[comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware] Are all hard drives with odd # of heads the voice coil type?

sonny@charybdis.harris-atd.com (Bob Davis) (05/01/91)

	When I see that a drive has an odd number of heads, do I ALWAYS
know that the missing head is used as a servo track for positioning
a voice coil head assembly over the proper track?

	And that ALL drives with an even number of heads is a drive
with a head assembly positioned by a stepper motor?

Thanks.

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kent@nsx.Berkeley.EDU (Ken Turner) (05/02/91)

In article <6173@trantor.harris-atd.com>, sonny@charybdis.harris-atd.com (Bob Davis) writes:
|> 
|> 	When I see that a drive has an odd number of heads, do I ALWAYS
|> know that the missing head is used as a servo track for positioning
|> a voice coil head assembly over the proper track?
|> 
Good enough deduction.  A head could be mapped out through software, though.
There might be other cases, too.
 
|>	And that ALL drives with an even number of heads is a drive
|> with a head assembly positioned by a stepper motor?
|> 

No, the drive could have an embedded servo.



Ken Turner
Software Engineer
Visix Software Inc.
Reston, Virginia