Heathkit H11

Updated on Dec 18, 2024

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Manufacturer Heathkit Discontinued 1982 (1982)		Type Personal Computer
Release date 1978; 39 years ago (1978) Introductory price US$1295 (equivalent to $4,755 in 2016) (kit) Media optional 8-inch floppy disks, optional paper tape

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, but was too expensive for most Heathkit customers and was discontinued in 1982.

Specifications

The H11 featured:

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.

References

Heathkit H11 Wikipedia

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