Abstract: A disk drive includes a ramp having a fixed portion that is fixed to the disk drive base, and a guide portion that is not. The guide portion includes a guide surface having a parking region that is in contact with an HGA lift-tab with the disk drive in a non-operational state. The guide surface also has a load/unload region that extends over a disk outer periphery. The guide surface defines a guide surface length that is measured from the parking region to the load/unload region. The ramp also includes a torsionally-compliant member connecting the fixed portion to the guide portion. A distance between the torsionally-compliant member and the parking region, measured approximately parallel to the guide surface length, is less than half the guide surface length. The guide portion is not connected to the fixed portion over at least two-thirds of the guide surface length.

Abstract: A disk drive having a translatable ramp is disclosed. The disk drive includes a head gimbal assembly having a proximate end that is attached to an actuator, and a distal end that includes a lift tab. The ramp includes a lift tab supporting surface located as close to a pivot axis of the actuator as is the lift tab. The ramp also includes a ramp guiding surface that is in contact with a mating surface of the disk drive base. A fastener selectively allows or prevents relative translation between the ramp and the disk drive base. The aforementioned contact constrains the relative translation so that the relative translation changes the distance between the lift tab supporting surface and the disk axis of rotation more than the relative translation changes the distance between the lift tab supporting surface and the actuator pivot axis.

Abstract: A manufacturing assembly is disclosed for manufacturing a disk drive. The manufacturing assembly comprises a pre-merge arm having a contact surface for contacting an actuator arm of the disk drive, and an actuator operable to actuate the pre-merge arm. When installing the actuator arm into the base of the disk drive, the actuator is operable to actuate the pre-merge arm in a first direction so that the contact surface biases the actuator arm rotationally about a pivot to bias the lift tab away from the ramp. After installing the actuator arm into the base of the disk drive, the actuator is operable to actuate the pre-merge arm in a second direction opposite the first direction so that the lift tab moves towards and contacts a ramp near an outer periphery of a disk.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk drive base and a disk stack, the disk stack comprising a first disk including a first recording surface and a second recording surface. A spindle motor attached to the disk drive base rotates the disk stack about a spindle motor rotation axis. A ramp load engages at least the first and second lift tab of a head stack assembly. The ramp load includes a shaft coupled to the disk drive base, the shaft defining a shaft axis that is parallel to the spindle motor rotation axis. The ramp load also includes a first ramp defining a first lift tab engaging surface for engaging the first lift tab and a first facing surface configured to face the first recording surface of the first disk at a first distance, and a second ramp defining a second lift tab engaging surface for engaging the second lift tab and a second facing surface configured to face the second recording surface of the first disk at a second distance.

Abstract: The present invention provides a depopulation version hard disk drive apparatus that has a reduced number of magnetic heads and suspension arms from a standard hard disk drive apparatus, wherein the magnetic head can still be properly controlled during a loading state. The hard disk drive apparatus includes a ramp which interfaces with the suspension arm when loading and unloading the arm. An angle of a second slope surface 61c of the ramp in the depopulation version hard disk drive is set larger than that of the corresponding slope surface of the ramp 6 the a standard version hard disk drive.

Abstract: A wired flexure comprises a substrate formed of an electrically conductive material, a read wire provided on the substrate so as to extend along the substrate, a write wire provided on the substrate so as to extend along the read wire, a slit formed between the read and write wires, etc. The slit extends along the read and write wires and divides the substrate between a first portion on the read wire side and a second portion on the write wire side. The slit is situated nearer to the read wire than to the write wire.

Abstract: A flexible wiring board piece which can prevent a short circuit because of scattering of the connecting terminal parts and facilitate cutting when cut at an intermediate connecting terminal part. A constitution wherein circuit wiring patterns 13 [131-134] are coated with insulating films 11 and 14; connecting terminal parts 17 of the circuit wiring patterns 13 and cut parts 18 of the circuit wiring patterns 13, which are located apart form the connecting terminal parts 17, are exposed in both faces via openings 20a, 20b, 21a and 21b formed in insulating films 11 and 14; and narrow parts for cutting are formed in the cut parts 18 facing the openings 20b and 20b.

Abstract: The present invention is a magnetic disk drive for reading or writing magnetically, comprising: (i) a base plate; (ii) a plurality of magnetic disks; (iii) a hub fixedly attached to the disks for supporting the disks; (iv) a motor operable to rotate the hub; (v) a plurality of magnetic read/write heads, each associated with the surface of a disk; (vi) an actuator for supporting the heads and moving the heads across the disks; (vii) a support shaft attached to the base plate; and (viii) a load/unload structure for displacing the heads from the disk comprising an elongated body, a base portion fixedly attached to the base plate and a plurality of ramps extending outwardly from the body. The body of the structure is mounted through one or more holes in the body onto the support shaft so that the support shaft extends along the length of the body to support the structure.