Gain control circuitry for readback apparatus in a recording system using the partial-response, maximum-likelihood technique

摘要

In the readback apparatus of a magnetic recording system operating in accordance with the partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) technique, a variable-gain amplifier (VGA) and a maximum-likelihood sequence detector (ML DET) plus a gain control loop are provided. The detector (19) is designed to operate on input signals (y') having nominal discrete signal amplitudes (a, 0, -a) and it furnishes discrete output signals (ŷ) having such nominal signal amplitudes. The gain control loop is responsive to input (27) and output (29) signals of the detector, and it has charge-pump circuitry (37, 39, 41, 43) for generating a gain control signal (V c = Vg) for the variable gain amplifier (35). To enable proper operation of the system even in case of short-time signal amplitude drops due to media defects, biasing means (49) are provided such that the gain (g) is adjusted to a value which causes the signal amplitudes at the input (27) of the detector to be weighted multiples (ca, 0, -ca) of the nominal amplitude values (a, 0, -a).