Abstract: A sorbent breather filter for an electronic device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) is configured with a first chamber for housing a first sorbent and environmentally coupled with an external environment via at least a first orifice and a second orifice, a corresponding replaceable first sorbent such as zeolite or silica gel beads in the first chamber, a second chamber adjacent to the first chamber for housing a second sorbent, and a corresponding second sorbent such as carbon beads in the second chamber. The first orifice is a through-hole such that the first sorbent can be loaded into the first chamber therethrough, and the second orifice is a slitted or grated hole such that the first sorbent cannot move from the first chamber to the external environment through the second orifice while loading sorbent into the first chamber through an HDD first cover breather hole.

Abstract: A load/unload ramp assembly for a hard disk drive includes a support plate having at least one interlock slot and a plurality of ramp units interconnected with the support plate. At least one of the ramp units includes an interlock structure that protrudes into a corresponding interlock slot of the support plate, and is configured to move within the interlock slot in response to shrinkage of the ramp unit upon cooling associated with manufacturing of the ramp assembly. The ends of the interlock slot may be configured to manage the shrinkage and/or to maintain design dimensions.

Abstract: An electrical feed-through involves a laminate structure having alternating insulator and metal layers with electrically conductive through-holes formed therethrough, by which a lower connector pad is electrically connected with a corresponding upper connector pad, and wherein the number of through-holes is less than the number of connector pads on either side. Thus, the chain of clearances associated with the through-holes on the inner metal layer(s) is reduced, which provides more leak resistant metal material within the metal layer(s), while maintaining suitable electrical performance and avoiding disruption of existing manufacturing. Such a feed-through may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment.

Abstract: An electrical feed-through involves a laminate structure having alternating insulator and metal layers with electrically conductive through-holes formed therethrough, by which a lower connector pad is electrically connected with a corresponding upper connector pad, and wherein the number of through-holes is less than the number of connector pads on either side. Thus, the chain of clearances associated with the through-holes on the inner metal layer(s) is reduced, which provides more leak resistant metal material within the metal layer(s), while maintaining suitable electrical performance and avoiding disruption of existing manufacturing. Such a feed-through may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a disk drive has a solenoid and spring for turning a ramp mechanism about a rotating shaft. When the drive operates, since the ramp mechanism moves out from the magnetic disk by the force of the solenoid, the outer peripheral edge of a magnetic head that has formerly been unusable can be used as a data read/write region, without the magnetic head interfering with the fins of the ramp mechanism. During a non-operating state of the drive and in case of a power interruption, the force of the spring returns the ramp mechanism to a position at which the magnetic head can be unloaded. This construction allows the storage capacity of the drive to be easily increased without sacrificing the shock resistance of the ramp mechanism.

Abstract: The positioning accuracy of a magnetic head decreases due to vibrations in the in-plane rotation mode of an HDD, which are caused by couple or disturbance occurring in seek operation, due to vibrations in the thrust mode, and the conical mode, of the spindle, which are caused by disturbance, and due to vibrations in the case thrust mode, the spindle fall mode, and the like. In one embodiment, an elastic support member includes a pillar-shaped part. The elastic support member is provided with a recess on a surface opposite to a corner of a base, and longitudinal fin projections on the upper and lower sides with respect to the recess. The base is provided at its corner with a horizontal fin that is parallel to a disk surface. The horizontal fin is inserted into the recess of the elastic support member. The longitudinal fin projections come into contact with the base, and control basic vibrational characteristics on both the upper and lower sides with respect to the horizontal fin.

Abstract: The conventional ramp mechanism constituting a load/unload mechanism for a magnetic disk is disadvantageous for increasing a storage capacity since an outer peripheral edge of the disk is not used as a data area. In one embodiment of the invention, a disk drive has a solenoid and spring for turning a ramp mechanism about a rotating shaft. When the drive operates, since the ramp mechanism moves out from the magnetic disk by the tensile force of the solenoid, the outer peripheral edge of a magnetic head that has formerly been unusable can be used as a data read/write region, without the magnetic head interfering with the fins of the ramp mechanism. During a non-operating state of the drive and in case of a power interruption, the tensile force of the spring returns the ramp mechanism to a position at which the magnetic head can be unloaded. This construction allows the storage capacity of the drive to be easily increased without sacrificing the shock resistance of the ramp mechanism.

Abstract: The positioning accuracy of a magnetic head decreases due to vibrations in the in-plane rotation mode of an HDD, which are caused by couple or disturbance occurring in seek operation, due to vibrations in the thrust mode, and the conical mode, of the spindle, which are caused by disturbance, and due to vibrations in the case thrust mode, the spindle fall mode, and the like. In one embodiment, an elastic support member includes a pillar-shaped part. The elastic support member is provided with a recess on a surface opposite to a corner of a base, and longitudinal fin projections on the upper and lower sides with respect to the recess. The base is provided at its corner with a horizontal fin that is parallel to a disk surface. The horizontal fin is inserted into the recess of the elastic support member. The longitudinal fin projections come into contact with the base, and control basic vibrational characteristics on both the upper and lower sides with respect to the horizontal fin.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive having a high recording density and enabling high speed transfer is achieved by reducing vibration of a carriage arm assembly to reduce a positioning error. The disk drive is configured so that a carriage arm is configured by two arm portions, the arm portions being coupled to each other by a restraint member through a viscoelastic material, the restraint member being supported on a carriage body or an area of the carriage arm in the vicinity of the body by means of adhesion or a viscoelastic material. By providing a high damping effect against various vibration modes in which in-plane bending and out-plane bending of the carriage arm are generated, vibration of the carriage arm assembly is suppressed, so that the positioning error is reduced, thereby the magnetic disk drive having a high recording density can be achieved.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive having a high recording density and enabling high speed transfer is achieved by reducing vibration of a carriage arm assembly to reduce a positioning error. The disk drive is configured so that a carriage arm is configured by two arm portions, the arm portions being coupled to each other by a restraint member through a viscoelastic material, the restraint member being supported on a carriage body or an area of the carriage arm in the vicinity of the body by means of adhesion or a viscoelastic material. By providing a high damping effect against various vibration modes in which in-plane bending and out-plane bending of the carriage arm are generated, vibration of the carriage arm assembly is suppressed, so that the positioning error is reduced, thereby the magnetic disk drive having a high recording density can be achieved.