Friday, December 20, 2013

Heathkit Test Equipment Model Number Scheme

In my last blog post you may have noticed the Heathkit model numbers for the various shortwave receivers. Three were in the AR series, four were GR models, a couple were SB, and the last two Heathkit made were designated with SW. We also had the GC-1 and GC-1A. There seems to be some pattern here but not a very consistent one.

While researching my book Classic Heathkit Electronic Test Equipment I spent some time looking into the commonly used model series for test equipment.

Over the years Heathkit used various product naming systems. Other than some early accessories, they followed a system that used one to three letters indicating a major product line, followed by a unique number. For example, the IM-18 denoted an instrument in the IM (meter) series. During the heyday they had a pretty consistent product naming scheme. The table below lists the major product series. Some units, particularly test equipment, could be bought either in kit form or assembled. Some of the product lines indicate factory assembled or "wired" versions. For products that were offered assembled only, they were sometimes branded as "Heath", particularly in the later days when they were out of the kit business and the units were part of an educational product. Often the wired and kit versions used similar model numbers, such as SM-1212 and IM-1212, but this was not always the case.


Series Description
numbers Adaptors and probes
AG Audio Generators
AV VTVMs
C Condenser Checkers
ES Power Supplies
ETI Instruments from Educational Series
EU Malmstadt-Enke Instruments
EUW Malmstadt-Enke Instruments (wired)
G Signal Generators
GD Grid Dip Meters
IB Impedance Bridges
IG Signal Generators
IM Meters
IN Component Substitution Boxes
IO Oscilloscopes
IP Power Supplies
IR Chart Recorders
IT Miscellaneous Testers
O Oscilloscopes
OM Oscilloscopes
PK Probes
PKW Probes (wired)
PS Power Supplies
S Electronic Switches
SG Signal Generators
SM Factory Assembled Versions of IM Series
SO Factory Assembled Versions of IO Series
SP Factory Assembled Versions of IP Series
T Signal Tracers
TC Tube Checkers
TS TV Sweep/Alignment Generators
TT Tube Testers
V VTVMs
VC Oscilloscope Calibrators

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