 First eight-bit Heathkit H8 computer | |
| Developer | Heathkit |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Heathkit |
| Type | Microcomputer |
| Release date | 1977 |
| Operating system | CP/M, HDOS |
| CPU | Intel 8080A |
Heathkit's H8 is an Intel 8080A-based microcomputer sold in kit form starting in 1977. The H8 is similar to the S-100 bus computers of the era, and like those machines is often used with the CP/M operating system on floppy disk.
The main difference between the H8 and S-100 machines is the bus; the H8 uses a 50-pin bus design that was smaller, more robust and better engineered electrically. The machine also includes a bootstrap ROM that makes it easier to start up, including code for running basic input/output and allowing input through a front-mounted octal keypad and front panel display, instead of the binary switches and lights used on machines like the Altair 8800.
The H8 requires a separate terminal to be truly useful; Heathkit introduced several terminals as well. A successor model, the "All-in-One" Heathkit H89, combines a Z80 processor board and a floppy disk drive into the cabinet of an Heathkit H19 terminal. This model also was sold in fully assembled form as the WH89. These were later sold by Zenith Electronics with their name on the front as the Zenith Z-89.
