HERO (Heathkit Educational RObot) is the name of several educational robots sold by Heathkit during the 1980s. The Heath Company began the HERO 1 project in October 1979. The first units were available in 1982. Models included the HERO 1, HERO Jr., and HERO 2000.
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HERO 1 (ET-18)
HERO 1 was a self-contained mobile robot controlled by an onboard computer with a Motorola 6808 CPU and 4k of RAM. The robot featured light, sound, and motion detectors as well as a sonar ranging sensor. An optional arm mechanism was available.
technical data
| CPU | Motorola 6808 |
| RAM | 4 kB |
| Monitor-ROM | 2 kB |
| Input | Hex-Keypad with 17 keys |
| Output | 6 7-Segment-LEDs |
| Storage | Compact-Cassette |
HERO Jr. (RT-1)
A smaller version of HERO was released later, called HERO Jr. Like HERO 1, HERO Jr. had a 6808 processor, but only 2k of RAM.
technical data
| CPU | Motorola 6808 |
| RAM | 4 kB, extentable to 24 kB |
| Monitor-ROM | 32 kB |
| Input | Hex-Keypad with 17 keys |
| Output | 9 LEDs |
| Batteries | 6v(4 batteries) |
HERO 2000 (ET-19)
The much more powerful HERO 2000 included several onboard microprocessors, onboard speech synthesis, several sensors, and the ability to add expansion cards using a passive backplane.
technical data
| CPU | Intel 8088 |
| RAM | 24 kB, extentable to 576 kB |
| Monitor-ROM | 64 kB with integrated BASIC |
| Input | RS-232 Terminal-Interface |
| Output | RS-232 Terminal-Interface |
Literature
- Mark J. Robillard: HERO 1 - Advanced Programming and Interfacing, H.W. Sams 1983. ISBN 0672221659
- Howard Boyet: Hero 1 - Advanced Programming Experiments, Heathkit/Zenith 1984. ISBN 0871190362
- John D. Hubbard, Lawrence P. Larsen: Hero 2000 - Programming and Interfacing, Heathkit/Zenith 1986. ISBN 0871191539
