Abstract: An educational and entertaining device stimulates learning, creativity, imagination, and artistic interpretation. The principal elements in the device are flexible magnetic character pieces and geometrically shaped metallic chips which, when magnetized, form solid replicas in the shape of the flexible magnetic character pieces. The invention is activated by placing a preformed, flexible magnetic alphabet letter, numeral, animal or other character piece on an image board located in a bottom half of the device. Alternatively, separate magnetic character pieces may also be placed on the image board to form a series of artistic impressions. Once the device is closed and secured, the user shakes the device, thus causing the geometrically shaped metallic chips to form an impressionistic picture. All of the alphabet letters, numerals, animals, and other artistic shapes may be created by repeating the process with different flexible magnetic character pieces.

Abstract: A dual port memory controller is operative to interface a pair of processors to a common multiple bank organized memory. A dedicated logic array provides arbitration between conflicting processor requests for memory access. Refresh means are operative upon the memory banks in a staggered fashion to minimize noise created within the system during refresh and to permit simultaneous refresh of an access to the memory.