Education · Volume 6
Reference — Models, Courses and Sources
This volume collects the model and course tables for the whole educational line, the list of documents with the data needed for the hosting decision, and the principal sources. Years are the first and last catalogues in which an item was found. They come from a text search of the World Radio History scans for 1961–1991 and the 1993–94 education catalogue, checked against the page images for the items discussed in the other volumes. “By” before a year means the first appearance may be earlier, in a catalogue that is missing or has no text layer. An open end (”–”) means the last appearance was not established. Prices are the kit price at first appearance unless marked.
6.1 Trainers and instruments
Table 1 — Trainers and instruments
| Model | Description | First found | Last found | Launch price | Dive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EK-1 | Basic Electricity kit and text (builds a DC VOM) | 1961 | Spring 1976 | $19.95 | — |
| EK-2A / EK-2B | Basic Radio, Parts I and II (regenerative, then superhet receiver) | May 1961 | Christmas 1975 | $19.95 each | — |
| EK-3 | Basic Transistors (builds a transistor intercom) | March 1962 | Christmas 1975 | $16.95 | — |
| EF-1 / EF-2 / EF-3 | ”How to Understand and Use” courses: VTVM, oscilloscope, signal generator | 1961 / 1963 / 1963 | Spring 1976 | $8.95 (EF-1) | — |
| EC-1 | Educational electronic analog computer | 1959 | 1971 | see history vol. 3 | — |
| EU-100A and EU/EUW series | Heath/Malmstadt-Enke instrumentation laboratory and instruments | May 1963 | about 1974 | $995 station (1963) | — |
| EU-801A | Analog Digital Designer | 1969 | – | $435 | — |
| EU-805 | Universal Digital Instrument | 1969 | – | $1,250 with DVM | — |
| EU-700 | Scanning monochromator | December 1967 | – | $1,195 | — |
| EP-100A / EPW-100A | Berkeley Physics Laboratory two-student station | 1965 | 1971 | $396.72 kit | — |
| EV-3 / EVW-3 | IMPScope physiology oscilloscope | by 1965 | 1970 | $160 kit | — |
| ET-3100 / ETW-3100 | Electronic Design Experimenter (analog) | Christmas 1975 | 1981 | $59.95 | ET-3100 |
| ET-3100A | safety revision | Fall 1981 | Winter 1981–82 | $79.95 | ET-3100 |
| ET-3100B / ETW-3100B | new supplies and generator | Christmas 1982 | Fall 1987 | $84.95 | ET-3100 |
| ET-3200 / ETW-3200 | Digital Design Experimenter | Christmas 1975 | 1981 | $69.95 | ET-3200 |
| ET-3200A | safety revision | Christmas 1981 | Fall 1983 | $89.95 | ET-3200 |
| ET-3200B / ETW-3200B | line filter, LED pilot | Winter 1983–84 | Fall 1987 | $109.95 (Fall 1985) | ET-3200 |
| ET-3300 / ETW-3300 | Laboratory Breadboard | Spring 1976 | 1981 | $79.95 | — |
| ET-3300A / ET-3300B | revisions | Christmas 1981 / Fall 1983 | Fall 1987 | $99.95 / $99.95 | — |
| ET-3400 / ETW-3400 | Microprocessor Trainer (6800) | Christmas 1977 | 1981 | $189.95 | ET-3200 vol. 5 |
| ETA-3400 | Trainer accessory (memory, cassette, serial, Tiny BASIC) | Fall 1979 | Fall 1987 | $160.00 | ET-3200 vol. 5 |
| ET-3400A / ETW-3400-A | revision (6808 and 512 bytes by Christmas 1982) | Christmas 1981 | 1993–94 | $224.95 | ET-3200 vol. 5 |
| ET-6800 | Entry-level microprocessor trainer, cardboard case | Winter 1981 | Winter 1983–84 | $129.95 | — |
| ET-200 | Electronic language translator (assembled) | 1980 (No. 848) | 1980 | $299.95 | — |
| ET-1000 / ETW-1000 | Circuit Design Trainer (analog and digital) | Fall 1983 | 1993–94 | $199.95 | — |
| ET-100 / ETW-100 | Advanced Microcomputer Trainer (8088) | Fall 1983 | Winter 1991 (ETW-100) | $999.95 | — |
