Western Digital Corporation

Tami Ogle

Payman Hassibi

Walter Wayne Butler

Sudha Narayanan

Mark A Hathaway

A magnetic disk drive with a head stack assembly having a pass-through flex circuit cable is disclosed. The pass-through flex circuit cable is mounted to a side of the head stack assembly to extend straight forward in an initial unfolded position during handling and assembly and to then be folded over into a final position in a substantially opposite direction and with a desired flex cable trajectory. The head stack assembly includes a post, preferably of rectangular profile, that is integrally formed and spaced away from the actuator body. An outer surface of the post defines the flex cable trajectory. The flex circuit cable, located in the space between the actuator body and the post, extends past the post in the initial position and wraps around the post in the final folded over position. The flex circuit cable is secured to the post in the final folded over position, preferably with a flex clip that removably mounts to the post. The pass-through flex circuit cable of the present invention makes it less likely that the flex cable circuit will be damaged and provides more room for electronic components and for performing lead attachment operations.

Head stack assembly for a magnetic disk drive with a pass-through flex

A magnetic disk drive includes a base which supports a head stack assembly having a coil portion, a flex circuit cable having a grounding portion, and a flex clamp. The disk drive further includes a voice coil motor (VCM) formed from the coil portion's interaction with upper and lower VCM plates that carry at least one permanent magnet. The disk drive includes a Z-shaped grounding portion which wraps around one end of the flex clamp and permits a single screw to secure that end of the flex clamp to the base and simultaneously make grounding contact with the grounding portion and an elongated protrusion extending from one of the VCM plates that is adjacent to the flex clamp to hold that end of the flex clamp against the base when the VCM plates are fastened to the base.

Magnetic disk drive having a Z-shaped grounding portion in the flex

A magnetic disk drive includes a base which supports a head stack assembly having a coil portion, a flex circuit cable having a grounding portion, and a flex clamp and in which a voice coil motor (VCM) is formed from the coil portion's interaction with upper and lower VCM plates that carry at least one permanent magnet. The disk drive includes a Z-shaped grounding portion which wraps around one end of the flex clamp and permits a single screw to secure that end of the flex clamp to the base and simultaneously make grounding contact with the grounding portion and an elongated protrusion extending from one of the VCM plates that is adjacent to the flex clamp to hold that end of the flex clamp against the base when the VCM plates are fastened to the base.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Tami Ogle