Method for testing components of a magnetic storage system

摘要

A method for measuring bit shift and other characteristics indicative of the performance of a magnetic storage system, particularly for a system employing a thin-film magnetic head. In a preferred embodiment, complementary patterns are written many times around a circular track of a magnetic disk, each pattern including relatively closely spaced magnetic transitions as well as relatively widely spaced magnetic transitions. The relatively widely spaced transitions are chosen so as to be substantially unaffected by any other transitions. Measurements are made with reference to these widely spaced transitions and averaged for the many patterns recorded in the track so as to rapidly provide highly reliable measurements indicative of system performance.