Fujitsu Corporation

Storage Technology Corporation

Miniscribe Corporation

David E Norton, Jr

Rodney A Mattison

Nicholas J Bucska

Mary E Dunn

Positive and negative peaks of the differential pulses produced by a differential head of a disk drive are detected. The respective peaks, which represent the positive and negative peaks of the pulses, are compared to a set of reference levels and, depending upon the relationship of those peaks with the reference levels, a gain error or an offset error is indicated. If the positive pulse peaks and negative pulse peaks exhibit substantially similar relationships with respect to the reference levels, a gain error is indicated. However, if the positive pulse peaks and negative pulse peaks exhibit dissimilar relationships with respect to the reference levels, an offset error is indicated.

Offset and gain error discriminator

A peak detector for detecting accurate peaks of pulses recovered from a magnetic disk in the presence of residual magnetism by a magnetic head, but without the deleterious effects of such residual magnetism. The head supplies differential pulses as respective pulse trains to first and second peak detectors, respectively. The peaks detected in the first train of differential pulses are combined with the peaks detected in the second train, and an output signal produced as a function of the combined peaks is indicative of the pulse peaks. The respective peaks, which represent the positive and negative peaks of the pulses, are compared to a set of reference levels and, depending upon the relationship of those peaks with the reference levels, a gain error or an offset error is indicated. If the positive pulse peaks and negative pulse peaks exhibit substantially similar relationships with respect to the reference levels, a gain error is indicated. However, if the positive pulse peaks and negative pulse peaks exhibit dissimilar relationships with respect to the reference levels, an offset error is indicated.

Peak detector for detecting accurate pulse peaks produced by a magnetic

A write precompensation circuit employs a frequency synthesizer for providing a variable timing signal linked to variable transfer rate in a track zone recording system of a disk drive. The synthesizer also provides an operating frequency current sense signal that is used to generate bit shift of data bits being recorded. A ramp voltage on a ramp capacitor and a logic signal from a bit shift decision circuit are determinative of the magnitude and direction of bit shift, early or late. The VCO and its capacitor are formed on the same IC chip as the ramp capacitor thereby minimizing mismatch due to tolerances inherent in production and operation of electrical components.

Write precompensation with frequency synthesizer

A peak hold circuit includes an operational amplifier in a continually closed feedback loop and a peak hold capacitor with a discharge path. An input signal is received at a first input of the amplifier, and the output of the amplifier is fed to a first transistor then fed back therefrom to a second input of the amplifier. A current sink is coupled to the first transistor for drawing a current therefrom so that the feedback signal is continually provided to the second amplifier input, ensuring that the amplifier is in a continually closed feedback loop. The output of the amplifier is supplied to the peak hold capacitor through a second transistor.

Peak hold circuit with improved linearity

A plurality of data sequences having patterns distinguishable from informational data are recorded as a servo mark portion of servo information on a disk. Upon decoding a predetermined number of these data sequences, a determination is made as to whether an accurately located servo mark has been detected. The detected servo mark provides a reference from which the beginning of recorded servo burst data can be located, thereby enabling all of the servo burst data to be read. The presence of defects does not inhibit the detection of the servo mark.

Method for generating a reference signal from unique servo mark pattern

A true average peak detector includes an input capacitor having a capacitance C and an output capacitor having a capacitance nC. N voltage samples are successively stored on the input capacitor and are transferred to the output capacitor without discharging the latter. The output voltage from the accumulated charge on the output capacitor is equal to a true average of the voltages of the n samples.

Apparatus and method for detecting a true average of N signal samples

A write data transition detector is provided connected across a thin film write head and write current generator and is responsive to the fractional voltage drops across the head resulting from the fractional amperage currents passed by the write generator through the head. Circuits in the detector adjust the gain of the voltage difference across the head, remove voltage spikes induced by changes in current across the head and time the period between consecutive current reversals of sufficient magnitude. The timing is controlled by means of a hysteresis circuit which switches from an existing state to an alternate state only when there is a satisfactorily large reversal of current across the write head. A timing circuit connected with the hysteresis circuit capacitively times the length of the period the hysteresis circuit remains in its existing state and outputs a fault indication current when this period exceeds the maximum period between transitions allowed by the encoding scheme employed.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

David E Norton, Jr