Hexatec was formed in 1982 as a business partnership between Dr. Richard Haycock and myself whilst we were both working at Newcastle University. I was employed in the Computing Lab, specialising in microprocessors and microcomputers, offering help and advice to staff and postgraduates through the early, formative years of microcomputers. Dick was completing his PhD and was contracted to the Dept. of Agriculture.
My previous work in data acquisition and industrial technology designing both hardware and software for microprocessor products had only been of limited use in my advisory role at the university, with the now emerging microcomputers creating most demands for my time. A couple of enquiries were however different and were to combine to form the basis of what was to become Hexatec.
I was approached by Geoff Watson who had previously obtained his PhD at Newcastle University in the developing field of wind turbines and still had contact with his former department through the work he was doing at the Northumbrian Energy Workshop (N.E.W.). Geoff had seen the need for a reliable low power data logger to record wind speed and direction data in remote locations and thought I could offer advice and assistance in this area.
At about the same time, Dick was looking for advice with similar requirements to record weather data in relation to plant development and growth, again in remote locations. Rather than just produce a data logger which records time series values which then need further data processing to give meaningful results, the idea was to produce a system which could perform data reduction itself and give results on-site.
I could see how all these requirements could be satisfied with a low power microprocessor design – it just needed the necessary skills, hardware and software to achieve it! This led eventually to...
Dick’s contract finished mid 1982 and was considering what to do next. We had discussed the possibility of starting a company as I was now wanting to get back into design and also, with a young family, work more locally. Geoff asked me if I would join N.E.W. but I had my doubts – it was a workers co-operative and the workforce seemed to spend much of their time in meetings smoking heavily. So Dick and I decided on a partnership – initially with me still working fulltime at the University (although I had a condition in my employment to spend sometime on my own work) and Dick working from the front bedroom of his house in Prudhoe. The idea was I would transfer to fulltime when financial conditions allowed. A name was eventually agreed and Hexatec came into existence in September 1982.
| Aardvark Electronics was considered as a name to get us listed under ‘A’ in directories but was soon discounted when Dick remembered Aardvark meant ground pig in Dutch! I think Hexatec was derived from a colleagues company name of Microtec and Hexham. Microtec was probably itself a derivative of Microsoft! |
The software design continued and Dick had the task of turning the hardware design into something tangable. I had a contact with a small manufacturing company near Darlington from my previous employment and they were contracted to supply the initial circuit board with Dick integrating it into the rest of the components to make a finished product which we were able to supply to N.E.W.
The Micro Monitor
Using the same hardware design as the WindLogger with modified software we created a Hexatec specific product...
The same product was also marketed by Data Acquisition Ltd.
The images show what was the Daysh building where my office and workshop were situated on the very top floor and Claremont Tower which housed most of the Computing Laborartory including the University IBM mainframes in the basement. The buildings have recently been refurbished and are now together known as the Henry Daysh Building. Then follows two images from Dick's 'site' work.