Abstract:
An apparatus and associated method for attaching a disc drive cover member to a disc drive base member. A fixture comprises a base and a stop guard, cradle and guide rails supported by the base. The disc drive base member is operatively receivingly engaged in the cradle adjacent the guide rails. The disc drive cover member is operatively abuttingly engaged at one end against the stop guard and pivoted toward the disc drive base member. Any substantial misalignment of the disc drive cover member with the disc drive base member causes the disc drive cover member to engage at least one of the guide rails and therefore be urged into proper alignment, preventing adverse contact between the disc drive cover member and the disc drive base member.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/145,508, filed Jul. 23, 1999 under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of mass storage devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a drive test fixture for testing or assembling a disc drive. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One key component of any computer system is a device to store data. Computer systems have many different places where data can be stored. One common place for storing massive amounts of data in a computer system is on a disc drive. The most basic parts of a disc drive are a disc that is rotated, an actuator that moves a transducer to various locations over the disc, and electrical circuitry that is used to write and read data to and from the disc. The disc drive also includes circuitry for encoding data so that it can be successfully retrieved and written to the disc surface. A microprocessor controls most of the operations of the disc drive as well as passing the data back to the requesting computer and taking data from a requesting computer for storing to the disc. 
     The transducer is typically placed on a small ceramic block, also referred to as a slider, that is aerodynamically designed so that it flies over the disc. The slider is passed over the disc in a transducing relationship with the disc. Most sliders have an air-bearing surface (“ABS”) which includes rails and a cavity between the rails. When the disc rotates, air is dragged between the rails and the disc surface causing pressure, which forces the head away from the disc. At the same time, the air rushing past the cavity or depression in the air bearing surface produces a negative pressure area. The negative pressure or suction counteracts the pressure produced at the rails. The slider is also attached to a load spring which produces a force on the slider directed toward the disc surface. The various forces equilibrate so the slider flies over the surface of the disc at a particular desired fly height. The fly height is the distance between the disc surface and the transducing head, which is typically the thickness of the air lubrication film. This film eliminates the friction and resulting wear that would occur if the transducing head and disc were in mechanical contact during disc rotation. In some disc drives, the slider passes through a layer of lubricant rather than flying over the surface of the disc. 
     Information representative of data is stored on the surface of the storage disc. Disc drive systems read and write information stored on tracks on storage discs. Transducers, in the form of read/write heads attached to the sliders, located on both sides of the storage disc, read and write information on the storage discs when the transducers are accurately positioned over one of the designated tracks on the surface of the storage disc. The transducer is also said to be moved to a target track. As the storage disc spins and the read/write head is accurately positioned above a target track, the read/write head can store data onto a track by writing information representative of data onto the storage disc. Similarly, reading data on a storage disc is accomplished by positioning the read/write head above a target track and reading the stored material on the storage disc. To write on or read from different tracks, the read/write head is moved radially across the tracks to a selected target track. The data is divided or grouped together on the tracks. In some disc drives, the tracks are a multiplicity of concentric circular tracks. In other disc drives, a continuous spiral is one track on one side of a disc drive. Servo feedback information is used to accurately locate the transducer. The actuator assembly is moved to the required position and held very accurately during a read or write operation using the servo information. 
     Many of these parts are easily damaged particularly when the disc drives are being assembled or tested. Existing assembly and testing methods include hand assembly of drives. Drive covers may be attached and aligned to the drive bases by using hand-eye coordination. The drive covers may include PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) connectors. In order to meet productivity goals, assemblers may inadvertently slip or misjudge the location of the parts to be assembled, causing inadvertent contact of sensitive parts resulting in damage and excessive defects. In order to prevent such damage, assemblers may be very deliberate and slow, decreasing productivity. In addition, if the tolerances are close, such as with aligning the male and female ends of a PCBA connection, aligning the parts may be difficult to accomplish by hand. 
