Patent ID: 8107182
Filing Date: 2012-01-31
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A disk drive system comprising: a read channel for a disk drive to read data from and write data to a disk, in which the read channel includes a processing engine and read channel registers to process commands from a disk controller; an interface coupled between the read channel and the disk controller, in which a plurality of differential pair signal lines are resident thereon to communicate data between the read channel and the disk controller, and commands from the disk controller to the read channel utilize same differential pair of lines as data input from the disk controller to the read channel; a preamplifier coupled to the read channel and separate from the read channel, in which the preamplifier includes preamp registers to configure operation of the preamplifier; and wherein the read channel is operable to receive register access commands from the disk controller over the one differential pair of lines used for data input, in which the register access commands access the read channel registers or the preamp registers, and wherein the read channel, the interface and the preamplifier reside on a flex cable coupling the disk controller to a disk head.