Interactive Core Memory Shield Using LED Matrix

In this update I'm doing a better job of showing the interaction with the cores. The text that is scrolling across the LED array is first being written directly to the cores before being read from the cores to update the individual LED states. The logic of the program is not writing directly to the LEDs - instead it is writing to the cores and using them as screen RAM. You can see the affect a magnet has on the cores as it wipes out the data that is scrolled to the left. The scrolling effect is done by reading the state of the cores, shifting the data left by a single row of cores, and then updating the LEDs from that fresh data in the cores. The video shows the effect.

I took apart a relay to use the coil and see if I could focus the flux through a small screw head to clear the bits. It didn't work, although it did set bits, so I know it had a fairly powerful field strength.

At this point I'm going to abandon the quest for clearing bits with an active stylus. I have a plan to "solve this problem with firmware." It has the benefit of eliminating the need for a potentially cumbersome active stylus, and it will help add some "color" to this project. And I'll still be achieving the [virtual] end goal I had in mind via a different path than I originally set out on.

I wasn't able to work on the hardware aspects of the project in the past few weeks, but I was able to work on the software. This lead to me uncovering more ways to interact with the cores. Check out the video demo here:

I'm going to take another run at the active stylus concept to see if I can influence the sense wire with more zest. I took apart an old relay, and that coil should do the trick. After that I won't pursue the active stylus any more because I have a better software solution in mind to get the same effect. It will maintain the benefit of a passive stylus, but still get me the full drawing capability that I was going after.

April 10 Update: Experimenting has continued and I finally have some interaction with the cores. But it's not controllable in a usable way yet. I have more to sort out to figure out what is going on. I think I may need a more powerful magnetic field. Here's a video of the "interaction."