Provided is a magnetic tape, in which servo patterns, each including a first magnetization region formed to be tilted with respect to a width direction of a servo band by an angle ? along the width direction of the servo band and a second magnetization region not parallel to the first magnetization region along the width direction of the servo band, are repeatedly formed in a longitudinal direction of the servo band, the magnetic tape is used in a recording and reproducing system which uses a reproducing element for reproducing the servo pattern, a width of which satisfies W1?(1/tan ?)?stripe width T of the servo pattern, and the angle ? is greater than 25? and equal to or smaller than 45?.

An actuator pivot shaft assembly for a multi-actuator data storage device may include one or more annular grooves extending radially inward from an outer surface of the pivot shaft, thereby desirably weakening or structurally decoupling the shaft between the actuators, to assist with inhibiting transmission of vibration between the actuators during operation. The shaft assembly may further include an elastomeric damper positioned within the annular groove(s), to damp transmission of vibrational forces between the actuators through the shared shaft.

A method of forming a recording head for use with a data storage medium in a data storage device. The method includes forming first and second writers of different target geometries. A first recording measurement is performed on one or more storage media using the first writer. A second recording measurement is performed on the one or more storage media using the second writer. Based on a comparison of the first and second recording measurements to a predetermined quantity, either the first writer or the second writer is selected to be operational in the data storage device.

A process of assembling a voice coil motor (VCM), such as for a hard disk drive, includes creating an opening in a yoke, attaching a primary magnet to an inside surface of the yoke, installing through the opening in the yoke a cross-flux magnet into a channel of the primary magnet, and installing a plug into the opening in the yoke. Thus, part count is minimized and the manufacturing process is readily incorporated into existing VCM manufacturing processes.

A split-shaft pivot assembly for a dual-actuator data storage device may include a first pivot shaft around which a first bearing assembly is affixed, a second pivot shaft around which a second bearing assembly is affixed, and whereby the two pivot shafts are coupled together by way of an interface spacer between the shafts. The interface spacer may include a receiving structure at each end of a housing, for receiving an end of a respective shaft, and an annular slot circumscribing the housing between the receiving structures, where an elastomeric damper is positioned within the slot. The interface spacer housing may be composed of a material having a lower elastic modulus than the material of which the shafts are composed, thereby making the interface spacer relatively compliant. Such features may serve to inhibit and/or damp transmission of vibrational energy among the actuators through the shared split-shaft.

Magnetic tape media according to one embodiment includes a plurality of servo tracks having physical characteristics of being written by an apparatus that monitors a lateral position of the magnetic tape media passing over a servo writing head during a servo track writing operation and writes servo marks to the magnetic tape media. A timing of the writing of each servo mark is based on the monitored position of the magnetic tape media. Magnetic tape media according to another embodiment include a plurality of servo tracks having a plurality of consecutively-written servo marks, a distance between each consecutively-written servo mark in a tape travel direction varying in direct correlation with a distance of the respective mark, as written, from an edge of the magnetic tape media in a cross-track direction.

A computer-implemented method includes: determining a reading performance of a head at a commanded lateral reading location; adjusting a location of the head relative to a medium by moving the head in a first lateral direction to an adjusted lateral reading location; determining a reading performance of the head at the adjusted lateral reading location, and determining whether the reading performance at the adjusted lateral reading location is better than the reading performance at the commanded lateral reading location. In response to determining the reading performance is better at the adjusted reading location, the method includes iteratively repeating the adjustment of the location of the head until the reading performance of the head at a current iteration is worse than the reading performance of the head at an immediately previous iteration. Corresponding systems and computer program products are also disclosed.

A circuit includes a set of input nodes configured to be coupled to respective ones of the windings of a spindle motor in a hard disk drive to sense the voltages applied to the windings. A set of output nodes is configured to provide output signals indicative of direction of flow of the currents through the windings. Level shifters are coupled to respective input nodes in the set of input nodes and have level-shifted output nodes configured to provide down-shifted replicas of the voltages at the respective input nodes in the set of input nodes. Flip-flops have inputs coupled to respective ones of the level-shifted output nodes of the level shifters and outputs configured to provide the output signals coupled to respective output nodes.

Gain values used by a variable gain amplifier (VGA) to read servo marks of a heat-assisted recording medium are measured. Sector-specific, repeatable gain values that indicate an expected VGA gain at a desired clearance are determined based on the measured gain values. The sector-specific, repeatable gain values are used as input to a closed-loop clearance controller together with measured values of servo VGA gain while writing data to the recording medium.

An apparatus and method for dynamic multiple actuator drive data access are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: receiving a data transfer request including at least one data package; determining a type of the data transfer request; partitioning the data package into a plurality of data segments, if the data transfer request is a parallel data mode request; assigning one or more actuator drivers and one or more actuator controllers for the data transfer request; initiating a data transfer to or from the data storage medium using one or more of the plurality of actuators corresponding to the one or more assigned actuator controllers; storing or retrieving an individual data package of the data transfer request to or from the data storage medium wherein the entire data package is wholly accessible to a single actuator, if the data transfer request is a random data mode request; and storing or retrieving an individual data segment of the data transfer request to or from the data storage medium wherein the data package is accessible to the plurality of actuators, if the request is a parallel data mode request.