Patent ID: 7023653

Claim:
A floppy disk apparatus comprising: an interface control circuit that outputs, in accordance with an instruction from a host apparatus, a first step pulse signal constituting a reference for the rotational speed of a stepping motor, at least one step pulse period signal that indicates the period of the first step pulse signal and that is output before the first step pulse signal, and a direction signal that determines the direction of rotation of the stepping motor; a floppy disk control circuit that generates a second step pulse signal delayed by a predetermined time from the first step pulse signal in accordance with the step pulse period signal, that generates a first signal that toggles in synchronization with the first step pulse signal and a second signal that toggles in synchronization with the second step pulse signal, and that outputs the first and second signals as control signals in accordance with the direction signal; a stepping motor drive circuit that is controlled by the control signals that are output by the floppy disk control circuit; and a stepping motor that is driven by the stepping motor drive circuit to shift a magnetic head.