--- title: OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK Hektor 2 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1981' cpus: - '8085' params: name: Hektor 2 image: /media/museum/photos/open_hektor_system_1.jpg 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: /media/museum/photos/open_hektor_boxed_1.jpg - 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: /media/museum/photos/open_hektor_boardexpl_1.jpg - 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: /media/museum/photos/open_hektor_expboard_1.jpg - title: COURSE FOR ENGINEERS subtitle: '' text: Besides the usual User Manual, the Open University provided a complete course intended for computer engineers students. image: /media/museum/photos/open_hektor_manuals_1.jpg hardware: - title: HEKTOR PERIPHERAL BOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/hektor_peripheral_board.jpg 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?
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.