Disk drive architecture

A hard disk drive, comprising:

• an end plate;
• a planar base plate;
• first means for semi-rigidly mounting said base plate on said end plate so that said base and end plates are substantially perpendicular;
• a casing;
• second means for mounting said casing on said end plate and providing a seal between said end plate and said casing so that said base plate resides in a controlled environment isolated from ambient pressure;
• third means for attaching said base plate to said casing;
• a spin motor mounted on said base plate;
• a data storage disk mounted on said spin motor;
• and
• fourth means for interacting with said disk to record data on and read data from said disk.

A hard disk drive assembly, comprising:

• an end plate;
• a casing attached to said end plate;
• gasket provided between said casing and said end plate to form a seal and to provide a sealed environment isolated from ambient conditions within said casing;
• a planar base plate, said base plate having a first end semi-rigidly mounted to said end plate and a second end attached to said casing, said base plate residing in the sealed environment;
• a planar top plate mounted on said base plate;
• a disk assembly mounted on said base plate, said disk assembly including a disk and means for rotating said disk;
• and
• read and record means supported by said top and base plates for reading information from said disk and recording information on said disk.

A disk drive, comprising:

• a shock frame having mounting points;
• control means for generating control signals;
• and
• a hard disk drive assembly, mounted on said shock frame at said mounting points, comprising:
• an end plate having a peripheral edge,
• a gasket providing on said peripheral edge of said end plate,
• a casing having an opening, said casing being attached to said end plate so that said opening of said casing engages said gasket to provide a sealed environment within said casing,
• a planar base plate having a first end mounted to said end plate so that said base plate is substantially perpendicular to said end plate and a second end mounted to said casing, said base plate residing in said sealed environment,
• a top plate mounted on said base plate,
• means, rotatably supported by said base plate, for storing information,
• rotating means, responsive to said control signals, for rotating said disk means,
• read and record means, responsive to said control signals, for reading information from said means for storing and recording information on said means for storing,
• means for transferring said control signals from the control means to the environment within said casing, and
• flexible circuit means for electrically interconnecting said means for transferring with said read and record means and said rotating means.