     What is needed is a disc drive test fixture that eases alignment, improves productivity, and reduces damage and cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a drive test fixture and method which provides ease of alignment, improved productivity with reduced damage and cost. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a drive fixture is provided including a base, a stop guard, a pair of guide rails, and a cradle. The stop guard and the guide rails may be located on the base for positioning a cover against the stop guard and between the guide rails. The stop guard, the guide rails, and the cradle may be located so that one end of the cover may be pivoted at the stop guard as the other end is lowered between the cradle and the guide rails. The guide rails may have a width and a height so that a misaligned cover contacts the top edge of at least one of the guard rails before contacting the base of the disc drive. The guide rails may have chamfered edges. The pair of guide rails may be parallel to each other and have an adjustable width of separation. The base may have slotted openings for adjusting the guide rails by fastening the guide rails through the slotted openings. The stop guard may have a slot or may be C-shaped for positioning the cover. The drive fixture may also include dowel pins for removably attaching the cradle to the base, with the base having dowel bores for receiving the dowel pins and the cradle having dowel slots for receiving the dowel pins. The cradle may have a recess opening for receiving the base of the disc drive. 
     Also disclosed is a method for assembling a cover of a disc drive to a base of a disc drive. The method includes the steps of providing a drive fixture having a stop guard and a pair of guide rails, positioning the cover against the stop guard, lowering the cover between the pair of guide rails and over the base of the disc drive, and fastening the cover of the disc drive to the base of the disc drive. Positioning the cover against the stop guard may also include pivoting one end of the cover at the stop guard and lowering the other end of the cover between the guard rails and the base of the disc drive with the guard rails protecting the base of the disc drive from damage by the cover. The cover and base of the disc drive may also include a PCBA connector with a male and female end. The PCBA connector ends may also be aligned, connected and protected. Providing a drive fixture may also include providing a pair of guard rails dimensioned so that a misaligned cover contacts the top of at least one of the guide rails before contacting the base of the disc drive. Providing a drive fixture may also include providing a cradle. Lowering the cover between the guide rails and over the base of the disc drive may include lowering the cover between the pair of guide rails and the cradle. The method may also include moving the cover away from the stop guard and parallel to the pair of guide rails for positioning the cover for attachment to the base of the disc drive, prior to fastening the cover of the disc drive to the base of the disc drive. The method may also include moving the cover away from the stop guard and parallel to the pair of guide rails for positioning the male and female ends of a connector, prior to fastening the cover of the disc drive to the base of the disc drive. The method may also include fastening additional parts to the disc drive. 
     The invention also discloses a drive fixture including a holding means for holding a base for a disc drive, and a positioning means for positioning a cover for the disc drive for attachment to the base for the disc drive. 
     Advantageously, the present invention provides ease of alignment, and improved productivity with reduced damage and cost. The drive fixture provides a device and method for easily aligning drive covers for attachment to drive bases. The present invention aligns the parts without the need of good hand-eye coordination. The stop guard and guide rails align the cover onto the base with minimal effort. In addition, the present invention allows the assembly of disk drives without the worry of damaging the disc drives or connectors by inadvertently slipping or misjudging the location of parts, increasing productivity and reducing damage. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a disc drive with a multiple disc stack and a ramp assembly for loading and unloading transducers to and from the surfaces of the discs. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment a drive fixture. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a drive fixture. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a drive fixture. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the drive fixture with a disc drive base placed onto the cradle of the fixture. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the drive fixture showing using the drive fixture to position and lower the cover over the base of the disc drive. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the drive fixture showing adjusting the cover into position with respect to the base so that the cover may be fastened to the base. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the drive fixture showing the cover in place over the base of the disc drive ready for fastening. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the drive fixture showing fastening the cover to the base of the disc drive  100 . 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the disc drive showing fastening additional parts to the disc drive after removing the disc drive from the drive fixture. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the disc drive showing placing the disc drive into packaging. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the packaged disc drive. 
     FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a computer system. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The invention described in this application is useful for assembling and testing all mechanical configurations of disc drives having either rotary or linear actuation. In addition, the invention is also useful for all types of disc drives including hard disc drives, zip drives, floppy disc drives and any other type of drives where assembly and testing may be desirable. 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one type of a disc drive  100  having a rotary actuator. The disc drive  100  includes a housing or base  112 , and a cover  114 . The base  112  and cover  114  form a disc enclosure. Rotatably attached to the base  112  on an actuator shaft  118  is an actuator assembly  120 . The actuator assembly  120  includes a comb-like structure  122  having a plurality of arms  123 . Attached to the separate arms  123  on the comb  122 , are load beams or load springs  124 . Load beams or load springs are also referred to as suspensions. Attached at the end of each load spring  124  is a slider  126  which carries a magnetic transducer  150 . The slider  126  with the transducer  150  form what is many times called the head. It should be noted that many sliders have one transducer  150  and that is what is shown in the figures. It should also be noted that this invention is equally applicable to sliders having more than one transducer, such as what is referred to as an MR or magneto resistive head in which one transducer  150  is generally used for reading and another is generally used for writing. On the end of the actuator arm assembly  120  opposite the load springs  124  and the sliders  126  is a voice coil  128 . 
     Attached within the base  112  is a first magnet  130  and a second magnet  131 . As shown in FIG. 1, the second magnet  131  is associated with the cover  114 . The first and second magnets  130 ,  131 , and the voice coil  128  are the key components of a voice coil motor which applies a force to the actuator assembly  120  to rotate it about the actuator shaft  118 . Also mounted to the base  112  is a spindle motor. The spindle motor includes a rotating portion called the spindle hub  133 . In this particular disc drive, the spindle motor is within the hub. In FIG. 1, a number of discs  134  are attached to the spindle hub  133 . In other disc drives a single disc or a different number of discs may be attached to the hub. The invention described herein is equally applicable to disc drives which have a plurality of discs as well as disc drives that have a single disc. The invention described herein is also equally applicable to disc drives with spindle motors which are within the hub  133  or under the hub. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a drive test fixture  200  and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the same drive test fixture  200 . The drive test fixture  200  is used to assemble or test disc drives with ease of alignment, less damage, lower cost, and easy operation and insertion. 
     The drive fixture  200  includes a base  210 , a stop guard  220 , a pair of guide rails  230 , and a cradle  260 . The drive fixture  200  may also include a plurality of bumpers  240 , and a plurality of dowel pins  250 . 
     The base  210  supports the guard rails  230 , the stop guard  220  and the cradle  260  and is preferably made of ESD (Electro Static Discharge) safe plastic such as Ensential. 
     The stop guard  220  and guide rails  230  are positioned on the base  210  so that the disc drive  100  may be assembled, disassembled, or tested without damaging the disc drive  100 . The stop guard  220  is generally positioned on one end of the base  210  perpendicular to the pair of guide rails  230  which are generally parallel to each other. The stop guard  220  and the guide rails  230  are positioned on the base  210  so that the cover  114  to the disc drive  100  may be attached without damaging the base  112  of the disc drive  100  or any connectors  410  on the cover or base such as an PCBA connector. In general, one end of the cover  114  is positioned in the slot  222  of the stop guard  220  and pivoted against the stop guard  220  as the other end of the cover  114  is lowered between the guide rails  230  and over the cradle  260  and the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The slot  222  generally provides lateral positioning of the cover  114  and provides support for pivoting the cover  114  against the stop guard  220 . 
     The cover  114  and base  112  may include a connector  410  such as a PCBA connector. The connector  410  may have a male end with pins and female end with openings. One of the male or female ends may be located on the cover  114  with the other end located on the base  112 . The male and female ends may need to be mated as part of the assembly of the disc drive. The alignment of the cover may include alignment of the male and female ends of the connector  410 . Proper alignment of the connector may reduce damage to the connector during assembly, particularly reducing damage to the pins. 
     The guide rails  230  are located on the base  210  generally on both sides of the cradle  260  to keep the cover from damaging the base  112  of disc drive  100 . The guide rails  230  are equidistant from the stop guard  220  and located with a gap  216  between the stop guard  220  and the guide rails  230 . The guide rails  220  are located so that when the cover  114  is pivoted towards the cradle  260  that the cover  114  creates a contact angle  218  between the base  210  and the cover  114  at the point of contact of the cover  114  and the guide rail  230 . The contact angle  218  is great enough so that the cover  114  does not contact the cradle  260  and the base  112  of the disc drive  100  even if the guide rails  230  are shorter than the cradle  260  and the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . However, the contact angle  218  should also be minimized so that the cover  114  meets the guide rails  230  as close to horizontal with the base  210  as possible to allow for easier pivoting and alignment of the cover  114 . 
