Data storage system and magnetic tape recording media with features for correcting the combined effects of tape skew and tape dimensional stability

An apparatus comprising:

• a first module having an array of skew detection transducers;
• an array of write transducers spaced from the array of skew detection transducers along an intended direction of tape travel thereacross;
• an array of read transducers aligned with the array of write transducers in the intended direction of tape travel, wherein the arrays of read and write transducers are on at least one second module, wherein the at least one second module is movable relative to the first module;
• a first actuator configured to move the first and the at least one second module together;
• and
• a second actuator configured to exert a force on the at least one second module for causing a relative movement of the at least one second module with respect to the first module for adjusting a tilt angle of the at least one second module in response to a determined state of lateral expansion of the tape.

An apparatus comprising:

• a first module having an array of skew detection transducers thereon, the array having at least four skew detection transducers aligned along the module in a straight line and positioned to read at least three different servo tracks simultaneously;
• an array of write transducers;
• an array of read transducers aligned with the array of write transducers in an intended direction of tape travel;
• and
• a first actuator configured to operatively exert a force on the array of skew detection transducers for adjusting an orientation of a longitudinal axis of the array of skew detection transducers relative to an actual direction of tape travel.

An apparatus comprising:

• a first module having an array of skew detection transducers positioned to simultaneously read multiple servo bands defining data bands therebetween of a magnetic recording tape, wherein at least two of the skew transducers in the array are spaced apart by at least three data bands in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the array of skew detection transducers;
• an array of write transducers spaced from the array of skew detection transducers along an intended direction of tape travel thereacross;
• an array of read transducers aligned with the array of write transducers in the intended direction of tape travel, wherein the arrays of read and write transducers are on at least one second module, the read transducers being positioned to read a plurality of data tracks in one of the data bands defined between a pair of directly adjacent ones of the servo bands;
• and
• a first actuator configured to operatively exert a force on the array of skew detection transducers for maintaining an orientation of a longitudinal axis of the array of skew detection transducers substantially orthogonal to an actual direction of tape travel,
• wherein longitudinal axes of the arrays of read and write transducers are not pivotable from an orientation thereof relative to the longitudinal axis of the array of skew detection transducers, wherein the first actuator is configured to move the first and the at least one second module together.