Offered for sale is a Soviet ferrite memory cube on biaxes KP128/17-M70 (KP128/17-M70) in good condition.

A getinaks plate with an engraved inscription in Russian was glued to the top of the cube offered for sale (at the enterprise where such memory cubes were used to build computer blocks) with an engraved inscription in Russian: “Technical memory cube BE 3069000.”

This plate covered the standard product designation on the top of the memory cube: KP128/17-M70 (KP128/17-M70).

A photo of a regular BIAX cube is shown in photo 10 for illustration purposes (not included in the lot).

Figure 8 shows the internal structure of the cube (for more information).

Capacity of the whole cube: 128/16 (128 sixteen-bit words)
The operation frequency: up to 150 kHz
Weight: 380 g
Overall dimension: 18 x 11 x 2 cm
CONDITION: good used vintage condition.

Biax (biaxial ferrite core), is a ferrite core with a branched magnetic circuit and two apertures that do not intersect and which have perpendicular axes. It is used as a memory or logic element in technical automation facilities and in digital computer technology. Biax was used in long-term memory devices, magnetic cores memory devices with a rapid change of the information, where the slow recording is permitted. Frequency of recording is 200 - 300 kHz, and 2 - 5 MHz for reading.

For example, in 1960th Packard Bell Computer applied biax memory side by side with core memory in PACKARD BELL 440:

Dual memory stored logic using a biax memory expandable from 256 to 4,096 words
and a main memory (core type) expandable from 4,096 to 28,672 words.

The memory biax provides for operative recording, storage, and nondestructive readout.
This characteristic is due to the fact that the directions of the magnetic fluxes in the common region of the two closed interconnected magnetic

circuits of the biax (the plug wire between the apertures in Figure 9, a, enclosed by the dotted lines) are mutually perpendicular and, upon simultaneous magnetic field reversal (recording of information), the resultant magnetic flux in the plug wire takes up the most favorable orientation (Figure 9, б). Here the magnetic fluxes around each aperture vary up to 0.7 of their maximum value. An interrogation pulse causes a practically instantaneous change of orientation of the domains of the plug wire in the direction of the flux in the interrogation magnetic circuit.

This leads to a reduction of the flux in the recording magnetic circuit and the emergence of an electromotive force (readout) in the output winding. After the shutoff of the interrogation pulse in the plug wire, the original distribution of the fluxes is restored without additional input. Unlike ferrite rings biax enables to re-read the recorded information without its destruction. Thus no time is required to restore it.
Figure 9 LEGEND: The biax: (a) symmetrical type, with recording (Jзп), interrogation (Jопр, and readout (eвых) windings; (б) plug wire with magnetic flux vectors for recording (3), interrogation (2), and the resultant (1); (в) asymmetric type BN-6.

The logic biax differs constructionally from the memory type by the absence of a plug wire. During its operation, the magnetic fluxes and their signs vary in the regions of the magnetic circuit common to both apertures.

There are several varieties of biax that differ in construction (symmetrical and nonsymmetric; Figure 9, в), in properties of magnetic circuit material, and so on. The primary virtues of the biax are its small dimensions, very rapid response (particularly in readout at small energy inputs), high reliability, and comparatively low cost for automated production and sorting.

There were two types of memory cubes on the multi holes ferrite plates (MHP).
• Cubes with digit plates -- when the plate holds one digit of all numbers.
КП128/17-М70 -- memory cube with digit plates and magnetic decoder for 128 16-bit numbers
• Cubes with numeric plates -- when the plate holds all the digits of one or more numbers.
КП-III 512/19 / KP-III 512/19 -- memory cube with numeric plates for 512 19-bit numbers

A memory cube on multi holes ferrite plates, previously proposed by the American scientist Jim A. Reichmann was chosen as the prototype. In the Soviet Union it was developed in the mid 60's, in the Electronic Technology Laboratory-2 under the leadership of Philip G. Staros

Soviet integrated memory cubes were completely different from the American ones due to their constructive and technological solutions. Instead of cast ferrite plates with holes for the formation of the memory element, extruded plates in which holes were formed during ultrasonic insertion were introduced.

Based on such plates, cubes of memory "Cube-1" for 128 16-bit numbers for the UM-1NX mini-computer were designed. The RAM block contained four memory cubes with control electronics, that is, a RAM with an information capacity of 512 words. Complemented by a permanent memory for 4096 commands and constants, this block of RAM provided a full-fledged mini-computer operation.

Cube-1M version was developed for military use. For 50 years it's failed to replace the unique capabilities of ferrite cubes even by the most recent achievements of microelectronics.

Cube-1M was a part of the RAM blocks, which combat information management systems "UZEL" were equipped with.
This system was installed on 75 ВАРШАВЯНКА / Varshavianka submarines for 40 years, which are still in operation in the Russian fleets, the fleets of India, China and other countries.

For many years, cubes have become an integral part of the onboard machines of the САЛЮТ / Salyut series, installed on space manned spacecraft and orbital stations. Also on-board control systems for underwater-based ballistic missiles, navigation systems for submarines-carriers of ballistic missiles were equipped with them. Cubes were also produced in the factories of the radio industry.

To know more one can refer to various sources:
Article: BIAX analog storage element
Authors: Y. Ohbuchi, Y. Sakurai
Article: BIAX High Speed Magnetic Computer Element
Authors: Wanlass, C. L.; Wanlass, S. Dean
and so on…