GoKawiilResearcher completes first file transfer using homemade magnetic core memory USB drive
Japanese researcher @dydt_Nao successfully demonstrated a dinner-plate-sized USB flash drive built from magnetic core memory, transferring both a text file and a small monochrome bitmap image between two PCs. The device, which uses a Raspberry Pi Pico as its controller, stores only 128 bytes of data and displays activity through a 32x32 LED array that lights up as each magnetic core is accessed. The creator plans to showcase the device at Maker Faire Tokyo 2026 in early September.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This project revives 1950s-60s era memory technology purely as a hobbyist and educational exercise, showing how far storage density has advanced by contrasting it with today's gigabyte and terabyte drives. While impractical for real use given its tiny capacity and destructive read process, it highlights the enduring appeal of retrocomputing projects that make historical computing concepts tangible and visible through modern components like the Raspberry Pi Pico.
- A working USB drive was built using vintage magnetic core memory technology, storing just 128 bytes of data.
- The device successfully transferred both a text file and a small monochrome bitmap image between two computers.
- The creator will publicly demonstrate the device at Maker Faire Tokyo 2026 on September 5-6.
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive — If 128 bytes of magnetic core memory isn't quite enough for your sneakernet, this pocketable metal drive moves real files between PCs, phones and tablets with both USB-C and USB-A ends. It's the modern counterpoint to that dinner-plate-sized retro build — tiny, keyring-friendly, and ready to plug into anything.
See SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: tomshardware.com — Mark Tyson, 2026-08-29
Published there as: “Magnetic core memory USB drive transfers files in sneakernet first — text and image files get moved between PCs via hugely constrained archaic memory tech”
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