An expert system for failure analysis and disposition of hard disk drives

The authors describe the development of an expert system for failure analysis and disposition of hard disk drives. A working prototype was implemented in the form of a run-time version and tried out on the production floor. The system is capable of providing consultation for forty-nine symptoms of failure from the four test stations. This includes twenty-nine debug procedures with due consideration to past records. Six evaluation test results are presented here to elaborate the efficiency and reliability of the system. These test runs were simulated on three test stations (recalibration, analog and burn-in). Besides providing logical and accurate consultation, the developed expert system can also be used as a teaching aid for new staff and serves to document the test procedures involved in hard disk testing