Diagnostic recording

Claim 2

A diagnostic magnetic record media for loading into a computer drive and readable by a computer system for enabling a user of the system to diagnose the signal-to-noise quality and the head location alignment of the system relative to predetermined acceptable limits, comprising: a first data track having a magnetic test data signal recorded thereon of a predetermined amplitude and in a format readable by a computer system and of a frequency F, wherein F is a predetermined basic data recording frequency, the first data track being of width T wherein T is the width of written data recorded by a recording head; a pair of spaces located on opposite sides of and in abutment with each edge of the first data track, each of said spaces being of a width of approximately D/6 wherein D is the distance between center lines of adjacent data tracks, whereby the spaces have a width of a value to allow for design tolerance within the computer system and resulting in acceptable off-track operation range; a pair of interference tracks with each interference track located in abutment with one of the spaces, each of the interference tracks being recorded with a continuous wave magnetic interference signal recorded thereon of a frequency different from the frequency F whereby a noise wall is established on each side of the first data track; and a narrowed data track of a width less than T and having recorded thereon a magnetic signal having an amplitude less than the amplitude of data recorded on the first data track whereby the signal-to-noise level of the computer system may be diagnosed relative to a predetermined reference level.

Claim 3

The diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein said record is a magnetic disk, the first data track is located near mid-radius porrtion of the disk and the narrowed data track is the innermost track on the disk for the most stringent signal-to-noise test.

Claim 4

The diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein the narrowed data track has a width reduced from the width T with the amount of reduction being proportional to the reduction of magnetic signal amplitude of the narrowed data track to the predetermined magnetic signal amplitude of the first data track.

Claim 5

The diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein the narrowed data track has a width that is approximately T/2.

Claim 6

The diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein the narrowed data track has a magnetic signal amplitude that is approximately one-half the predetermined magnetic signal amplitude of the data track.

Claim 7

The diagnostic record of claim 1 further including a plurality of narrowed data tracks, each narrowed data track recorded with a signal having a different magnetic signal amplitude, whereby the signal-to-noise quality for the computer system can be determined by the narrowed data track that can be read nearest to the narrowed data track that can not be read.

Claim 8

The diagnostic record of claim 1 further including a plurality of first data tracks having the same predetermined magnetic signal amplitude, a plurality of spaces with one space located adjacent each side of each first data track, and a plurality of interference tracks having continuous magnetic interference signals recorded thereon with each interference track located at an edge of a space opposite from one of the first data track edges, each pair of spaces on opposite sides of the same first data track having the same space width but at least some pairs of spaces adjacent the first data tracks having different space widths representing different design tolerances to determine quantitatively the off-track error head alignment for the computer system.

Claim 9

The diagnostic record of claim 1 further including a plurality of narrowed data tracks, each narrowed data track being recorded with a signal of a different magnetic amplitude, whereby the signal-to-noise quality for the computer system and the off-track error head alignment can be determined quantitatively.

Claim 10

The diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein the magnetic interference signals on the interference tracks spaced on opposite sides of the first data track are recorded with a signal at the highest of the fundamental frequencies recorded on the first data track.

Claim 11

A diagnostic record of claim 1 wherein the first data track width is about 2/3D and the width of adjacent spaces is less than about D/6.

Claim 14

The method as defined in claim 11 including the step of recording an interference signal on both sides of said second signal test track.

Claim 15

The method as defined in claim 11 including the step of forming said first test track with a width not exceeding one-half of said predetermined track width.

Claim 16

The method as defined in claim 11 including the step of forming said second test track with said interference track having a frequency that is a whole number multiple of the frequency of said adjacent test track.

Claim 17

The method as defined in claim 12 wherein said interference tracks are recorded with a signal frequency of twice the signal frequency of said included test track.

Claim 18

The method as defined in claim 11 wherein said first test track is formed in sectors.

Claim 19

The method as defined in claim 11 wherein said second test track is formed in sectors.

Claim 20

A diagnostic record media for testing a recording system comprising a recording head moveable over a record media for recording and reading back a data signal resulting from the interaction of the recording head and media with energization of the recording head to record a data track on the media having a width T and a predetermined signal amplitude, said diagnostic record media comprising: a first data signal track having a width substantially less than the width T, a second data signal track having a signal amplitude near that predetermined signal amplitude and having a width less than the width T, an interference track positioned near said second data track and having a known interference signal content whereby the recording head is positioned over said first data track and the first data signal read to determine whether the signal to noise ratio is acceptable and the recording head is positioned over said second data track and said interference signal is detected to indicate the head alignment.

