The advance billing I got on FC heads was that it provides the same benefits as MR heads, i.e., a roadmap to 10 Gb/in2, it is cheaper to make than MR heads (see idema.org for an article by Seagate that compares the step by step cost comparison of MR vs TFI head production), AND may even be cheaper to make than TFI heads (the network PC vs NC debate has so far yielded new product announcements by Compaq, Digital, HWP, and Packard Bell re: the sub-$1000 PC, all with 1.0+ Gb disk drives adding possibly several more layers of demand for even cheaper disk drives - something to watch considering the skimpy gross margins that all the drive makers live with).
Somebody just graciously confirmed for me this torodial head design is indeed the FC head which the article describes as working especially well with keepered media. I'm trying to get more technical info.
Meanwhile, there is an article on EETimes that describes the dynamics involved in channel electronics for disk drives. We know that when you change the design of the heads and the platters, you also have to change or program the channel electronics to account for the changes.
This article is fairly recent and provides a snapshot of what's going on in that area. Note that Ampex has considerable expertise of its own in PRML and channel electronics. Also, on the Techweb web site there is an older article by Marvell Semiconductor describing how the transition from analog to digital PRML ICs is essentially complete with practical cost-parity between the two.
techweb.cmp.com
"...MR heads bring higher capacities and help improve data-transfer rates, but they are not without subtleties that force drive designers to look closely at the interaction among many of the components that move data from the rotating media to the drive-controller IC. As speeds and capacities soar, the relationships among the heads, media and electronic components (such as PRML chips) become increasingly critical to the success of the overall design. That has compelled manufacturers of standard chips for the drive market to solicit more design input from disk-drive makers..."
I hope somebody can put all these pieces of info together for us. |
