Magnetic read/write device preventing malfunction due to reversal in polarity

A magnetic read/write device comprising:

• a magnetic recording medium with a plurality of tracks each having concentric servo sectors and data sectors thereon, said data sectors being disposed between said servo sectors;
• a magnetic head for reading information written in said tracks of said magnetic recording medium;
• a signal processing circuit configured to receive a read output signal from said magnetic head and, upon detecting a reversal in a polarity of said magnetic head by processing said read output signal based on positional information one of said servo sectors, perform read error processing;
• and
• a polarity reversing unit configured, when said signal processing circuit has detected said reversal in said polarity of said magnetic head, to not perform any track seek or track following operation in said one of said servo sectors and generate a reversed polarity read output signal from said read output signal.

A magnetic read/write device comprising:

• a magnetic recording medium with a plurality of tracks, a portion of each track having written thereon a concentric pattern for detecting a polarity of a magnetic head outputting a read output signal generated at least partially in response to said output polarity detection pattern;
• said magnetic head for reading information written in said tracks of said magnetic recording medium;
• and
• a signal processing circuit configured to receive said read output signal from said magnetic head and, upon detecting a reversal in the said polarity of said magnetic head for a corresponding one of said track portions, performing the following steps:
• interrupting positional control of said magnetic head so that no track seek or track following operation is performed said corresponding track portion, said positional control being performed based on positional information read from said tracks;
• generating a reversed polarity read output signal from said read output signal;
• and
• resuming said positional control of said magnetic head upon generating said reversed polarity read output signal.