Abstract: In a disk drive enclosure system having carriers fitting into slots in the enclosure, each carrier has a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism has a part which rotates between locked and unlocked positions, and the part has a feature that blocks removal of the carrier when the part is in the locked position, while permitting removal of the carrier when the part is in the unlocked position. The part is plastic and is molded of a clear material serving as a light pipe. A light source is behind the part, so that the ability of light to pass through the part is affected by the locked/unlocked position of the part. The part has a shape feature that assists a user in distinguishing between locked and unlocked positions, and the light indicator further assists the user in this way. Valuable bezel space is saved, especially in comparison with some prior-art locking mechanisms.

Abstract: A single channel circuit and method for the automatic edit optimization of a recording medium which is operable with a recorder such as a video tape recorder or a disc recorder utilizes the difference between signal outputs from an automatic scan tracking playback head and a record, head to provide a difference signal indicative of the rf amplitude fluctuations caused by scene or data pattern variations of the data stored on the recording medium. A correction signal corresponding to the difference signal is stored, and used as a feedback signal to normalize the gain of a variable gain amplifier. The single channel is switched at a predetermined rate between circuitry coupled to the automatic scan tracking playback head and circuitry coupled to the record head in order to obtain rf amplitude samples from both heads to develop the correction signal. Thereby, the correction signal allows a precise edit optimize so that a subsequent edit operation such as an insert edit can be precisely performed.

Abstract: A record current optimization technique includes a magnetic reference tape pre-recorded with a selected frequency at a precisely known level into the tape. A magnetic tape recorder is loaded with the reference tape, and a reference playback level is recovered from the reference tape with a playback head, and is stored or otherwise noted. A recording at the selected frequency then is made with a record head on an unrecorded portion of the reference tape. The new recording is simultaneously read out with the playback head and record current automatically or manually is adjusted until the new playback level matches the reference playback level. A value corresponding to this optimized record current is stored. The record head thus is optimized for any subsequent recording process, by selecting the stored value corresponding to this value. The optimization technique may be employed to optimize record currents in audio, video and data, analog or digital, recorders.