When you buy a flash drive, you pay attention to three parameters: volume, performance and resistance to failures – the more the merrier, and in that order. However, there is a drive that offers the opposite value, it has a capacity of 8 KB (that's 8192 characters) but can last for more than 200 years.
The Blaustahl USB drive from Machdyne is equipped with a FRAM memory module of It has a capacity of 8 KB and is intended for long-term storage of text files. It has a built-in Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, making it suitable for various secure data storage applications.
The FRAM (Ferroelectric RAM) chip is known for ultra-low power consumption, high write speed, and extremely high rewrite resistance (more than a quadrillion read/write cycles). It outperforms EEPROM and NOR-flash in terms of performance, but it is also several times more expensive. This flash drive also has 4 MB of NOR memory for firmware and a USB Type-A port for connecting to a computer or other device.
FRAM memory is characterized by durability and endurance compared to other solutions. It can store data for more than 200 years at a temperature of 35 °C, surpassing NOR flash, which, according to the manufacturer, lasts up to 200 years, and NAND flash, which in similar conditions lasts from 16 to 20 years. EEPROM also provides good data storage, but with longer write times and fewer write cycles compared to FRAM.
What can be stored on an 8KB flash drive? For example, some very important text, logins and passwords, cryptocurrency keys, geolocation data and other information that will not lose value over time or become even more valuable. The firmware includes a text editor accessible via serial communication programs such as PuTTY and Tera Term.
Future Blaustahl firmware updates will include encryption features, which will increase the security of the device. The firmware, schematics, and case design files are all available on GitHub, allowing anyone to learn and modify the device. Price – 29.95 euros (1300 hryvnias).