Split-FIFO multi-station data transfer system

A data transfer device for writing data to and reading data from a disk drive system, the data transfer device comprising:

• a first buffer for serially receiving, from a host system, control portions of data transfers;
• a second buffer for serially receiving, from the host system, data portions of data transfers received by the first buffer;
• and
• N data transfer processing stations, coupled to the first buffer, N being a positive integer greater than 1, the N data transfer processing stations for parallelly receiving and processing consecutive control portions of the data transfers from the first buffer;
• wherein up to N of the data transfer transfers are simultaneously processed by the data transfer processing stations.

A method of transferring data in a disk drive system comprising:

• A. receiving data transfers from a host system;
• B. queuing control portions of the data transfers in a first buffer;
• C. queuing data portions of the data transfers in a second buffer;
• D. shifting each of N control portions of the data transfers from the first buffer into one of N parallel data transfer stations, N being a positive integer greater than 1;
• E. processing the N control portions in the N parallel data transfer stations simultaneously;
• and
• F. shifting subsequent control portions of data transfers queued in the first buffer to ones of the N parallel data transfer stations that have completed a transfer of a previously stored control portion.

A data transfer device comprising:

• means for receiving data transfers from a host system;
• means for queuing control portions of the data transfers in a first buffer;
• means for queuing data portions of the data transfers in a second buffer;
• means for shifting each of N control portions of the data transfers from the first buffer into one of N parallel data transfer stations, N being a positive integer greater than 1;
• means for processing the N control portions in the N parallel data transfer stations simultaneously;
• and
• means for shifting subsequent control portions of data transfers queued in the first buffer to ones of the N parallel data transfer stations that have completed a transfer of a previously stored control portion.