Hard disk drive assembly including a NVSM to store configuration data for controlling disk drive operations

• US 8,937,782 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Dang, Dean V., Morgan, Colin W., Saram, Philip Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THANG V
• Application Number:
  US14/197,053
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/55
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/09 Digital recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5534 Initialisation, calibration, e.g. cylinder "set-up"

Abstract

A hard disk drive assembly (HDA) operable with a host computer that comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a system on a chip (SOC). The HDA including a plurality of disks configured to store data, a plurality of heads configured to read and write data stored on the plurality of disks, a flex circuit board including a preamplifier, and configured to couple to the plurality of heads and the SOC, a flex circuit cable coupled to the flex circuit board, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) located in the HDA. The NVSM is configured to store configuration data for read and write operations of the HDA, wherein the configuration data is to be retrieved by the SOC for controlling the read and write operations of the HDA, and the NVSM is coupled to at least one of the flex circuit cable, the flex circuit board, or the preamplifier.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive assembly (HDA) that is operable with a host computer that comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a system on a chip (SOC), the HDA comprising:

a plurality of disks configured to store data;

a plurality of heads configured to read and write data stored on the plurality of disks;

a flex circuit board including a preamplifier, and configured to couple to the plurality of heads and the SOC of the host computer;

a flex circuit cable coupled to the flex circuit board; and

a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) located in the HDA, that is couplable to the SOC of the host computer, the NVSM configured to store configuration data for read and write operations of the HDA, wherein the configuration data is to be retrieved by the SOC for controlling the read and write operations of the HDA;

wherein the NVSM is coupled to at least one of the flex circuit cable, the flex circuit board, or the preamplifier.

2. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the NVSM comprises flash memory.

3. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the SOC is configured to retrieve the configuration data from the NVSM and to control the read and write operations of the HDA based upon the configuration data.

4. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the SOC comprises a processor and the NVSM stores a disk drive start program such that the processor under the control of the disk drive start program controls the read and write operations of the HDA.

5. The HDA of claim 4, wherein the disk drive start program comprises firmware.

6. The HDA of claim 4, wherein the SOC further comprises a read/write channel and a servo controller.

7. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises data indicating at least one of a type of disk drive family or a disk drive serial number.

8. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises data indicating at least one of a type of head or a type of disk.

9. The HDA of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises at least one of:

servo information, microjog information, track information, or calibration information.

10. A method of manufacturing a hard disk drive assembly (HDA), wherein the HDA is operable with a host computer that comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a system on a chip (SOC), the method comprising:

manufacturing a hard disk drive assembly (HDA), that is couplable to the SOC of the host computer, the HDA comprising;

a plurality of disks configured to store data, a plurality of heads configured to read and write data stored on the plurality of disks;

a flex circuit board including a preamplifier, the flex circuit board being configured to couple to the plurality of heads and the SOC of the host computer;

a flex circuit cable coupled to the flex circuit board; and

a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) located in the HDA; and

coupling the NVSM to at least one of the flex circuit cable, the flex circuit board, or the preamplifier, wherein the NVSM is configured to store configuration data for read and write operations of the HDA, and wherein the configuration data is to be retrieved by the SOC on the host computer such that during the read and write operations of the HDA, the SOC uses the configuration data to control the read and write operations of the HDA.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising coupling the HDA to the SOC of the host computer wherein, upon start-up, the SOC is configured to retrieve the configuration data from the NVSM and to control disk drive operations based upon the configuration data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the NVSM comprises flash memory.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the SOC comprises a processor and the NVSM stores a disk drive start program such that the processor under the control of the disk drive start program controls the read and write operations of the HDA.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the disk drive start program comprises firmware.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the SOC further comprises a read/write channel and a servo controller.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration data comprises data indicating at least one of a type of disk drive family or a disk drive serial number.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration data comprises data indicating at least one of a type of head or a type of disk.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration data comprises at least one of:

servo information, microjog information, track information, or calibration information.

19. A hard disk drive assembly (HDA) that is operable with a host computer that comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a system on a chip (SOC), the HDA comprising:

a plurality of disks configured to store data;

a plurality of heads configured to read and write data stored on the plurality of disks;

a flex circuit board including a preamplifier, and configured to couple to the plurality of heads and the SOC of the host computer;

a flex circuit cable coupled to the flex circuit board; and

a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) located within the flex circuit cable, the NVSM configured to store configuration data for read and write operations of the HDA, wherein the configuration data is to be retrieved by the SOC for controlling the read and write operations of the HDA.

20. The HDA of claim 19, wherein the SOC comprises a processor and the NVSM stores a disk drive start program such that the processor under the control of the disk drive start program controls the read and write operations of the HDA.