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6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun. 4,336 media files so far; references to files not downloaded yet are left out. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
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+---
+title: OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK Hektor 2
+categories:
+- Computers
+types:
+- Home Computer
+origins:
+- United Kingdom
+years:
+- '1981'
+cpus:
+- '8085'
+params:
+  name: Hektor 2
+  company: /companies/open-university-uk
+  company_name: OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK
+  specs:
+  - label: NAME
+    value: Hektor 2
+  - label: MANUFACTURER
+    value: Open University, UK
+  - label: TYPE
+    value: Home Computer
+  - label: ORIGIN
+    value: United Kingdom
+  - label: YEAR
+    value: ? 1981
+  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
+    value: 8085 Assembler, monitor
+  - label: KEYBOARD
+    value: Full-stroke 60 keys
+  - label: CPU
+    value: '8085'
+  - label: SPEED
+    value: 3.024 MHz (using a 6.048 MHz crystal)
+  - label: RAM
+    value: 4 KB
+  - label: ROM
+    value: 8 KB
+  - label: TEXT MODES
+    value: 16 lines of 64 characters
+  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
+    value: Character graphics only
+  - label: COLORS
+    value: Monochrome
+  - label: SOUND
+    value: Simple tone facility, played through TV speaker
+  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
+    value: 30.5(W) x 26(D) cm. (mother board only)
+  - label: I/O PORTS
+    value: TV/RF output, composite video, cassette port, 40-pin interface for external peripheral board
+  - label: OS
+    value: Proprietary, including monitor, editor and 8085 assembler
+  - label: POWER SUPPLY
+    value: External PSU
+  - label: PERIPHERALS
+    value: Expansion board
+  - label: PRICE
+    value: Unknown, available only on loan to Open University students
+  tabs:
+  - photos
+  - hardware
+  photos:
+  - title: BOXED SYSTEM
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: ''
+    image: null
+  - title: MOTHERBOARD EXPLAINED
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: |-
+      **(1)** Seems to be an I/O port plug\
+      **(2)** Tape recorder DIN plug and remote relay\
+      **(3)** Hektor peripheral board 40-pin connector\
+      **(4)** 8155 I/O chip. Designed for use with 8085 processor. Features 256 bytes of RAM, a timer and I/O ports\
+      **(5)** 8085-A processor running at 3.072 Mhz. Here a Toshiba version\
+      **(6)** 2 x 2332 chips holding 8 KB of ROM (Monitor and assembler)\
+      **(7)** Thomson SFF-93364 video chip\
+      **(8)** 5-volt power regulator\
+      **(9)** 1 KB video RAM 4118 chip\
+      **(10)** 4 KB main RAM memory - 4 x 4118 chips\
+      **(11)** TV aerial signals modulator\
+      **(12)** Composite video RCA connector\
+      **(13)** External power supply DIN plug and switch
+    image: null
+  - title: PERIPHERAL BOARD
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: |-
+      This board, used in conjunction with the Experiments books, enabled the student to use a microcomputer development system and then, design its own microprocessor-based product.
+
+      **(1)** Opto-detector disc\
+      **(2)** motor\
+      **(3)** Fan\
+      **(4)** Heater bulbs and thermistor\
+      **(5)** Heater control knob\
+      **(6)** General analog knob\
+      **(7)** Data switches and LEDs\
+      **(8)** Ball pins and connecting wires\
+      **(9)** 8155 I/O chip dedicated to various board instruments
+    image: null
+  - title: COURSE FOR ENGINEERS
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: Besides the usual User Manual, the Open University provided a complete course intended for computer engineers students.
+    image: null
+  hardware:
+  - title: HEKTOR PERIPHERAL BOARD
+    subtitle: ''
+    text: ''
+    image: null
+  comments:
+  - author: PAULO (UK)
+    date: Saturday 27th August 2016
+    text: |-
+      If you have a working Hektor for sale, contact me at my email pconst167@gmail.com
+
+      Thanks a lot!
+
+      Paulo
+  - author: peabody_pearce (Loughborough)
+    date: Wednesday 11th May 2016
+    text: |-
+      I''m just about to list an original HECTOR on Ebay (uk) if anyone is interested.\
+      See listing $586462769322 later today.\
+      :-)
+  - author: Artur K(London) (London/UK)
+    date: Wednesday 17th October 2012
+    text: Hi keira hope-thompson (london), I am interested in this kit. And The OU- Working with Hektor brochures (parts:6,7,8). How can I contact you?
+  - author: Jim Patterson
+    date: Wednesday 8th August 2012
+    text: |-
+      This was the first computer I ever saw - my dad did the OU course, and as a young kid, I had time to play a little on it. If I remember correctly, it had a POKE sequence you could type in that caused the computer to play "The Entertainer".\
+      Sadly, my life never really improved from this point, and for my sins, I''m a software developer now...
+  - author: Neil Barnes (UK)
+    date: Friday 13rd July 2012
+    text: Used one of these when I did the OU course T222 in 1990. I failed to buy it at the end of the course largely because once I''d turned it on and played with it, I found I was using a CP/M machine and MASM assembler to write the course work, and just copied the final code to this machine to check it worked. (Don''t tell the OU!)
+  - author: keira hope-thompson (london)
+    date: Tuesday 14th October 2008
+    text: I have just found an hetor 2 computer still boxed unbuilt.Still has its instruction manuals and am interested in selling it for the right price.please email me with any queries.
+  - author: Colin Crowder (UK)
+    date: Monday 9th October 2006
+    text: I have a HEKTOR computer which i purchased for £30 (the going rate) in the 80's when a friend of mine, who was doing an OU course, was asked if he would like to purchase one because they were due to be supeseded by the new model. I started to use it but started a family so the learning fell by the wayside. It has become a family 'heirloom'.
+  oc_id: 602
+  source:
+    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230205203432/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=602
+    date: '2023-02-05'
+---
+
+Not much is known about this UK single board computer, also called **PT-502**. It was available only on loan to Open University students. The purpose was to teach electronic and computer engineers students how to conceive and build a microprocessor based system. The system was delivered with a peripheral board and a complete course enabling students to experiment both software and hardware problems.
+
+More info needed about Model 2 and Model 1 (PT-501) systems
+
+**Kerry J. Morris** reports:\
+Oh yes, I remember it well..... (H)ome (E)lectronic (K)it compu(TOR) (!) or something similar.\
+I used one myself, as a part of my OU (Open University) studies c. 1986, for the course 'TM222 - The Digital Computer'. I think they must have originally been developed around 1981.\
+A bit clunky, I recall, but a great way of learning about microprocessor-based systems. In fact, I continued to use the HEKTOR user manual as a convenient and well written 8085 assembly language reference for about 10 years afterwards!\
+I seem to remember that a few years ago, when the OU revised the courses which used HEKTOR, and wanted to replace the (by then) ageing technology, they gave students the opportunity to buy a HEKTOR system for a minimal sum (but I can't recall exactly how much).\
+Since they were only for use with a few specialised OU courses, and were loaned to the students for the duration of the course, they are probably a bit of a rarity (at least compared to some systems), with perhaps no more than a few thousand ever made?
+
+<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>