In an era dominated by high-capacity, high-speed solid-state drives, one tech enthusiast has turned to the past, constructing a functional USB drive using magnetic-core memory, a technology prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Tech YouTuber polymatt documented the process of building what they jokingly refer to as the "world's worst USB drive," a device that, while storing a mere 64 bits of data, serves as a fascinating homage to early computing.
Magnetic-core memory operates by utilizing minuscule rings of ferrimagnetic materials, through which multiple wires are threaded. By passing electrical currents through these wires, the magnetic polarity of each ring can be altered, representing binary data—a '0' or a '1'. This method is non-volatile, meaning it retains data without a constant power supply, similar to modern NAND flash storage.
While polymatt's creation stores a mere 64 bits, the technology's historical significance is notable. Early applications included systems like the ENIAC, the IBM 704, and the Apollo Guidance Computer. For comparison, IBM's 1957 magnetic-core units could store 147,456 bits, though they were significantly larger and more costly to operate.
The project involved delicate and intricate work. The Espressif ESP32 microcontroller used to manage the USB interface and data handling possesses embedded flash storage millions of times larger than the magnetic-core array itself. Despite the vast disparity in capacity and speed compared to contemporary external SSDs, the maker expresses a sentiment that something is lost with purely silicon-based storage, valuing the tangible and aesthetic qualities of older technologies.