RIP — Heathkit
After announcing last fall that they were re-entering the electronics kit business, it is now being reported that Heathkit Educational Systems has officially ended operations. According to the ARRL, it appears that the company discontinued operations in March or April, 2012, having previously laid off most of their workforce last December.
This is certainly sad news, as generations of geeks have fond memories of Heathkit when it operated a popular kit business from 1947 to 1992. At their height in the 1970s, they even operated a nationwide chain of over-the-counter stores! Whether it was building amateur radio equipment, test equipment, a TV or even a computer, many aspiring hackers of that generation cut their teeth on Heathkits. Their detailed assembly manuals and “we won’t let you fail” motto encouraged many hobbyists to build more difficult kits than they thought possible, and spurred interest in tech hacking beyond the kit arena. They were one of a kind.
This entry was posted in kit biz, News and tagged ARRL, Heathkit.
Comments
I was one of that generation. Having assembled numerous kits, cutting my teeth debugging. Priceless, self-imposed training. On a number of occasions I rode my bike 20mi round trip to visit their store.
i build a heathkit vt100 once. that was a lot of fun, and soldering! long live heathkit.
Really bad timing on their part with the economy the way it is. It was an iffy venture even without that headwind. Researching the history of this firm, one finds that back in the 60s there was actually a significant savings to be had in building your own electronics in addition to the hobbyist/educational angle. That is no longer the case.