An asymmetric actuator can be used to reduce the distance between the reflective mirror and objective lens of a small optical disk drive for use in the notebook-sized personal computer data storage devices. However, this asymmetric actuator is very sensitive to the subsidiary resonance which is caused by its rigid body motion. In this paper, an analytical approach using a simple lumped parameter system model is presented with a physical insight to investigate why the subsidiary resonance occurs. The finite element method is used to figure out the force and torque characteristics of the asymmetric actuator which are essential to understand the subsidiary vibration characteristics. The frequency responses are presented to examine how the subsidiary resonance is altered for various situations of having different thickness of a yoke and permanent magnet and of having a different magnet circuit. Finally, the design guidelines to avoid the subsidiary resonance will be presented