| ETA-100 | Expansion accessory for the ET-100 | Fall 1983 | Fall 1987 | $1,299.95 | — |
| ET-18 (HERO 1) | Educational robot | Winter 1983 | Fall 1987 | $999.95 (basic kit) | Robots site |
| ET-19 (HERO 2000) | Automation and robotics trainer | Spring–Summer 1986 | Fall 1987 | $1,999.95 | — |
| ET-4200 / ETS-4200 | Laser trainer and receiver | by Fall 1985 | 1993–94 | $279.95 (ETS-4200, 1986) | — |
| ET-3600 / ETW-3600 | Analog Trainer | Fall 1987 | 1993–94 | $119.95 | ET-3100 |
| ET-3700 / ETW-3700 | Digital Trainer | Fall 1987 | 1993–94 | $119.95 | ET-3200 vol. 5 |
| ET-3567 / ETW-3567 | Accessory Backpack (DVM, supplies, experiment-board slot) | Fall 1987 | 1993–94 | $119.95 | — |
| ETB-3300 | Breadboard experiment module for the Backpack | Fall 1987 | 1993–94 | $99.95 (1991) | — |
| ETW-3800 | Microprocessor trainer with ETC-6811 / ETC-8085 CPU modules | Winter 1991 | 1993–94 | $695 with one module | — |
| ETW-5000 / EWS-5000 | Telecommunications trainer | Winter 1991 | – | not legible | — |
| ET-4400 | Mechanisms trainer (Applied Physics) | Winter 1991 | – | $649.00 | — |
Sources: Heathkit catalogues 1959–1991 and Heathkit Educational Systems catalogue No. 279 (1993–94), all at World Radio History; Eckweiler, Heathkit of the Month #129, for the Fall 1981 ET-3100A; the history dive for the EU-700 date and the EC-1. The ET-3100B’s last catalogue is Fall 1987 for the ETW-3100-B; the kit ET-3100B was last found in Spring–Summer 1986.
Gaps. The 1988 Spring, 1990 Spring and 1990 Summer catalogues have no text layer and were not searched page by page, so the last-seen years of trainers dropped between 1987 and 1991 are uncertain. No Heathkit Educational Systems catalogue later than 1993–94 was found, so no trainer’s final year is known. Heathkit/Zenith school price lists were not found, so classroom prices are known only where the general catalogues printed them.
6.2 Courses
Table 2 — Courses
| Course | Title | First found | Launch price | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE-3100 | Concepts of Electricity | Christmas 1981 | $24.95 | none |
| EE-3101 (A, B, C) | DC Electronics | Christmas 1975 | $39.95 | ET-3100, later ET-3600 |
| EE-3102 (A, B, C) | AC Electronics | Christmas 1975 (shipping January 1976) | $39.95 | ET-3100 / ET-3600 |
| EE-3103 (A, B) | Semiconductor Devices | Christmas 1975 | $39.95 | ET-3100 / ET-3600 |
| EE-3104 (A, B) | Electronic Circuits | Fall 1977 (Spring 1977 per Eckweiler) | $49.95 | ET-3100 / ET-3600 |
| EE-3105 (A) | Electronic Test Equipment, four modules | Winter 1979 (per Eckweiler) | $64.95 | ET-3100 and test instruments |
| EE-3106 (A) | Electronic Communications | Christmas 1981 (Spring–Summer 1981 per Eckweiler) | $59.95 | ET-3100 |
| EE-3140 (A) | Electronics for the Hobbyist (self-study form of EB-6140 Concepts of Electronics) | Christmas 1981 (Fall 1980 per Eckweiler) | $59.95 | ET-3100 |
| EE-3201 (A) | Digital Techniques | Christmas 1975 | $49.95 | ET-3200, later ET-3700 |
| EE-3202 | CMOS Digital Techniques | Winter 1981–82 | $69.95 | ET-3200A |
| EE-3401 (A) | Microprocessors | Christmas 1977 | $89.95 | ET-3400 |
| EE-3402 | Microprocessor Interfacing | Christmas 1982 | $99.95 | ET-3400A |
| EE-3403 | Voice Synthesis | Christmas 1981 | $129.95 | ET-3400A |
| EE-3404 | Advanced Microprocessor (6809) | Christmas 1982 | $99.95 | ET-3400A with adapter |
| EE-3405 | Microprocessor Applications | Winter 1983–84 | $99.95 (1985) | ET-3400A |
| EE-8088 | Advanced 16-bit Microprocessors | Fall 1983 | $99.95 | ET-100 |
