Miniscribe Corporation

James O Jacques

Terry G Johnson

Robert F Hoppe

Roy A Applequist

Richard M Altobellis

Glade N Bagnell

In a device for retrieving and recording (read/write) information on at least one rigid disk, a stepping motor servo system operated in an open-loop manner is provided to rapidly and accurately position read/write heads relative to the disk. A fixed guide shaft adjacent to and transverse to the motor shaft carries a carriage slidably thereon, preferably on oil impregnated bearings, the carriage member including a gear rack and the stepping motor having a pinion gear thereon interfacing with the gear rack. A preload bearing is urged against the carriage at a position between the guide shaft and the pinion gear such that the carriage is rotated around the guide shaft into engagement with the pinion gear at the rack portion thereof. The stepping motor is preferably fixed to the device chassis at a position and location spaced from the pinion gear a distance corresponding to the distance of a preferred spring steel head support arm utilized to carry the read/write head, to compensate for thermal expansion differences between the chassis material, and the spring steel head support arm.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

James O Jacques