Peizoelectric microactuator and sensor failure detection in disk drives

A method for testing one of a disk drive microactuator and a disk drive sensor that includes a pair of piezoelectric elements, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a test device to the disk drive;
• utilizing the test device to provide an electrical signal to a first one of the pair of piezoelectric elements;
• utilizing the test device to obtain a test measure for the second one of the pair of piezoelectric elements, wherein the test measure is generated by the second one of the pair of piezoelectric elements in response to the electrical signal provided to the first one of the piezoelectric elements;
• and
• employing the test measure to assess a performance parameter of the one of the disk drive microactuator and the disk drive sensor.

A method for testing one of a disk drive microactuator and a disk drive sensor that includes a pair of piezoelectric elements, the method comprising:

• providing a voltage to one of the pair of piezoelectric elements;
• measuring a second voltage generated by a second one of the pair of piezoelectric elements in response to the first voltage applied to the first one of the pair of piezoelectric elements;
• and
• comparing the measured voltage to a predetermined measure to determine a performance characteristic of the one of the disk drive microactuator and the disk drive sensor.

A test device for testing one of a disk drive microactuator and a disk drive sensor that includes a pair of piezoelectric elements, the device comprising:

• a signal generator to generate and provide a reference signal to a first one of the pair of piezoelectric elements;
• a signal analyzer to obtain a response signal from the second one of the pair of piezoelectric elements generated in response to the reference signal passing through the first one of the pair of piezoelectric elements and compare the generated response signal to a predetermined response signal for the second one of the pair of piezoelectric elements;
• and
• a user interface to provide an output indicative of the comparison between the generated response signal and the predetermined response signal, wherein the comparison is indicative of a performance parameter for the one of the disk drive microactuator and the disk drive sensor.