Hard Disk Drive Compontents

Basic physical components on a hard disk drive: Disk platters, Read/write heads, Head actuator mechanism, Spindle motor (inside platter hub), Logic board (controller or Printed Circuit Board), Cables and connectors, Configuration items (such as jumpers or switches)...

Hard disk drives are assembled in clean rooms and the sealed. Any particle of dust inside the HDA can destroy the surface of the discs, because the discs spin at a very high speed, this would not only lead to data loss, but also the physical destruction of the disc surface.

HDD Label, Screws

Hard disk is made with an intelligent circuit board integrated into the hard disk unit. It is mounted on the bottom of the base casting exposed to the outer side. The read/write heads are linked to the logic board through a flexible ribbon cable.

Print Circuit Board I

Print Circuit Board II

Print Circuit Board III

Hard disk drive inside: remove the drive's lid.

Hard Disk Drive Inside I

Hard Disk Drive Inside II

The platter is the flat disk part of the hard drive. The platter is made up of a hard material--usually aluminum, but it varies--which is coated by material with a magnetic charge. According to "The Complete Guide to A+ Certification" by Michael Graves, the magnetic material is the part of the platter which stores the data.

Platters I

Platters II

Platters III

Platters IV

The heads are the most sophisticated part of the hard disk. Each platter has two read/write heads, one mounted on the top and the other one at the bottom. These heads are mounted on head sliders, which are suspended at the ends of head arms. The head arms are all fused into a singular structure called actuator, which is responsible for their movement.

Heads I

Heads II

Head stack with an actuator coil on the left and read/write heads on the right.

Heads III

Now we can see all the compontents of a hard disk drive, how do they look and what are these parts names and abbreviations.

Hard Disk Drive Compontents

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