     The cradle  260  is generally located between the pair of guide rails  230 . The distance between the cradle  260  and the stop guard  220  is preferably more than the gap  216  between the stop guard  220  and the guide rails  230 . However, the distance between the cradle  260  and the stop guard  220  may be equal to or less than the gap  216  so long as the contact angle  218  is great enough so that the cover  114  does not contact the cradle  260  or the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . In addition, the distance between the cradle and the stop guard should be great enough to allow clearance for assembly and alignment of a connector  410 , if the cover and base have a connector  410 . The cradle  260  is preferably located equidistant between the guide rails  230 . However, if the cover  114  had different thicknesses on each side, the distances could be adjusted to accommodate the differences in thickness. The distance between the guide rails  230  and the cradle  260  is preferably just enough to allow the cover  114  to fit between the each guide rail and the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . 
     The base  210  has various openings for attaching the stop guard  220  and guide rails  230  with fasteners to the base  210 . The guide rails  230 , having an adjustable width of separation  217 , may be adjusted to move the guide rails  230  closer together or further apart. The guide rails  230  may be attached to the base  210  with fasteners through slotted openings  212  to provide for adjustment of the position of each of the guide rails relative to the cradle  260  and relative to the slot  222  of the stop guard  220  and to provide for adjustment of the width of separation  217 . 
     The base  210  also includes dowel bores  214  for receiving dowel pins  250  for attachment to the cradle  260 . The dowel bores  214  are positioned in the base  210  to removably attach and position the cradle  260  relative to the guide rails  230  and the stop guard  220 . The dowel bores  214  are sized to receive the dowel pins  250 . The dowel bores  214  preferably do not penetrate all the way through the base  210 . The base  210  also may include four bumper feet for supporting the base  210 . 
     The stop guard  220  is preferably made of ESD safe plastic and of a generally rectangular shape. The stop guard  220  preferably has a slot  222  for receiving one end of the cover  114  of the disc drive  100 . The slot  222  provides lateral and pivoting support to the cover  114  as it is placed over the disc drive  100  between the guide rails  230 . The slot  222  provides additional positioning support to generally align the cover  114  over the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The slot  222  is sized to receive one end of the cover  114  of the disc drive  100 . 
     The guide rails  230  are preferably made of ESD safe plastic and of generally rectangular shape. The guide rails are attached to base  210  with fasteners through slotted openings in the base  210 . The guide rails  230  have a channel  232  cut across the top of the guide rail  230  creating a truncated C-shaped guide rail  230 . The opening of the C-shaped channel  232  is directed upward to provide additional access from the side to the disc drive  100  during assembly. The guide rails  230  each have an inside surface  236  and a top  238 , with the guide rails positioned so that the inside surfaces  236  face each other. The guide rails  230  have chamfered edges  234  on the coner of the inside surface  236  and the top  238  of each of the guide rails  230 . The chamfered edges  234  help guide the cover  114  into place along the outside of the disc drive  100  as it is being assembled. The guide rails  230  have a height  235  and width  237 . The guide rails  230  are dimensioned so that a misaligned cover  114  contacts the top  238  of at least one of the guide rails  230  before contacting the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The width  237  of the guide rails  230  should be greater than the distance between the cradle  260  and the guide rail  230  preventing the cover  114  from being lowered with one edge of the cover  114  inside the guide rails  230  and the other edge of the cover  114  outside the guide rails  230 . The height  235  of the guide rails  230  should be great enough so that the cover  114  is prevented from contacting the cradle  260  and the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The height  235  of the guide rails  230  and the gap  216  between the stop guard and the guide rails  230  determine the contact angle  218  as previously described. Therefore, the height  235  of the guide rails  230  is preferably optimized along with the contact angle  218 . 
     The bumpers  240  are preferably cylindrical rod shaped pieces of rubber designed to fit in the bumper slots  262  of the cradle  260 . The bumpers  240  position the disc drive  100  on the cradle  260 . The bumpers  240  are designed for insertion into each of the four cylindrical-shaped bumper slots  262  in the cradle  260 . The bumpers  240  may provide alignment and protection of the disc drive  100 . 
