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If you are a certain age, you doubtlessly remember Heathkit. They produced a wide array of electronic kits that were models of completeness and clear instructions. They started with surplus war parts in 1947 and wound up a major player in ham radio and early personal computers. But they made so many other things like TVs, radio control planes, and test equipment. All of it was made for you to build yourself. [Unseen History] released a video with the story of Heathkit from the start to the finish.
The company started out building kit airplanes, but after the war, they built a kit for an oscilloscope using military surplus. The less than $40 scope was still pricey in 1947 when a pound of bacon sold for 64 cents. But a “real” oscilloscope at the time would cost at least $400. The rest is history.
The Heathkit manuals were made simple enough that anyone could build a kit. But they also contained enough detail that you could truly understand what you built. Heathkit gear is still prized today.
Heathkit lost the kit business when Zenith bought the company, partly due to inattention and partly because fewer people cared about electronic kits. This was hastened by a drop in interest and to the availability of inexpensive electronics that you didn’t have to build. The company limped along with educational materials and home automation. By 2012, it was done. At its peak, the company employed over 1,800 people, and by the end, there were six people who lost their jobs.
We’ve covered Heathkit’s history before. Heathkit appears to have rebooted in some form, but we don’t know much about it.
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