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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
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?
<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>