Patent ID: 8259417
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A disk drive comprising: a disk drive base; a spindle motor attached to the disk drive base; at least one disk attached to the spindle motor; a head stack assembly rotably attached to the disk drive base about an actuator pivot axis, the head stack assembly including an actuator body, an actuator arm protruding from the actuator body, and at least one read head supported by the actuator arm; a voice coil motor (VCM) including a coil, wherein the VCM is capable of rotating the head stack assembly about the actuator pivot axis; a flexible printed circuit (FPC) including a flex cable and a flex stiffener; wherein the flex stiffener includes: wherein the flex cable includes: wherein the stiffener bend is about a stiffener bend axis that is perpendicular to the actuator pivot axis; wherein the guided portion is located on a first side of the stiffener bend axis; and wherein the coil service extension and the flex cable terminal region are located on a second side of the stiffener bend axis that is opposite to the first side such that a height of the flex cable on the second side does not include a height of the guided portion.