RANA Systems Elite Controller, User Manual, Page: 169 / 328

ELITE SERIES USER MANUAL THEORY OF OPERATION
This precision registration insures perfect
compliance with the read/write head. The disk-
ette is loaded against the head when the drive
door is closed. The read/write head is in di-
rect contact with the diskette, so the head
surface has been designed to obtain maximum
signal transfer to and from the magnetic surface
of the diskette with minimum friction and wear.
The Elite One contains a single head which is
positioned below the diskette, facing upward,
thus allowing it to read and write upon the
lower surface (surface opposite the diskette’s
label). A felt pressure pad is mounted on a
precision tensioned swing arm located opposite
the read/write head. This pad insures constant
contact of the diskette against the head. The
pad swings up and back when the door is opened
to permit insertion/removal of the diskette.
Although this pad is engineered for minimum
diskette wear, the pad is not designed to ride
on a diskette surface containing valid data.
Therefore, diskettes containing valid data on
both surfaces should not be used in single
headed drives such as the Elite One or Disk II.
The Elite Two and Elite Three drives contain two
heads which are oriented essentially opposite
each other on opposing sides of the diskette.
The lower head (head zero) is oriented identical
to the Elite One’s single head. The upper head
(head one) is mounted on a precision tensioned
swing arm, which is raised up and back when the
drive’s door is opened; thus allowing the disk-
ette to be inserted/removed.
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