Systems and methods for storage device read/write head malfunction detection

A method comprising:

• reading, by a storage device head to be tested, data from a medium;
• generating a test waveform based on the data read from the medium;
• determining a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform;
• comparing the signal quality value to an event threshold;
• generating an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head;
• and
• aggregating the event indicator with other event indicators to generate an aggregate indicator.

A system comprising:

• a storage device head to be tested configured to read data from a medium;
• a means for generating a test waveform based on the data read from the medium;
• a means for generating a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform;
• a means for comparing the signal quality value to an event threshold;
• a means for generating an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head;
• a means for storing the event indicator, and
• a means for aggregating the event indicator with other event indicators to generate an aggregate indicator.

A system comprising:

• a memory,
• a processor, coupled with the memory, the processor configured to implement:
• a filter module configured to generate a test waveform based on data read from a medium by a storage device head to be tested;
• a detector module configured to:
• generate a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform by averaging over time the property of the at least the portion of the test waveform,
• compare the signal quality value to an event threshold,
• generate an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head, and
• generate the signal quality value based on the property of the at least the portion of the test waveform by averaging over time the property of the at least the portion of the test waveform.

A method comprising:

• reading, by a storage device head to be tested, data from a medium;
• generating a test waveform based on the data read from the medium;
• determining a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform by at least averaging over time the property of the at least the portion of the test waveform;
• comparing the signal quality value to an event threshold;
• and
• generating an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head.

A system comprising:

• a memory,
• a processor, coupled with the memory, the processor configured to implement:
• a filter module configured to receive a predetermined window threshold and identify a test waveform as a subsection of a larger waveform associated with data read from a medium by a storage device head to be tested based on the predetermined window threshold;
• and
• a detector module configured to:
• generate a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform,
• compare the signal quality value to an event threshold, and
• generate an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head.

A method comprising:

• reading, by a storage device head to be tested, data from a medium;
• receiving a predetermined window threshold and identifying a test waveform as a subsection of a larger waveform associated with the data read from the medium based on the predetermined window threshold;
• determining a signal quality value based on a property of at least a portion of the test waveform;
• comparing the signal quality value to an event threshold;
• and
• generating an event indicator based on the comparison, the event indicator indicating possible instability of the storage device head.