WRITE POWER CALIBRATION UTILIZING LEAST SQUARES FIT OF READ-BACK SIGNALS FOR MOVING MEDIA MEMORY

Calibration of the write signal power level applied to a transducer for marking a moving media to optimize a later recovered read-back signal is provided. An optimized read-back signal is one where the peak-to-peak amplitude of the read-back signal is maximized. The method provides marking test patterns on the recording media at a plurality of discrete, selected write signal power levels of the marking source, developing a read-back signal from the test pattern marks, correlating portions of the read-back signal with the write signal power levels and solving a relationship of the form EQU W.sub.c =W.sub.o -KB.sub.2 /2B.sub.3 where W.sub.c is the calibrated write signal power level W.sub.o is an offset write signal power level. K is a minimum differential between write signal power levels B.sub.2 and B.sub.3 are parameters derived from a least squares fit of a second order polynomial equation to data provided by correlating read-back signals with write signal power levels.