The return of Heathkit?

Fantastic press release, answered all my questions about the company, but none about the products for the 21st century, like will the SMT workstation be included in the kit, or will they assume you already have one, like you would had an iron.

Or will you be "building" in the sense people say they are "building" a PC, which of course they aren't.

I never built any Heathkit stuff, it was just too expensive.

I built loads of it - my Dad was a consultant for them, and I did pre-release test-building, so those kits were free.

I cloned one - the MA-5 mono amplifier. EL84s for output AFAIR.

Take the survey

or come back tomorrow

Will the first product be a wigglyscope?

I remember when they added it to the Maplin catalogue - some nice looking stuff (plus lots of "too simple" basic projects), but as you say, a frightening price.

I remember reading through all the stuff about HERO-1, and thinking - wow would love to build that. Then I saw the price and thought perhaps not!

I still have the stereo tape recorder I built in 1968.

So do I. Two of them - one built-in, one 'portable'.

I've done the survey.

It certainly was - but the odd thing good value compared to commercially available products. One was their valve voltmeter - still got one here, but can't remember the last time it was used.

From the questionnaire (my asterisks):

Suppose you could get a special "insider" limited-edition model of a new Heathkit, maybe with special design features, and only a select few people can own it, *but it costs more*. How much extra would this exclusive model be worth to you? Choose one of the following answers

Hmmm.

I use (check all that apply): Check any that apply

• iPad * iPhone * Android phone * Android tablet * Kindle * Windows phone * Windows tablet * Blackberry phone * Blackberry Playbook tablet * Other: 1940s dial phone

NT

I am proud to say I don't use any of the above.

Likewise, apart from dial phones.

You use a dial phone? A real one - not one of those dummy ones with buttons?

Couldn't stand one of them with our 11 digit numbers. Glad they were never implemented on mobiles. :-)

Two stereo tape recorders? That'll be quadraphonic, then.

Nor I.

I have dozens of them of various antiquities.

I also have a (small) switchboard with dolls-eye indicators.

:-)

Is that weasel words? :-)

Do you actually use them for dialling bloody great numbers and responding to voice prompts?