- DK'Tronics
Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = dk'tronics
company_
fate = Unknown; did not publish software after 1985
successor =
foundation =1981
defunct =1985
location = Hardware production:Great Yarmouth
Administration:Saffron Walden
industry =Video game s andcomputer peripheral s
key_people = David Heelas (director), Roger Barnard (PR/Advertising), Neil Rawlingson (finance director)
products =
num_employees = 50
parent =
subsid =Currah dk'tronics were a software and hardware company during the 1980s. They primarily made peripherals for the
ZX Spectrum but also releasedvideo game s for the Spectrum,Commodore 64 ,Memotech ,MSX andAmstrad platforms [http://www.crashonline.org.uk/09/dk.htm "dk'tronics Revisited"] article from "CRASH" issue 9, October 1984; retrieved from CRASH The Online Edition] .History
dk'tronics' first product was a 16Kb expansion pack for the
ZX80 , released just prior to the launch of theZX81 . At this time the company consisted only ofDavid Heelas , working part-time through his interest in electronics [ [http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr13/yr13_72.htm "Minding his own business"] from "Your Spectrum" issue 13, April 1985] . When the ZX81 was launched, he went full-time – manufacturing, packaging and posting from his home – and by the end of 1981 he had four employees. Hardware production expanded to include new keyboards for the ZX81 and for the newly released ZX Spectrum.By 1984, dk'tronics had around 50 personnel, with David as managing director. He was also looking into the possibility of becoming a computer manufacturer, specifically with a low-cost processor for the leisure market. It was planned to have an integrated screen and music keyboard.
Due to the company's success and good press coverage, in 1985 dk'tronics were approached by management from
Currah (most noted for their Microspeech speech synthesis peripheral [ [http://www.crashonline.org.uk/02/currah.htm Currah Microspeech review] from CRASH issue 2, March 1984; retrieved from CRASH The Online Edition] ). After talks, dk'tronics acquired Currah for a "substantial five-figure sum". Technology acquired from Currah included themicroSource , an Assembler/Forth 'on-board' ROM.oftware
David Heelas was known to be critical of the hype attempted by other software companies in the gaming press and took pride in the professional position adopted by dk'tronics [ [http://www.crashonline.org.uk/10/news.htm "Minder Tronics"] news article from CRASH issue 10, November 1984; retrieved from CRASH The Online Edition] .
Software was published between 1982 and 1985, and included works from regular programmers such as
Don Priestley .Partial list of games
*"
3D Tanx " (1982), Don Priestley (an early success, selling 140,000 copies)
*"Maziacs " (1983), Don Priestley, supported the Currah MicroSpeech
*"Zig Zag" [ [http://www.crashonline.org.uk/15/crashback.htm CRASH 15 - CRASH Back ] ] (1984), Ed Hickman, supported the Currah MicroSpeech
*"Popeye" (1985), Don PriestleyExternal links
* [http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekpub.cgi?regexp=^DK%27Tronics+Ltd$ dk'tronics] (miscapitalised "DK'Tronics") at
World of Spectrum
* [http://www.sincuser.f9.co.uk/036/news.htm "Currah vow of silence"] news article from Sinclair User issue 36, March 1985, regarding dk'tronics' acquisition of Currah and subsequent trouble with Welwyn; retrieved from Sinclair User Magazine OnlineReferences
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