Abstract: A clamp including an inverted spring portion and a plurality of tabs about a circumference of an inner portion of the clamp. The inverted spring portion of the clamp is insertable into a groove of a clamping interface between a flange and an outer portion thereof to align the plurality of tabs proximate to the flange. As described, the clamp provides a low profile interface for clamping discs to a spindle assembly which snap fits into the groove to provide a screwless clamp interface. Other features and benefits that characterize embodiments of the present invention will be apparent upon reading the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.

Abstract: In a helical scanning tape system including a magnetoresistive head; and a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer formed by oblique evaporation on a long nonmagnetic support, a signal being read with the magnetoresistive head by helical scanning, the track width of the magnetoresistive head is 0.5 to 0.8 ?m, the distance between shields is 0.13 to 0.145 ?m, and sensitivity is 1,862 ?Vp-p or more.

Abstract: A helical scan drum design for use in non-tracking tape devices which assures 70% coverage of a track to be read by overscanning with at least two read heads at approximate 1X speed. The present invention further provides a simulation method for evaluating potential drum designs for such overscan applications. The preferred drum design uses pairs of read heads having identical azimuth angles and positioned on the rotating drum such that in combination they overlap the scan of a track by 130% the track width. These dimensions assure at least 70% coverage of each track by at least one of the pair of heads at up to 1X speed while assuring no overlap with another recorded track recorded along an identical azimuth angle. The simulation method allows for evaluation of potential drum designs by accepting parameters describing the intended drum application and then simulating track read operations over a plurality of simulated tracks to determine the efficacy of the design over a range of tape speeds and gap widths.

Abstract: A method and apparatus calculates production quantities of a production system such as the throughput of a tool group, good unit equivalents of a tool group, number of units shipped and started for each step of the production system, process time of each step, average processing time, rate and units processed for each tool group, number of tools required and minimum and actual number of test cells or tool groups required. Some or all of these production quantities are calculated by taking into account the downtime of any controller of a tool group.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided to facilitate building of a disk stack for inclusion in a magnetic disk drive. A spindle is provided which comprises first and second disk contacts. A mechanism is provided to bias an inner diameter of a stack of plural disks toward both the first disk contact and the second disk contact. The spindle may comprise one or a pair of lateral protrusions. The apex of each such spindle lateral protrusions may comprise one or both of the disk contacts. In addition, or alternatively, the inner diameter of a disk, to be inserted over the spindle, may comprise one or a pair of lateral protrusions. The apexes of such disk lateral protrusions may comprise one or both of the first disk contact and the second disk contact.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head, in which: a magnetic gap thereof is disposed slantingly relative to a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction of the head corresponding to an azimuth angle; an upper magnetic core layer is positioned on a leading side preceding a lower magnetic core layer in a scanning direction of the head, a protrusion on the lower magnetic core layer has an inclined side surface inclined at an angle equal to or greater than the azimuth angle at least on one side surface in a direction of a track width thereof, and at least one edge of a side adjacent to the magnetic gap of a protrusion on the upper magnetic core layer is aligned on a line drawn extending from the inclined side surface of the lower magnetic core layer, thereby suppressing occurrence of side erasing in a magnetic recording medium during azimuth recording.

Abstract: According to a first aspect the present invention is related to a head drum arrangement allowing a much easier mounting of the rotary transformer. The head drum arrangement comprises a non-rotating lower drum and a rotating upper drum, which are connected by a shaft fixed in the lower drum. The upper drum is mounted on the shaft by a bearing and preferably by two ball bearings. A rotary transformer is arranged between the lower drum and the upper drum having a fixed stator and a rotor rotating jointly with the upper drum. The rotor is non-positively held in its position by the magnetic force of a permanent magnet accommodated in the upper drum.

Abstract: To lower the coefficient of static friction of the circumferential surface of the guide or drum constituting the magnetic tape apparatus. A flat portion is formed between peak portions. The peak portions and flat portion are formed so that the relationship: a′<a is satisfied, where “a” represents a distance between the ridges of the peak portions, i.e., pitch of the peak portions, and “a′” represents a bottom width of the peak portions. When this relationship is satisfied between the peak portions and the flat portion, the total area of the meniscuses formed between the magnetic tape and the peak portions can be reduced, thus making it possible to lower the coefficient of static friction.

Abstract: According to a first aspect the present invention is related to a head drum arrangement allowing a much easier gap adjustment of the rotary transformer. The head drum arrangement comprises a non-rotating lower drum and a rotating upper drum, which are connected by a shaft fixed in the lower drum. The upper drum is mounted on the shaft by a bearing and preferably by two ball bearings. A rotary transformer is arranged between the lower drum and the upper drum having a fixed stator and a rotor rotating jointly with the upper drum. The stator and the rotor are separated by an air gap. Finally, a compressible, elastic spring is arranged between the lower drum and the upper drum, such that the length of the spring defines the air gap between the stator and the rotor of the rotary transformer. Advantageously, the invention allows defining the air gap of the rotary transformer without requiring additional members like washers, spacers or something similar.

Abstract: In a head drum assembly mounting structure on a deck of a tape recorder, a plurality of connecting holes and positioning holes are formed in a drum boss provided at a lower portion of a fixing drum, and a plurality of coupling holes and positioning pins are formed in a drum base which is slant disposed on a main base. By using the positioning holes and the positioning pins as positioning means which are connected to each other in complementary fashion, the coupling holes of the drum base and the connecting holes of the drum boss are aligned with each other, and by fastening a screw into such aligned coupling holes and the connecting holes, the head drum assembly can be directly coupled to the main base while being slant disposed with respect to the main base. Accordingly, any possible damage to a lead line is prevented, and assembly efficiency is improved, while the number of parts and the manufacturing cost are reduced.

Abstract: Magnetic heads capable of recording and reading with high sensitivity and resolution are provided by minimizing the outflow of magnetic fluxes from a flux guide to magnetic shields while using a flux guide structure for an MR element. In the magnetic head, magnetic shields exposed on a surface opposite a magnetic recording medium (air bearing surface) and a flux guide exposed between the magnetic heads via a non-magnetic layer are provided, and magnetic heads via a non-magnetic layer are provided, and magnetic fluxes are guided by the flux guide to a magnetoresistive (MR) element formed in a position not exposed on the air bearing surface. The height of the magnetic shields in a direction perpendicular to the air bearing surface is less than the distance from the air bearing surface to the MR element, and the lengthwise direction of the magnetic shields is in parallel to the air bearing surface in the vicinity of the position in which the flux guide is formed.

Abstract: [[A]] In a head drum assembly mounting structure on a deck of a tape recorder[[. A]], a plurality of connecting holes and positioning holes are formed in a drum boss provided at a lower portion of a fixing drum, and a plurality of coupling holes and positioning pins are formed in a drum base which is slant disposed on a main base. By using the positioning holes and the positioning pins as [[a]] positioning means which are complementary connected [[with]] to each other in complementary fashion, the coupling holes of the drum base and the connecting holes of the drum boss are aligned with each other, and by fastening a screw into such aligned coupling holes and the connecting holes, the head drum assembly can be directly coupled to the main base while being slant disposed with respect to the main base.

Abstract: A magnetic head comprises an MR element, and a substrate supporting the MR element from both sides at a center portion, and a magnetic tape is in contact and slide-contact with a slide-contact surface thereof. A curvature in a thickness direction of the slide-contact surface is set to be larger at a center portion than at both sides thereof. In this way, it is possible to protect the slide-contact surface of the magnetic head from eccentric wear and avoid deterioration of the magnetic head performance.

Abstract: It is assumed that W1 is the width for an end face of the lower magnetic shield thin film 4 which is exposed outward from the tape sliding surface 1a. It is also assumed that W2 corresponds to the sum of the width for an end face of the MR element 7 which is exposed outward from the tape sliding surface 1a and widths for end faces of a pair of ferromagnetic films 9 and 10 which are exposed outward therefrom. The width W1 is determined to be smaller than W2. When the MR head 1 is mounted on the head support plate 30 or the rotary drum 42, it is possible to use as a marker the lower magnetic shield thin film 4's end face exposed from the tape sliding surface.

Abstract: The width W1 of the lower shield thin film 3 and the width W2 of the upper shield thin film 7 are specified so that each of these widths is larger than the width W3 of the MR element 5 and is smaller than the contact width W4.

Abstract: A direct driving motor for a videotape deck, in which a motor shaft is directly coupled to the capstan axis, and which is controlled by a PWM control, has a constitution in which a stator core and a deck chassis or a head cylinder are electrically insulated with each other. Also, the motor includes a bearing holder for holding a motor PCB (printed circuit board) one end of which is supported on the deck chassis in an insulating state. This constitution prevents current switching noise generating in the motor from propagating into the deck chassis, thereby suppressing video screen noise and audio noise, and also provides a measure for suppressing motor vibration.

Abstract: A head drum assembly mounting structure on a deck of a tape recorder. A plurality of connecting holes and positioning holes are formed in a drum boss provided at a lower portion of a fixing drum, and a plurality of coupling holes and positioning pins are formed in a drum base which is slant on a main base. By using the positioning holes and the positioning pins as a positioning means which are complementary connected with each other, the coupling holes of the drum base and the connecting holes of the drum boss are aligned with each other, and by fastening a screw into such aligned coupling holes and the connecting holes, the head drum assembly can be directly coupled to the main base while being slant with respect to the main base. Accordingly, any possible damage to a lead line is prevented and an assembly efficiency is improved while a number of parts and manufacturing cost are reduced.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive head includes a magnetoresistive element sandwiched between a pair of soft magnetic material-made shields to detect signal from a magnetic tape under a magnetoresistance effect, the magnetoresistive element having a magnetic sensor disposed obliquely, at a predetermined azimuth angle, to a direction perpendicular in which the magnetic tape is fed or moved; the magnetoresistive head being installed on a rotating drum to read signal on the magnetic tape by the helical scanning method. A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a rotating drum having installed thereon the magnetoresistive head as reading head and an inductive magnetic head as writing head, to write and/or read signal from the magnetic tape by the helical scanning method.