do you have an idea of how much current it will take to magnetize the core approximately? i'm expecting it bo be a little more than an arduino pin can handle which is only about 40mA. if it's not much more, you maybe could use multiple pins for the x and y lines to get the juice.
Aah, I am not going to use the output-pins directly. =) I will use 2 outputs (I think) to control the direction of the current coming of either a 12V or a 19V transformer I have. Then I will find some smart way to use the remaining outputs to access one of the 8 x-lines and one of the 8 y-lines to let the current pass through in the direction set by the first 2 outputs.
I am thinking perhaps two binary to decimal converters since I only need to access 1 x-line and 1 y-line at a time.