Embodiments described herein are operable with a storage device. In one embodiment, a method provides for buffering first portions of incoming sequential data from a plurality of channels in a buffer, and identifying locations of the storage device to store the first portions of the incoming sequential data. The method also provides for directly writing the first portions of the incoming sequential data from the buffer to the identified locations of the storage device.

A linear actuator for linearly positioning a recording head in a data storage mechanism. The disclosed linear actuator includes an electrically conductive coil having first and second parts that are both wound in the same rotary direction about an axis, and a magnet spaced from the electrically conductive coil by an air gap. Transmission of an electric current through the first part of the electrically conductive coil in a first current flow direction about the axis and through the second part of the electrically conductive coil in an opposite second current flow direction about the axis induces linear movement of one of the electrically conductive coil and magnet relative to the other of the electrically conductive coil and magnet.

A magnetic head includes a first servo reading element pair, a second servo reading element pair, and a plurality of magnetic elements. The first servo reading element pair consists of a first servo reading element and a second servo reading element, the second servo reading element pair consists of a third servo reading element and a fourth servo reading element, the first servo reading element and the third servo reading element are disposed on one end side of the plurality of magnetic elements and read one servo band of the pair of servo bands, and the second servo reading element and the fourth servo reading element are disposed on the other end side of the plurality of magnetic elements and read the other servo band of the pair of servo bands.

The disclosed technology provides a system and method that improves command completion time in a shingled magnetic recording device system. In one implementation, the system and method include receiving a write command to write data to a first track in a band in a recording medium, seeking to a first track, reducing an on-cylinder limit (OCLIM) from a default OCLIM to a reduced OCLIM by a predetermined amount on the first track, performing write operations on the first track with the reduced OCLIM, and determining if a transfer of data to the first track band in the write operations has been substantially completed. Upon determining that a transfer of data to the first track in the write operations has been substantially completed, the OCLIM is restored from a reduced OCLIM to a default OCLIM and write operations are performed on tracks adjacent to the first track.

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a first voice coil motor (VCM) comprising a first voice coil, and a second VCM comprising a second voice coil. The first VCM and the second VCM are unloaded during a power failure by measuring a first velocity and a first position of the first VCM and measuring a second velocity and a second position of the second VCM. A BEMF voltage generated by a spindle motor is used to generate a first brake voltage based on the first velocity and the first position, and the BEMF voltage is used to generate a second brake voltage based on the second velocity and the second position. The first brake voltage is applied to the first voice coil, and the second brake voltage is applied to the second voice coil.

Apparatus and method contemplating an in-situ test method for a head gimbal assembly (HGA). The method includes individually exciting a pair of opposing-effect microactuators supporting the read/write head adjacent a data storage media; summing the outputs from the microactuators to derive a spectral frequency response of the HGA; determining a resonant frequency from the spectral frequency response; driving the microactuators at the resonant frequency; and varying the read/write fly height apart from the data storage media to correlate contact with a maximum response of the microactuators.

Systems and techniques relate to current slew control circuits. According to an aspect, a system implementing the quadratic slew control aspects comprises a disk; a read/write head; and a slew control circuit coupled to the read/write head, the slew control circuit configured to: receive an input current signal, apply a slew current to the input current signal in response to a change in a power setting for the read/write head, and provide an output current signal that is adjusted to a quadratic current slew based on the applied slew current, the output current signal generating an output voltage characterized by a linear slew and controlling a movement of the read/write head over the disk.

A method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack, includes performing a normal seek to position a head of the disk device above a target position on the disk, determining that the normal seek has failed, and performing an excitation seek that causes a position of a base supporting the disk to move and reposition the disk. The disk device includes a carriage arm supporting the head, a voice coil motor configured to drive the carriage arm to position the head, the base supporting the magnetic disk, the voice coil motor, and the carriage arm, and a control unit configured to control a current to the voice coil motor to be supplied with a first current profile during the normal seek and with a second current profile during the excitation seek.

A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, a magnetic head used for writing data on the magnetic disk and reading data from the magnetic disk, a controller configured to control seek operations of the magnetic head, and a vibration sensor. The controller predicts a first vibration caused by a currently executed seek operation, based on a seek control signal, predicts a second vibration based on vibration detected by the sensor, and determines an adjusted start time of the currently executed seek operation so that a phase of the first vibration does not match a phase of the second vibration.

A data storage device may employ a suspension that positions a transducing head proximal a data storage medium. The suspension can consist of an active fiber composite that spans a portion of a loadbeam. The active fiber composite can be configured with at least one active fiber contacting a supporting layer.