of the disk, where they are bonded to each other to increase the overall bonding force between the hub assemblies and the disk. The hub assemblies and disk may be bonded together using a UV curable adhesive. The hub assembly may also include a metal hub plate that is used to magnetically clamp the disk/hub assembly to the spindle of a disk drive. In one embodiment, the metal hub plate has several tabs that are bent around the disk to attach the metal hub plate to the disk.