'60's Heathkit tach??

I bought this at a garage sale. The guy said it came as a kit. He ***embled it and ran it on a few different cars.
I've never heard of Heathkit by Daystrom. Is anyone familiar with these? Were they common?

Troy

 

MAN! THAT brings back memories!!!!

My Dad built all kinds of Heathkit projects back in the 60s...everything from an intercom, to a turntable, a mini-bike, various test equipment and all sorts of other household and automotive goodies!

Heathkit made kits for damn near everything...all ya had to do was put it together! We had a house FULL of Heathkit stuff when I was growing up...some of it may still be laying around!!!

 

Heathkit was pretty popular at one time. All kinds of electronics projects from things like your tach, to televisions and early computers. Generally the stuff worked well and was over-engineered so your average hobby tech could solder and screw it together. The idea behind Heathkit was to teach you how to build it and a little of how it worked so you could learn to fix it yourself. Lots of TV and computer techs got their start on education thru Radio Shack and Heathkit kits. Me included.

 

There used to be a Heathkit store where I grew up (here in Colorado). I think that maybe Radio Shack took them over, and shortly after that, the stores closed.

 

My Dad was into Heathkit as well. He even built two TV sets - sat and soldered all the various circuit boards together and everything. They were good quality sets when complete and lasted about 20 years each.

I wish his electrical knowhow would have rubbed off on me, I can barely change a lightswitch.

 

There are several catalogs listed on Ebay from '58-'88.
This one is from '69.

 

My 1975 Heathkit TV cost me $477.00 with a lifetime of knowledge and a real Wood cabinet!!!

It lasted 25 years..., the last 15 were in my parents ba*****t!!!

Now it serves as a Fish Tank for my "God-son"...!

Quality has no fear of time....!

 

Heathkit was a great little company. My brother and I traveled 200 miles to get to the closest Heathkit store. He bought a DIY amplifier in the mid 60's. ***embled it when he got home and went on to become a rock star (NOT).

 

Wow. There's a lot more history on this thing than I thought. I just thought I was getting a cheap tach that worked and didn't look out of place in my truck.

 

Heath started with ham radio kits and test equipment around 1951 using WW2 surplus for the components. They were huge in ham radio, audio and test equipment into the early 80's. Finally got sold to Zenith who wanted their computer expertise and then both tanked.

I have several ham radio Heaths as well as a great ignition ****yzer built for points engines. And also a few CD ignitions which still work fine.

Check EBay, they have pages of Heath listed.

 

Heathkit also made airplane kits , or you could buy them fully ***embled.

 

<font color="purple"> I have one of their early transistor radios and lots of the intercoms. Got them from my grandpa. He could have built stuff from scratch, but it was cheaper to buy the kits. </font>

 

Damn, that brings back memories. I'd love to go back in time and visit the old Heath store. They even carried computer kits in the late 70s, but you had to write your own operating system.

 

My Mom is still using the Heathkit stereo receiver my Dad built back in the 60s...although with a newer turntable after the original ****ped out in about 1985!!!

I remember my Dad working on a BIG Heathkit mini-bike, too...it was standard looking stuff...but LARGE...two people could ride on it easily...with a 7hp engine!

 

[ QUOTE ]
Damn, that brings back memories. I'd love to go back in time and visit the old Heath store. They even carried computer kits in the late 70s, but you had to write your own operating system.

[/ QUOTE ]

The first computer I had, I built from a Heath Kit. Got good enough at writing programs that could add 2 + 2 (four bit code!) that I wound up teaching computer basics.

Back then it was; Microsoft? Microsoft who?
Gates was still a pimple faced kid who excelled in "hacking" into other people's computers!

The words "internet" and "spam" (at least not the canned meat version) hadn't been "coined" yet!!

 

I've got a Heathkit tach/dwell meter used for tune ups. Works great. My dad also used to build a lot of their stuff. Short wave radios, color Tv (that lasted 20 years, just like the other guys!) and lots more. Good stuff.

 

Use to by their test equipment at work. Hand 5 feild tech and the main shop so we would get 6 items. Would have one of the tech ***emble them. By the time he got to the 3rd one they would go together quick. Couldn't do that today, the labor cost per unit would be to high.