| EE-3810, EE-8085 and companions | 8-bit programming, interfacing and applications (68HC11, 8085) | Winter 1991 | $99.95 | ETW-3800 |
| EE-101 to EE-105 | Operational Amplifiers; Active Filters; IC Timers; Phase-Locked Loops; Optoelectronics | Fall 1979 to Winter 1981 | $29.95–$59.95 | ET-3300 |
| EE-1001 to EE-1004 | Engineering Design Series: Passive, Transistor, Analog and Digital Circuit Design | Fall 1983 to Spring 1986 | $49.95–$99.95 | ET-1000 |
| EE-4201 | Fiber Optics | Fall 1983 | $99.95 | ET-3400 or ET-3200A |
| EE-110 | Laser Technology | Spring–Summer 1986 | $99.95 | ET-4200 |
| EE-1800 | Robotics and Industrial Electronics | Winter 1983 | $99.95 | HERO 1 (optional) |
| EE-1812 | Robot Applications | Winter 1983–84 | $99.95 (1985) | HERO 1 |
| EE-1900 / EE-1901 | Intelligent Machines; Electronics for Automation | Spring–Summer 1986 | – | HERO 2000 |
| EE-8090 | Data Communications and Networks | Fall 1987 | $99.95 (1991) | ET-1000 |
| EC-1100 | BASIC Programming | Fall 1977 | $29.95 | any computer |
| EC-1000 | Personal Computing | Winter 1981 | – | none |
| EC-6800 | Introduction to Microprocessors | Winter 1981 | $29.95 | ET-6800 (optional) |
| EC-1101 to EC-1202, EC-3000 | Programming series (FORTRAN, assembly language, Microsoft BASIC, COBOL, operating systems, algorithms, computer graphics) | Fall 1979 to Spring 1986 | $54.95–$99.95 | Heath/Zenith computers |
| EC-2001 / EC-2002 / EC-2003 | Computer Fundamentals; Peripherals; Maintenance | Spring–Summer 1986 | $99.95 / $99.95 / $69.95 | ET-100 |
| ER-3701 | Amateur Radio Novice License Course | Fall 1977 | $24.95 | none |
| EI-3133 | Soldering | Fall 1977 | $9.95 | practice kit |
| EI-3134 / EB-6134 | Printed Circuits | Christmas 1981 | – | project kits |
| EH-701 / EH-702 | Linear Circuits, and a companion digital-circuits course | Winter 1981–82 / Christmas 1982 | $49.95 / $59.95 | ET-3300 recommended |
| EM-1 to EM-8 | Math Tutorials for Science and Technology | 1980 (No. 848) | $19.95–$59.95 | none |
| EL-201 to EL-204 | Berlitz language courses (French, German, Spanish, Italian) | 1980 (No. 848) | $95.00 | none |
| EW-4100 | Weather | Winter 1981 | – | instruments supplied |
| EB-10 / EB-20 | Automotive Electrical Systems; Ignition Systems and Tune-up | 1979–1981 | – | shop equipment |
| EB-200 | Electronic Fundamentals (one-volume text, 40 experiments) | Winter 1991 | $39.95 | ET-3600 |
| EB-609 | AutoCAD | Spring–Summer 1986 | $39.95 | H/Z-100 |
| EB-611 | Electro-optics | Fall 1987 | – | ET-3300B |
| EB-615, EB-3135 | Linear IC Electronics; Surface Mount Technology | Winter 1991 | – | ET-3600 / none |
| EW-4300 | Fundamentals of Mechanical Devices | Winter 1991 | $24.95 text | ET-4400 |
| EB-5010 / EB-5020 | Telephone Systems; Communications Systems | Winter 1991 | $24.95 text each | ETW-5000 |
Numbering. Home-study courses carried EE-, EC-, EI-, ER-, EM- or EH- numbers. Classroom versions of the same material carried EB- numbers, with suffixes -40 (student workbook), -50 (instructor’s guide), -30 (parts pack), -60 (cassettes), -70 (filmstrips), -71 (laboratory manual for the pre-wired experiment boards), -52 (administrator’s guide for those boards), -80 (CEU examination package) and -41, -51 and -31 for the later A editions. The core classroom codes mirror the home ones: EB-6101 for EE-3101, EB-6201 for EE-3201, EB-6401 for EE-3401. Optional cassettes carried EEA- numbers, college-credit examinations ECC- numbers ($25 each from 1981), and course-plus-trainer packages EES- or ETS- numbers.