Claim 21

A diagnostic record media for testing a recording system comprising a recording head moveable over a record media for recording and reading back a data signal resulting from the interaction of the recording head and media with energization of the recording head to record a data track on the media having a width T and a predetermined signal amplitude, said diagnostic record media comprising: a first data signal track having a width substantially less than the width T, a second data signal track having a signal amplitude near that predetermined signal amplitude and having a width less than the width T, an interference track positioned near said second data track and having a known interference signal content whereby the recording head is positioned over said first data track and the first data signal read to determine whether the signal to noise ratio is acceptable and the recording head is positioned over said second data track and said interference signal is detected to indicate the head alignment.

Claim 24

A diagnostic magnetic record media for loading into a computer drive and readable by a computer system for enabling a user of the system to diagnose the signal-to-noise quality and the head location alignment of the system relative to predetermined acceptable limits, comprising: a first data track having a magnetic test data signal recorded thereon of a predetermined amplitude and in a format readable by a computer system and of a frequency F, wherein F is a predetermined basic data recording frequency, the first data track being of a width T wherein T is the width of written data recorded by a recording head; a space having a width of 0 to approximately D/6 located on one side of, and in abutment with one edge of the first data track, wherein D is the distance between center lines of adjacent data tracks, whereby the space has a width of a value to allow for design tolerance within the computer system and resulting in acceptable off-track operation range; an interference track located closely adjacent one side of the space, said interference track being recorded with a continuous wave magnetic interference signal recorded thereon of a frequency different from the frequency F whereby a noise wall is established on one side of the first data track; and a second data track narrowed to a width within the range less than T and having recorded thereon a magnetic signal having an amplitude less than the amplitude of data recorded on the first data track whereby the signal-to-noise level of the computer system may be diagnosed relative to a predetermined reference level by reading said second data track and the alignment of the system can be determined by reading said first data track.

Claim 25

A diagnostic magnetic record media for loading into a computer drive and readable by a computer system for enabling a user of the system to diagnose the signal-to-noise quality and the head location alignment of the system relative to predetermined acceptable limits, comprising: a first data track having a magnetic test data signal recorded thereon of a predetermined amplitude and in a format readable by a computer system and of a frequency F, wherein F is a predetermined basic data recording frequency, the first data track being of a width T wherein T is the width of written data recorded by a recording head; a space having a width of 0 to approximately D/6 located on one side of, and in abutment with one edge of the first data track, wherein D is the distance between center lines of adjacent data tracks, whereby the space has a width of a value to allow for design tolerance within the computer system and resulting in acceptable off-track operation range; an interference track located closely adjacent one side of the space, said interference track being recorded with a continuous wave magnetic interference signal recorded thereon of a frequency different from the frequency F whereby a noise wall is established on one side of the first data track; and a second data track narrowed to a width within the range less than T and having recorded thereon a magnetic signal having an amplitude less than the amplitude of data recorded on the first data track whereby the signal-to-noise level of the computer system may be diagnosed relative to a predetermined reference level by reading said second data track and the alignment of the system can be determined by reading said first data track.

Claim 26

The diagnostic record of claim 20 wherein said record is a magnetic disk, the first data track is located near mid-radius portion of the disk and the narrowed data track is the innermost track on the disk for the most stringent signal-to-noise test.

Claim 27

The diagnostic record of claim 20 wherein the narrowed second data track has a width that is approximatley T/2.

Claim 28

The diagnostic record of claim 20 wherein the narrowed second data track has a magnetic signal amplitude that is approximately one-half the predetermined magnetic signal amplitude of the first data track.

Claim 31

The method as defined in claim 24, including the step of forming several first data tracks on said media by recording signals of different amplitudes and reading back said data tracks to determine the signal-to-noise quality of said system.

Claim 34

The method as defined in claim 26, including the step of forming on both sides of said data track an interference track.

Claim 35

The method as defined in claim 26, including the step of forming a plurality of data tracks on said media and including the step of forming the interference tracks at different distances from the associated data tracks to render a qualitative analysis of the alignment of the recording head relative to the data tracks.