In antedeluvian times, I used a solution called "Magna-See" to make magnetic tracks on recording tape visible. It was a suspension of magnetic particles in Carbon Tetrachloride (now a banned carcinogen.)

A more environmentally favorable version is now marketed as "Sprague-Mag."

I propose a similar electrostatically attracted substance which could be painted on Flash Memory (USB sticks, Memory cards) to see patterns of digital bits under an appropriate microscope.

Mostly useful for those who like to take stuff apart to see how it works, and happen to have electron microscopes available.
-- csea, Feb 16 2009

Magna-See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnasee
Substance to make mag tape tracks visible [csea, Feb 16 2009]

Sprague-Mag http://www.sprague-...library/sprgmag.pdf
Iron particles in Dichloro Fluoroethane [csea, Feb 16 2009]

Jump Drive Capacity Meter http://www.lexar.co..._secureII_plus.html
As jutta mentioned, not very pretty (and this is the manufacturer's site, not the retailer's) [Canuck, Feb 17 2009]

Aspex Corp - Purveyors of electron microscopes http://www.aspexcor...m/products/sem.html
For all your microvisualisation needs (apparently). No prices listed, I notice, so unlikely to be cheap! [DrBob, Feb 17 2009]

Flash Memory Pic http://tech2.in.com...cron-nand-flash.jpg
Stores up to 1 rainbow. [bigsleep, Feb 18 2009]

Well you'd have to remove the plastic casing, probably the silicon package as well.
-- Spacecoyote, Feb 16 2009


I thought this was about some kind of full/empty indicator on a flash drive.
-- po, Feb 16 2009


Flash memory is solid state, not magnetic. I don't think you'd sense the electrons. I could be wrong.
-- phoenix, Feb 16 2009


An electron microscope would probably interfere with the operation of flash memory.
-- Spacecoyote, Feb 16 2009


Does anyone remember the images of operating magnetic bubble memory (popular in the late 1970s)?
How were they captured?
-- coprocephalous, Feb 16 2009


My thoughts were the same as [po]. That would be a good idea.
-- paix120, Feb 16 2009


You wanna look at machine code? Eeew! Machine code is nasty and boring. It looks like machine code, which is nasty and boring.
-- colorclocks, Feb 16 2009


//You wanna look at machine code//
Only in object files.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Feb 16 2009


Not possible with an ordinary microscope. The visible light with the shortest wavelength is violet at about 400nm. The chips you will be observing however, will be made with a process below 100nm.

To actually see anything you will need either an electron microscope or some sort of ultraviolet microscope. This kind of stuff is expensive and beyond the price range of ordinary folks.
-- Bad Jim, Feb 16 2009


Po, paix120 - USB thumb drives with a storage remaining bar on the outside exist; I saw some of those yesterday at a large California electronics retailer. (They weren't very pretty otherwise, unfortunately.)
-- jutta, Feb 16 2009


//Not possible with an ordinary microscope//
Perhaps that's why [csea] mentions an electron microscope.
-- coprocephalous, Feb 17 2009


Why not just read sectors on the usb drive with a hex editor ??
-- googlepig, Feb 17 2009


I had in mind the aesthetic, rather than the forensic. I wouldn't bother looking at machine code; image, waveform, or other data files would likely be more interesting.

I just thought it would be interesting to see if the charge which makes flash memory function could be made visible. Cost or practicality aren't the goals, this is the HB, after all!
-- csea, Feb 17 2009


thanks jutta!
-- po, Feb 17 2009


//Carbon Tetrachloride (now a banned carcinogen.) // Haven't heard of that since ye olde dry cleaning days...
-- 4whom, Feb 18 2009



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