Name/Title
1965- Magnetics- Ferrite Core MemoryDescription
Magnetics is a well-known ferrite core manufacturer. They specialize in soft ferrite cores made from iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn), commonly referred to as manganese zinc ferrites. These cores have low coercivity and are also known as soft magnetic ferrites. Magnetics’ ferrite materials exhibit high permeability, good temperature properties, and low Dis accommodation. They offer a variety of shapes and sizes, including toroid's, shapes, and pot cores, which find applications in inductors, transformers, and noise filtersGeneral Notes
Note
What Is Ferrite Core Memory?
Ferrite core memory, also known as core rope memory, was a type of read-only memory (ROM) used in early computers. It gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s.
How It Works:
Ferrite core memory stores data using tiny magnetic cores made of ferrite material. Each core represents a binary bit (0 or 1).
Wires threaded through the cores create a matrix. To write data, a current is passed through the appropriate wires to magnetize the desired core. Reading involves detecting the magnetic state of the cores.
Advantages:
Ferrite core memory was non-volatile (data persisted even when power was off). It was reliable, with no moving parts. It was used in early space missions (e.g., Apollo Guidance Computer).
Limitations:
It was expensive and bulky. Writing data was slow due to the need for precise current pulses. It was mainly used for permanent storage (e.g., software).