6.3 Names of the business
Table 3 — Names of the business
| Years | Name used in the catalogues | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1961–1976 | ”Heath Educational Series”, “Heathkit Educational Series” | EK and EF kits |
| 1963–1974 | Heath/Malmstadt-Enke; Heath Scientific Instruments | assembled laboratory instruments |
| 1974 | Heathkit Educational Systems founded (Brueschke and Mack) | schools business |
| 1975–1980 | Heathkit Continuing Education | Individual Learning Programs |
| 1981–about 1990 | Heathkit/Zenith Educational Systems; Heathkit/Zenith Continuing Education | after the Zenith purchase |
| by 1991–2012 | Heathkit Educational Systems (HES); company name Heathkit Company, Inc. by 1998 | outlived the kits |
6.4 People
Table 4 — People
| Name | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Howard V. Malmstadt | University of Illinois chemist; co-designer of the Malmstadt-Enke instruments | vol. 1 |
| Christie G. Enke | Princeton, later Michigan State; co-designer | vol. 1 |
| A. M. Portis | University of California; developer of the Berkeley Physics Laboratory | vol. 1 |
| Chas Gilmore | Heath Scientific Instruments designer (EU-805), later general manager | vol. 1; history vol. 4 |
| Louis E. Frenzel | founded Heath’s education and publishing business (1973); later vice-president of the educational business | vols. 2–3 |
| David W. Nurse | Heath president; took the Digital Techniques course himself (1976) | vol. 2 |
| Donald J. Desrochers | president of Heathkit Educational Systems by 1993–94; owner 2005–2012 | vol. 4 |
| John Oliphant | project manager and technical writer, 1984–2011 | vol. 4 |
6.5 Manuals and documents: hosting data
The hosting rule is decision 5 in the project’s CLAUDE.md: host only titles that are likely in the public domain, and link the rest. The table records, for each educational title found, the publication year, whether a copyright notice was seen, and whether a renewal search was done. Nothing has been downloaded into the project.
Table 5 — Manuals and documents: hosting data
| Title | Part no. | Year | Notice seen | Renewal search | Free copy | Hosting position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EK-1 Basic Electricity text-workbook | — | © 1959 (this printing 1965) | yes, “Copyright © 1959 Heath Company” | attempted, not completed (the Stanford renewal database refused automated access) | IA heathkitmanuals | candidate (pre-1964); host only if no renewal is found in the 1987 CCE renewals |
| EK-2A Basic Radio, Part I | — | © 1960 (this printing 1966) | yes | as above | IA heathkitmanuals | candidate, as above |
| EK-2B, EK-3, EF-1, EF-2, EF-3 texts | — | 1961–63 | not seen | not done | not located | candidates if found |
| Schools flyer “Features that make Heathkits the best kits” | — | 1948 | not seen on the scan | not done | World Radio History | candidate (advertising; no notice seen) |
| Catalogues May 1961, March 1962 | — | 1961–62 | not found in the text layer | not done | World Radio History | candidates (advertising) |
| Catalogue May 1963 | — | 1963 | yes, “Copyright 1963, Heath Company” | not done | World Radio History | candidate if not renewed |
| Catalogues 1965 onward (1965, 1969, 1971 etc.) | — | 1965–1994 | yes on those checked (e.g. “Copyright 1968”, “Copyright 1970”) | not needed (renewal automatic for 1964–77) | World Radio History | link |
| ET-3100 manual | 595-1734 | © 1975 | yes | not needed | IA | link; on the Tubular Electronics do-not-host list |
| ET-3100B manual | 595-2860 | © 1982 | yes | — | IA DLARC | link |
| ET-3200 manual | 595-1740 | © 1975 | yes | — | IA | link |
