Heathkit Won't Be Down for Breakfast

[cockpitbob]

Heathkit Declares Bankruptcy, Closes for Good (Again)

In August 2011, Heathkit announced it was returning to the kit building business, and in September, that it would once again be manufacturing Amateur Radio kits.

11 months. That didn't talke long.

he explained in the article. “Heathkit was primarily dependent upon federal and state funding for schools. Spending in education continued to drop down, and it was economically unfeasible to continue operating. When we got back into the kit business, we were losing the education business faster than we were growing the kit business. It was not sustainable.”

Oh, now I see. They built their business model around government money.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Heathkits were a lot more relevant when PCB assembly required manual operation and used through hole components. The prevalence of surface mount technology components and nearly fully automatic manufacturing processes meant that Heathkit had to offer lower technology, lower component density, and cost at least as much as a similar, more modern, product would pre-built. (or, defeat the "kit" nature by pre-assembling the PCBs).

 

[cockpitbob]

Heathkits were a lot more relevant when PCB assembly required manual operation and used through hole components. The prevalence of surface mount technology components and nearly fully automatic manufacturing processes meant that Heathkit had to offer lower technology, lower component density, and cost at least as much as a similar, more modern, product would pre-built. (or, defeat the "kit" nature by pre-assembling the PCBs).

Well put. Sadly for our kids, the whole world of electronics (and many other things) has gone that way. I used to solder stuff up as a kid, and even into the late 1990s. Now it's usually cheaper to buy an electronics gadget than to order up the parts and build it yourself. That, and most of the things kids want these days you can't make yourself: phones, computer games,{c}rap music downloads[sad2]

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Back when most of you were still pissing your pants in the 60's I built a lot of Heathkit stuff. Audio gear and their color TVs. Jack.

 

[loneranger]

Times change. If Heathkit had teamed up with MAKE and a robot controller company (Parallax, Stamp,etc) , i.e., used protoboards for experiments, packaged kits of some of MAKE's projects, robotic instruction ( a couple levels up from LEGO) maybe there would be a different outcome.

My father built a Heathkit oscilloscope back in the 60's, what a monster, I think it's bandwidth was just 5MHZ.

Though I did not appreciate it as a youngster, I never had any problems understanding Heathkit instructions. I miss that.

 

[Knob Creek]

I remember building a guitar amplifier from one of their kits. Taught me a lot.

 

[richc]

I have many fond memories of building electronics kits with my Dad. Somewhere in my basement I still have a shortwave radio we built together, likely over 40 years ago!

 

[hminsky]

They've been replaced by places like http://adafruit.com/ and https://www.sparkfun.com/, which make microcontroller based stuff. For better or for worse, kids these days get to deal with pretty complex building blocks. It's all about engineering... you learn to work with hooking modules together.

 

[richc]

They've been replaced by places like http://adafruit.com/ and https://www.sparkfun.com/, which make microcontroller based stuff. For better or for worse, kids these days get to deal with pretty complex building blocks. It's all about engineering... you learn to work with hooking modules together.

So true, Henry. I recall playing with a Lego Mindstorm when they came out. I was blown away.

When I was in high school in the late 60's and early 70's an exec from IBM donated a computer for student's use. He was an alum of the high school and saw the value in letting us "play" with technology. The computer was an IBM 1130.

The "geeks" I hung out with in the computer room in the basement are all still involved in computers. Henry, I know you know one of them well, and he's a legend in the computer world. Another is a top level geek at Google. And I started my own software consulting company. And the list goes on.

Providing "toys" for young folks to play with can create life long interest and influential and rewarding careers.

Henry, I know you also had the opportunity to "play" with technology early and often. It really does make a difference, and putting the label "toy" on it makes it even fun!

Thanks for listening to my trip down memory lane...

 

[Skysoldier]

Heathkit died many years ago, when they got out of hardware kits and just made teaching aids.

I built a lot of their kits growing up, and I learned a lot from them.

But they died many years ago........

 

[Len-2A Training]

Heathkit died many years ago, when they got out of hardware kits and just made teaching aids.

I built a lot of their kits growing up, and I learned a lot from them.

But they died many years ago........

Agreed.

I built a number of stereo equipment, SW receivers, test equipment and other gear from Healthkit (and Lafayette Radio for us old-timers ).

 

[uncle griz]

Back in the '60s I lived in northern Indiana only an hour from Benton Harbor Mich where Heathkit was. Loved going there and bringing a kit home! And Allied Radio in Chicago was an hour away too. Two great places!

 

[Skysoldier]

Agreed.

I built a number of stereo equipment, SW receivers, test equipment and other gear from Healthkit (and Lafayette Radio for us old-timers ).

Knight Kits were also very high quality!

- - - Updated - - -

Back in the '60s I lived in northern Indiana only an hour from Benton Harbor Mich where Heathkit was. Loved going there and bringing a kit home! And Allied Radio in Chicago was an hour away too. Two great places!

Did you live in South Bend?.....I did back then.

 

[loneranger]

Wow Lafayette and Allied Radio. I remember parts runs to an Allied Radio store in Camden,NJ with my Dad. We also bought parts from a monthly? Olson Electronics flyer. Long gone.

 

[Skysoldier]

How about "Fair Radio Sales"?

They had the neatest military surplus stuff...I remember falling asleep and dreaming I had the $49 to buy a BC-345 receiver.....

 

[Zappa]

I never built any of their kits myself but I'm familiar with some of their stuff.
A buddy of mine spent his entire freshman year at BU building a kit in his dorm room.
It was called the "Modulus", Heathkits top of the line home stereo receiver.
IIRC, it cost about $300 back in 1980.
It had about a dozen boards that all lined up neatly in the chassis, modular, hence the name.
He got it 99% completed when the school year ended.
He took it home to Vermont and left it on a workbench in his basement, with the cabinet covers removed.
A pipe burst under the kitchen floor, creating a water leak through the floor into the basement, right over the workbench.
Yup, it got heavily water damaged before it even was completed.
Man, was he pissed, after all the hours he had into it.
You know how sometimes life just kicks you in the nuts

 

[CrackPot]

I built a digital clock from a kit 35 years ago. They had the coolest stuff...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[n1zfg]

I never built any of their kits myself but I'm familiar with some of their stuff.
A buddy of mine spent his entire freshman year at BU building a kit in his dorm room.
It was called the "Modulus", Heathkits top of the line home stereo receiver.
IIRC, it cost about $300 back in 1980.
It had about a dozen boards that all lined up neatly in the chassis, modular, hence the name.
He got it 99% completed when the school year ended.
He took it home to Vermont and left it on a workbench in his basement, with the cabinet covers removed.
A pipe burst under the kitchen floor, creating a water leak through the floor into the basement, right over the workbench.
Yup, it got heavily water damaged before it even was completed.
Man, was he pissed, after all the hours he had into it.
You know how sometimes life just kicks you in the nuts

Having sat behind a wave solder line, catching the boards coming out of a water based board washer, I have to say it takes a bit to really cause solid state electronics to be "water damaged".