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The Rise And Fall Of Heathkit—And Rise Of SparkFun

Oct. 2, 2012

Editor Lou Frenzel pays tribute to the legacy of Heathkit and new companies like SparkFun, that are keeping the tradition of hobbyist engineering alive.

Lou Frenzel

This Article Series is part of the Looking Back at Electronic History series: Rise and Fall of Radio Shack and Heathkit

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The venerable Heathkit served generations of hobbyists and engineers alike of all ages. Its doors may be shut, but you can still build circuits and equipment yourself at home in your workshop, thanks to companies like SparkFun. Download Communications Editor Lou Frenzel's history of Heathkit as well as his look at SparkFun, its heir apparent.

This article originally appeared in Electronic Design's 10-04-2012 edition. It does not map well to the web so download the PDF version to see it in its entirety.

This is figure 1 and 2 from the print edition. Download the PDF to see the article in its entirety.

About the Author

Lou Frenzel | Technical Contributing Editor

Lou Frenzel is a Contributing Technology Editor for Electronic Design Magazine where he writes articles and the blog Communique and other online material on the wireless, networking, and communications sectors. Lou interviews executives and engineers, attends conferences, and researches multiple areas. Lou has been writing in some capacity for ED since 2000.

Lou has 25+ years experience in the electronics industry as an engineer and manager. He has held VP level positions with Heathkit, McGraw Hill, and has 9 years of college teaching experience. Lou holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland. He is author of 28 books on computer and electronic subjects and lives in Bulverde, TX with his wife Joan. His website is www.loufrenzel.com.