| ET-3200B manual | 595-2936 | © 1983 | yes | — | IA DLARC | link |
| ET-3300B manual | 595-2937-02 | © 1983 | yes | — | IA | link |
| ET-3400 manual | 595-2021 | © 1977 | yes | — | IA DLARC | link |
| ETW-3700 manual | — | 1987 or later | — | — | not located | link only; on the Tubular Electronics do-not-host list |
| EE-3101 DC Electronics (binder, instruction sheet 595-1781-04) | 595-1781 | 1983 scan | yes | — | IA | link |
| EE-3101-C, EE-3102-C, EE-3103-B, EE-3104-B | — | 1998–99 (© from 1975) | yes | — | IA (see volume 5) | link |
| Electronic Circuits (classroom text) | — | © 1978, 19th printing 1983 | yes | — | IA | link |
| EE-3201A Digital Techniques | 595-2931-09 | © 1983, 1993, 1998 | yes | — | IA | link |
| EB-6201-71 Digital Techniques Lab Book | 595-3813-06 | HES, undated | — | — | IA | link |
| EB-6103-71 Semiconductor Devices Lab Book | — | 2001 | — | — | IA | link |
| EE-1800 Robotics & Industrial Electronics | — | 1983 or later | — | — | IA | link |
| Heathkit/Zenith Educational Systems catalogue 811-29R | 811-29R | about 1980–81 | — | — | World Radio History | link |
| HomeWorks by Heathkit | — | about 1990–92 | — | — | IA | link |
| Education catalogue No. 279 | 279 | 1993–94 (© 1994) | yes | — | World Radio History | link |
Everything published from 1964 onward with a notice is treated as in copyright and linked, not hosted. The only realistic hosting candidates in this category are the pre-1964 EK and EF texts and the pre-1964 catalogues and flyers. Their renewal status still has to be checked in the Catalog of Copyright Entries renewals for 1987–1991 before any of them is hosted.
Sources
Catalogues (World Radio History, https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Heathkit_Catalogs.htm): schools flyer 1948; May 1961; Fall–Winter 1961; March 1962; May 1963; March 1965 (800-53); 1965 (800-55); supplement 800/62 (1966); 1969; 1971; March 1974; 1974 (810-74); Christmas 1975; Spring 1976; Fall 1977 (817); Christmas 1977 (818); Winter 1978; Spring 1978; Fall 1978; Fall 1979; 1980 (848); Winter 1981; Christmas 1981; Winter 1981–82; Christmas 1982; Winter 1983; Fall 1983; Winter 1983–84; Spring 1984; Fall 1985; Spring–Summer 1986; Fall 1986; Fall 1987; Winter 1991 (223); Heathkit/Zenith Educational Systems 811-29R; HomeWorks by Heathkit; Heathkit Educational Systems No. 279.
Course texts and manuals: as listed in the table above and in volume 5.
Recollections and histories:
- Frenzel, Lou. “The History of Personal Computers, Part 2: The Heathkit Story.” Electronic Design, 2013. https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/communications/article/21799215/the-history-of-personal-computers-part-2-the-heathkit-story
- University of Illinois, Department of Chemistry. “Malmstadt, Howard (1922–2003).” https://chemistry.illinois.edu/spotlight/faculty/malmstadt-howard-1922-2003
- Storey, A. P., and G. M. Hieftje. “The Academic Tree of Howard V. Malmstadt.” Applied Spectroscopy, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003702816681014
- Eckweiler, Bob (AF6C). Heathkit of the Month #129. https://www.w6ze.org/Heathkit/Heathkit_129_ET3100B.pdf
- Heathkit history dive (Brueschke and Mack; Schlumberger annual reports; Gilmore; Kaeding; Herald-Palladium; ARRL), volumes 2–8. https://heathkit.fubsypoly.com/heathkit/vol-1/
Web archives: heathkit.com as captured by the Internet Archive, 1996–2005 (see volume 4).
Model index: Nostalgic Kits Central, Heathkit model matrix. https://www.nostalgickitscentral.com/heath/products/alphabetical.html
Related dives on this site: ET-3100 Analog Trainer · ET-3200 Digital Trainer · HERO 1 (Robots site) · Heath Company history
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