Cheatsheet — Quick Reference

A dense, single-page reference distilled from Vols. 1–9. Every hard row carries the source it traces to; nothing new is claimed here that is not established earlier in the series. Where Heath’s catalogue settles a conflict, its figure is given; otherwise both readings are shown as “X (spec sheet) / Y (secondary)” rather than resolved. The authoritative primary for definitive numbers is the factory ET-19 Technical Manual; the deepest available technical anchor is the transcribed spec sheet at hero.dsavage.net, checked against Heath’s catalogues.

10.1 At a glance

Table 1 — At a glance

Attribute	Value	Source
Name / model	HERO 2000 — kit ET-19 (no arm) / ETS-19 (arm); assembled EWS-19-35/-36 (1986), EWS-19-45/-46 (Fall 1987), ETW-19-A (Christmas 1987 on). “ET-19W” and “ET-2000” are not catalogue numbers	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; catalogue, Fall 1987; catalogue, Christmas 1987
Maker	Heath Company / Heath-Zenith Educational Systems	CHM; Wikipedia
Year	1986 (first catalogued Spring–Summer 1986; one source 1987)	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; robotworkshop
Price	$1,999.95 kit / $2,499.95 kit with arm / $4,499.95 assembled	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Units produced	~3,000 (unverified)	Wikipedia
Line discontinued	1995	Wikipedia
Dimensions	16.5 W × 22.5 L × 32.4 H inches	spec sheet
Weight	~78 lb / 35 kg with arm	spec sheet

10.2 Computing — multiprocessor

Table 2 — Computing — multiprocessor

Item	Value	Source
Master CPU	Intel 8088, 16-bit — 5 MHz (spec sheet) / 4.77 MHz (secondary)	spec sheet; secondary
Slave processors	Intel 8042 UPIs (spec sheet) — one each for motor, sonar, RTC/keypad/display, comms, arm; + 2661 serial ctrl. (One secondary’s “Z-80” claim is contradicted by the spec sheet.)	spec sheet
Processor count	8088 + “eleven 8-bit peripheral microprocessors” (catalogue, no mention of the arm) / ~6 base, 11 with arm (spec sheet) — see Vol. 2	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; spec sheet
Backplane	Passive, up to 12 plug-in cards (CPU, memory, motor, arm, floppy, head-interface)	theoldrobots; Selectric

10.3 Memory

Table 3 — Memory

Item	Value	Source
RAM	24 KB base, expandable to 576 KB with three optional memory boards (ETW-19-15, 192 KB each)	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
ROM	64 KB — monitor + HERO 2000 BASIC + demo/diagnostic/sensor routines	spec sheet; theoldrobots

Exact address map: ET-19 Technical Manual (not reconstructed here).

10.4 Sensing — the 360° ring

Table 4 — Sensing — the 360° ring

Sensor	Documented spec	Source
Sonar	24 bearings, 15° apart (360°); 4 in (spec sheet) / 4.5 in (theoldrobots) to 10.5 ft (“up to 10 feet”, catalogue); 2 transducers	spec sheet; theoldrobots; catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Light	255 levels at 24 bearings, 15° apart	spec sheet
Sound	255 levels	spec sheet
Temperature	+60°F to +90°F	spec sheet
Battery/voltage	Battery-condition sensing	spec sheet
Base rangefinder	Auxiliary sonar for low-lying objects in front	spec sheet; catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986

10.5 Drive & mobility

Table 5 — Drive & mobility

Item	Value	Source
Drive	Two servo-driven side wheels on a four-wheel suspension; differential steering; eight speeds; turns in its own diameter	theoldrobots; catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Pull capacity	Up to ~26 lb	theoldrobots
Drive wheel	Colson wheel	Selectric

10.6 Arm (optional)

Table 6 — Arm (optional)

Joint / spec	Range / value	Source
Shoulder / arm	0–120°	spec sheet
Elbow	0–180°	spec sheet
Wrist pivot	−179° to +180°	spec sheet
Axes	Five, plus a sixth from the rotating torso	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Payload	Up to 1 lb	spec sheet; catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Gripper	Touch-sensing, nine grip-pressure levels	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Adds	Arm controller card (ETS-19-1) and its processor	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; spec sheet

10.7 Speech

Table 7 — Speech

Item	Value	Source
Mode	Direct text-to-speech (no phoneme hand-coding, unlike Votrax HERO 1/Jr)	spec sheet
Chip	SSI 263A (spec sheet) / “SPA-256” (secondaries) — likely chip vs board name, not settled	spec sheet; secondaries
Modes	Text-to-speech, phoneme, sound effects	spec sheet
Voice	64 speech sounds; 4096 inflection levels; 16 rate and volume levels; four octaves	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986

10.8 I/O, comms & programming

Table 8 — I/O, comms & programming

Item	Value	Source
Serial	Two RS-232C (DCE) ports — terminal + printer; baud to 38,400	spec sheet
Remote	ETS-19-35/-36 remote keyboard console, 75.43/75.67 MHz, 2 × 40 LCD, two-way, ~100 ft	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Status display	16 head-mounted LED indicators (eight user-definable) + seven-digit data display	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Storage	Cassette port; floppy controller card; ETW-19-6 360K disk drive (Fall 1987)	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; Selectric; catalogue, Fall 1987
Languages	HERO 2000 BASIC (full BASIC in ROM) + assembly; host development over RS-232	spec sheet; CHM

10.9 Power

Table 9 — Power

Item	Value	Source
Battery	12 V, 24 Ah (the spec sheet’s 14 Ah is contradicted)	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986; theoldrobots
Runtime	Up to 4 h normal use; 6 h electronics only; up to 6 days in sleep mode	catalogue, Spring–Summer 1986
Charger	120 VAC; docking charger with angled rails	spec sheet; Selectric

10.10 The HERO line, in one row each

Table 10 — The HERO line, in one row each

Model	Distinguishing spec	Source
HERO 1 (ET-18)	6808 @ 1 MHz, 4 KB RAM, 8 KB ROM, optional 5-axis arm + Votrax speech, 350° head	catalogue; HERO FAQ
HERO Jr (RT-1)	6808 @ 1 MHz, 2 KB→24 KB RAM, built-in Votrax speech, fixed head, cartridges	catalogue; HERO FAQ
HERO 2000 (ET-19)	Intel 8088 + eleven 8-bit peripheral processors, 24 KB→576 KB RAM, 360° ring, text-to-speech	catalogue; spec sheet

Sources

• ET-19 Technical Manual / Programming Manual (Heath/Zenith, 1986) — the authoritative primaries; cited as the consultable authority (not confirmed as free downloads). CHM catalogs them.
• HERO 2000 spec sheet — hero.dsavage.net/robots/Hero2/Hero2_Specs.html, the transcribed factory spec sheet; the deepest technical anchor.
• theoldrobots.com/hero2k.html — specs + photos.
• Wikipedia — “HERO (robot)”. selectric.org/hero2000 — firsthand restoration. robotworkshop, CHM, Bonhams — supporting.
• Heathkit catalogues, World Radio History: Spring–Summer 1986; Fall 1987; Christmas 1987; Spring 1988. Primary for model numbers, prices, battery, processor count and accessories.

The HERO line’s catalogue history is in the Robots History; the battery and mains-charger cautions are in Vol. 9. The model-number note is set out in Vol. 1.