Heathkit H11

The Heathkit H11 Computer was an early kit-format personal computer introduced in 1978. It was essentially a Digital Equipment PDP-11 in a small-form-factor case, designed by Heathkit. The H11 was one of the first 16-bit personal computers, at a list price of US$1,295,[2] but was too expensive for most Heathkit customers and was discontinued in 1982.[3]

Heathkit H11
ManufacturerHeathkit
TypePersonal Computer
Release date1978 (1978)
Introductory priceUS$1295 (equivalent to $5,076 in 2019)[1] (kit) or US$1595 (equivalent to $6,252 in 2019)[1] (assembled)[2]
Discontinued1982 (1982)[3]
Mediaoptional 8-inch floppy disks, optional paper tape
Operating systemoptional HT-11
CPULSI-11 clocked at 2.5MHz
Memory4kword base system, maximum optional 32kword RAM, 8kword ROM (2 bytes/word)
Related articlesPDP-11

Specifications

The H11 featured:[4]

  • Processor — LSI-11 (KD11-HA half-size or "double-height" card)
  • Speed — 2.5 MHz
  • ROM — 8Kwords (16 Kbytes) (max)
  • RAM — 32Kwords (64 Kbytes) (max)
  • Slots — 7 Q-bus slots
  • Storage — H27 8-inch floppy drive (2 256k 8-inch single sided drives) or paper tape
  • I/O — serial (RS-232) or parallel ports
  • Operating system — HT-11 (a simplified version of RT-11)
  • Instruction set — PDP-11/40 instruction set
  • Languages — BASIC, Focal and others

Initial memory limitations restricted the selection of software the system could handle, but the system could be expanded to 32KW x 16-bit RAM. Many PDP-11 operating systems and programs ran without trouble. The system would also work with most DEC PDP-11 equipment, including many Q-bus compatible peripherals.

See also

References

  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. Heathkit 1978 catalog pages retrieved 2011 July 11
  3. Wise, Deborah (1982-09-13). "Heath joins Zenith to attract hobbyists, businesses". InfoWorld. p. 19. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  4. 1977 advertising material from Heathkit of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
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