     The dowel pins  250  are preferably cylindrical rod shaped pieces of stainless steel designed to be received into the dowel slots  264  (not shown) of the cradle  260  and the dowel bores  214  of the base  210 . The dowel pins  250  hold the cradle  260  in position with respect to the base  210 . 
     The cradle  260  holds the disc drive  100  in position relative to the base  210 . The cradle  260  may be designed to accommodate different sizes of disc drives  100  or different cradles  260  may be designed for different disc drives  100 . The cradle  260  may be designed to position the base  112  of the disc drive  100  the proper distance above the base  210  for vertical alignment with the cover  114 . The cradle may also provide vertical alignment for the male and female ends of a connector  410 . 
     The drive fixture  200  provides a holding means for holding a base  112  for a disc drive  100  and a positioning means for positioning a cover  114  for the disc drive  100  for attachment to the base  112  for the disc drive  100 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a drive fixture  300 . The second embodiment of the drive fixture  300  includes a base  310 , a stop guard  320 , a pair of guide rails  330 , and a cradle  360 . The guide rails  330  and the stop guard  320  are attached to the base  310 . 
     Since the first and second embodiments are similar, only the differences between them will be described. The second embodiment  300  is similar to the first embodiment  200  except for two primary differences. First, the stop guard  320  of the second embodiment  300  has a deeper slot  322  for receiving the cover  114  of the disc drive  100 . Second, the cradle  360  has a recess opening  366  for receiving the disc drive  100 . The recess opening  366  is sized to receive the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The recess opening  366  may be cut out of foam and sized to fit the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . Also, the guide rails  330 , the stop guard  320 , and the cradle  360  may be fixedly attached to the base  310  so that they are not adjustable or removable from the base  310 . Otherwise, all other features of the first embodiment also apply to the second embodiment. 
     The drive fixture  300  provides a holding means for holding a base  112  for a disc drive  100  and a positioning means for positioning a cover  114  for the disc drive  100  for attachment to the base  112  for the disc drive  100 . 
     The invention also includes a method of assembling a disc drive  100 . The figures depict the second embodiment of the test drive fixture  300 , however, either embodiment could be used for the method. The method is used to assemble disc drives with ease of alignment, less damage, lower cost, and easy operation and insertion. 
     FIGS. 4 through 12 show the method of assembling a disc drive  100 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a test drive fixture  300  ready for use. 
     FIG. 5 shows a disc drive base  112  placed onto the cradle  360 . 
     FIG. 6 shows positioning of the cover  114  against the stop guard  320  and lowering and pivoting the cover  114  over the base  112  of the disc drive  100  and the cradle  360 . The edges of the cover  114  are aligned into position by the guide rails  330  and the stop guard  320 . The cover  114  is positioned by lowering and pivoting the cover  114  between the guide rails  330  and the cradle  360  which holds the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . 
     FIG. 7 shows adjusting the cover  114  into position with respect to the base  112  so that the cover may be fastened to the base  112 . The cover  114  is positioned over the base by sliding the cover  114  away from the stop guard  320  and parallel to the guide rails  330 . The guide rails  330  keep the cover  114  in proper alignment and from damaging the disc drive  100 . The guide rails  330  also keep the connector  410  in proper alignment and from damaging the pins of the connector. 
     FIG. 8 shows the cover  114  in place over the cradle  360  and base  112  of the disc drive  100  ready for fastening as the cover is positioned between the guide rails  330  and the cradle  360  (not shown). Note that the cover  114  is no longer positioned against the stop guard  320 . 
     FIG. 9 shows fastening the cover  114  to the base  112  (not shown) of the disc drive  100 . Once the cover is attached to the base  112  the disc drive  100  may be removed from the drive test fixture  300 . 
     FIG. 10 shows fastening additional parts  390  to the disc drive  100  after removing the disc drive  100  from the test drive fixture  300 . 
     FIG. 11 shows placing the disc drive  100  into packaging for shipment. 
     FIG. 12 shows the disc drive  100  packaged and ready for shipment. 
     FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a computer system. Advantageously, the invention is well-suited for use in a computer system  2000 . The computer system  2000  may also be called an electronic system or an information handling system and includes a central processing unit, a memory and a system bus. The information handling system includes a central processing unit  2004 , a random access memory  2032 , and a system bus  2030  for communicatively coupling the central processing unit  2004  and the random access memory  2032 . The information handling system  2002  includes a disc drive device. The information handling system  2002  may also include an input/output bus  2010  and several devices peripheral devices, such as  2012 ,  2014 ,  2016 ,  2018 ,  2020 , and  2022  may be attached to the input output bus  2010 . Peripheral devices may include hard disc drives, magneto optical drives, floppy disc drives, monitors, keyboards and other such peripherals. Any type of disc drive may use the test drive fixture and method described above. 
     In conclusion, a drive fixture  200  is disclosed. The drive fixture  200  includes a base  210 , a stop guard  220  attached to the base  210 , a pair of guide rails  230  attached to the base  210 , and a cradle  260  attached to the base  210 . The stop guard  220  and the guide rails  230  may be located on the base  210  for positioning a cover  114  against the stop guard  220  and between the guide rails  230 . The cover  114  is for attachment to a base  112  of a disc drive  100 . The stop guard  220 , the guide rails  230 , and the cradle  260  may be located for pivoting the cover  114  between the cradle  260  and the guide rails  230 . The guide rails  230  may have a width  237  and a height  235  so that a misaligned cover  114  contacts the top  238  of at least one of the guard rails  230  before contacting the base  210  of the disc drive  100 . The guide rails  230  may have chamfered edges  234 . The pair of guide rails  230  may be parallel to each other and have a width of separation  217 , the width of separation  217  being adjustable. The base  210  may have slotted openings  212  with the guide rails  230  fastened to the base  210  through the slotted openings  212 . The slotted openings  212  may be for adjusting the width of separation  217 . The stop guard  220  may have a slot  222  for positioning the cover  114 . The stop guard  220  may be C-shaped for positioning the cover  114 . The cradle  260  may be removably attached to the base  210 . The drive fixture  200  may also include dowel pins  250 , with the base  210  having dowel bores  214  for receiving the dowel pins  250  and the cradle  260  having dowel slots  264  for receiving the dowel pins  250 . The dowel pins  250  may be for removably attaching the cradle  260  to the base  210 . The cradle  260  may have a recess opening  366  for receiving the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . 
     Also disclosed is a method for assembling a cover  114  of a disc drive  100  to a base  112  of a disc drive  100 . The method includes the steps of providing a drive fixture  200  having a stop guard  220  and a pair of guide rails  230 , positioning the cover  114  against the stop guard  220 , lowering the cover  114  between the pair of guide rails  230  and over the base  112  of the disc drive  100 , and fastening the cover  114  of the disc drive  100  to the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . Positioning the cover  114  against the stop guard  220  may also include pivoting one end of the cover  114  at the stop guard  220  and lowering the other end of the cover  114  between the guard rails  230  and the base  112  of the disc drive  100  and the guard rails  230  protecting the base  114  of the disc drive  100  from damage by the cover  114 . Providing a drive fixture  200  may also include providing a pair of guard rails  230  dimensioned so that a misaligned cover  114  contacts the top  238  of at least one of the guide rails  230  before contacting the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . Providing a drive fixture  200  may also include providing a cradle  260 . Lowering the cover  114  between the guide rails  230  and over the base  112  of the disc drive  100  may include lowering the cover  114  between the pair of guide rails  230  and the cradle  260 . The method may also include moving the cover  114  away from the stop guard  220  and parallel to the pair of guide rails  230  for positioning the cover  114  for attachment to the base  112  of the disc drive  100 , prior to fastening the cover  114  of the disc drive  100  to the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The method may also include fastening additional parts  390  to, the disc drive  100 , after fastening the cover  114  of the disc drive  100  to the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . The method may also include packaging the disc drive  100  for shipment, after fastening the cover  114  of the disc drive  100  to the base  112  of the disc drive  100 . 
     The invention also discloses a drive fixture  200  including a holding means for holding a base  112  for a disc drive  100 , and a positioning means for positioning a cover  114  for the disc drive  100  for attachment to the base  112  for the disc drive  100 . 
     It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.