Gerald Kosarko

Development Of Button/Head Interface For Still Video Floppy Recording

A discussion of media recording specifications as they are defined by the still video floppy standard will be used to lead into the type of head and me interface used on still video floppy products in the marketplace. The Kodak interface consist of the following components: dual thin film head, floppy disk media, and the button interface (media stabilizing surface). By following the development of Kodaks button/head interface, an insight into the problems encountered in the interfaces progress from the development stage to the final product design will be obtained. Along the road to the production design, many changes had to be made in order to insure the integrity of the interface. Discussion will elaborate on the problems encountered with materials, surface coatings, currents am, static, and manufacturing techniques. A major yardstick by which the interface performance was evaluated consisted of the capture between the media and the head/button interface. This parameter was evaluated by what we define as e capture window, a plot of data points relating the tilt, attack, penetration, and signal level of the button/head interface to the media. The life of the interfaces components is a critical performance parameter. A discussion of the typical life of the interface components will also be presented.