DK'Tronics

{{Infobox company

| name = DK'Tronics Ltd

| logo = Dk'tronics.svg

| fate = Dissolved

| foundation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1981}}

| defunct = {{End date|df=yes|1993|05|24}}

| industry = {{Unbulleted list|video games|Computer hardware}}

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|David Heelas {{small|(managing director)}}|Neil Rawlinson {{small|(finance director)}}}}

}}

DK'Tronics Ltd (stylised as dk'tronics) was a British software and hardware company active during the 1980s. It primarily made peripherals for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC but also released video games for the ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, VIC-20, BBC Micro, Memotech MTX, MSX and Amstrad platforms.{{cite web |url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/09/dk.htm |title=DK'TRONICS REVISITED |last=Kean |first=Roger |date=October 1984 |website=Crash |accessdate=6 May 2017}}

History

The company's first product was a 16Kb expansion pack for the ZX80, released just prior to the launch of the ZX81. At this time the company consisted only of David Heelas, working part-time through his interest in electronics.{{cite web |url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr13/yr13_72.htm |title=MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS |last=Cox |first=Kevin |date=April 1985 |website=Your Spectrum |accessdate=6 May 2017}} 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 Heelas 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.

DK'Tronics published games between 1982 and 1985, and included works from programmers such as Don Priestley, who became a director of the company in 1983.{{cite magazine |title=Terry, Arfur and 'Im Upstairs|magazine=Crash|issue=34|publisher=Newsfield|date=November 1986|page=108|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1001&page=107|access-date=23 July 2021}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/10/news.htm |title=MINDER TRONICS |last=Kean |first=Roger |date=November 1984 |website=Crash |accessdate=6 May 2017}}

Games

Meteoroids (1982)
3D Tanx (1982)
Dictator (1983){{cite magazine |title=King Berk|magazine=Your Sinclair|issue=19|publisher=Dennis Publishing|date=July 1987|page=41|author=Phil South|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=240&page=41|access-date=13 July 2021}}
Spawn of Evil (1983){{cite magazine |title=Evil Tactics|magazine=Popular Computing Weekly|issue=20|publisher=Sunshine Publications|date=19 May 1983|page=50|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=2755&page=50|access-date=23 July 2021}}
Maziacs (1983)
Jumbly (1983)
Zig Zag (1984)
Minder (1985)
Popeye (1985)
Benny Hill's Madcap Chase (1985)

References

External links

[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekpub.cgi?regexp=^DK%27Tronics+Ltd$ DK'Tronics Ltd] at World of Spectrum

Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom