Method and apparatus for adaptive control and/or use of a vibration sensor in a hard disk drive

A method of manufacturing a hard disk drive,

• wherein said hard disk drive comprises
• a disk base;
• and
• an assembled circuit board mounted on said disk base, said assembled circuit board comprising a control circuit electrically coupled to at least two piezoelectric devices, said control circuit comprising a sensor interface, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and a processor,
• said processor for receiving a sensor reading via said ADC from said sensor interface and further for sending a gain control signal to said sensor interface,
• said sensor interface including pads electrically coupled to said piezoelectric devices, and said sensor interface for responding to said gain control signal by altering a gain of a signal from one of said pads used to create said sensor reading,
• wherein said method comprising the steps of:
• optimizing said gain control for use by said sensor interface electrically coupled to said at least two piezoelectric devices to minimize a statistical envelope of a Position Error Signal (PES) derived from a slider positioned near a track on a rotating disk surface included in an assembled hard disk drive to create said hard disk drive including said gain control.

A control circuit for use in a hard disk drive, comprising:

• a processor configured to create a gain control signal;
• a sensor interface for receiving said gain control signal and to receive signals from at least two piezoelectric devices to create a sensor reading via an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC), whereby
• said sensor interface responds to said gain control signal by setting a gain on one of said signals to create said sensor reading;
• and
• said processor for receiving said sensor reading.

An assembled circuit board for use in a hard disk drive, comprising:

• a control circuit configured to electrically couple to at least two piezoelectric devices, said control circuit comprising:
• a sensor interface an Analog to Digital Converter and a processor,
• said sensor interface comprising two pads for electrically coupling to said piezoelectric devices,
• said processor for receiving a sensor reading via said ADC from said sensor interface,
• said processor further for sending a gain control signal to said sensor interface, and
• said sensor interface for responding to said gain control signal by altering a gain of a signal from one of said pads used to create said sensor reading.

A hard disk drive, comprising:

• a control circuit electrically coupled to at least two piezoelectric devices, said control circuit comprising:
• a sensor interface, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and a processor,
• said sensor interface comprising two pads electrically coupled to said piezoelectric devices,
• said processor for receiving a sensor reading via said ADC from a sensor interface,
• said processor further for sending an input selection signal to said sensor interface, and
• said, sensor interface for responding to said input selection signal in a disabling state by disabling a signal from one of said pads affecting said sensor reading.

A control circuit for electrically coupling to at least two piezoelectric devices in a hard disk drive, said control circuit comprising:

• a sensor interface, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and a processor,
• said sensor interface comprising two pads for electrical coupling to said piezoelectric devices,
• said processor for receiving a sensor reading via said ADC from a sensor interface,
• said processor further for sending an input selection signal to said sensor interface, and
• said sensor interface for responding to said input selection signal in a disabling state by disabling a signal from one of said pads affecting said sensor reading.