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Comment by NoZebra120vClip | Hacker News Reader

My father, a consummate scientist, geologist, and radio geek, hand-built our home component stereo system from Heathkits. That includes speakers, turntable, receiver/tuner and amplifier. He also ran speaker wires through the walls so that the impressively massive speakers could take their rightful place along the long wall of our living room. The stereo was installed in an ornate antique piece of wood furniture which we referred to as "The Commode" for reasons I can't fathom.

EDIT: apparently, "commode" has been a word for normal furniture way longer than it was a euphemism for "toilet".

It was a long, long time until I truly and deeply appreciated what a labor of love, and what a technical achievement that must have been for my father to build that. I never really liked the stereo because it seemed obsolete before its time and didn't sound all that good, but man, handbuilt. Hats off to you, papa.

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Came here to say this. My Dad also built our stereo, as well as our first color television, from Heathkit kits. He built some other stuff too... an aircraft radio receiver I think. He was a mechanical engineer (now retired). I remember hanging out in his workshop as he pieced the projects together. It was my first exposure to real electronics and componentry.

Did that TV have an ultrasonic remote? Cause our heathkit TV did…

My dad built our color console TV from Heathkit and we had at least one of those remotes. Besides volume and channel rocker buttons, it also had them for the tint and contrast too (?) and that was about it, IIRC.

My dad built a few Heathkit devices like signal generators, etc. for his home electronics repair sideline in the 1960's and 70's, and as I reached max capability at building plastic model kits he asked me to build a Heathkit oscilloscope. It was a whole new universe, but the satisfaction was indescribable. He was a wizard, and I did my best. Between Heathkit, Radio Shack, military surplus, and later Fry's in San Jose, I was in tech doodad heaven.

In the early 80s, my dad bought a Heathkit oscilloscope, and we assembled it together.

My father's in his 90s now, and I think he still uses that scope!

My older brother—perhaps 16 or 17 years old at the time—spent several summer weeks building a Heathkit guitar amplifier. I think he still has it.

Wonderful! Had similar experiences, too. My dad and I built the AR1500 receiver together on top of the ping pong table in the basement. My first "transistor radio" as a kid was also a Heathkit. I can recall test equipment like a VTVM and other stuff which we also built together. It was a great introduction to electronics and radio with lifelong benefits.

I built an IM-2215 digital multimeter around 1981 and still use it. Also have a bunch of other Heathkit test equipment packed away somewhere.

Was that the one with the Nixie tubes?

No, here is a pic of a similar meter

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ve_DPfzgEoQ/maxresdefault.jpg

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