pongmuseum.com - and the ball was square... Heathkit

Heathkit - GD-1999
Sold by: Heathkit, USA
Produced by: Heathkit, USA, 1977
Chip: National Semiconductors MM-57100

Specifications

ON/OFF power switch
SELECT GAME button
SERVE button on controller
detachable controllers (sort of fader)
Built-in speaker
Black & White support
Ports: Video out, psu
NTSC TV support on Heathkit TVs
18 volt DC external pwer supply

Games

Tennis, Hockey/ Football
Squash, Solo

English

Heathkit's GD-1999 is a strange Pong system. Although Heathkit was famous for selling high quality products, the GD-1999 was not a real kit. As a matter of fact, this system was a clone of National Semiconductor's "Adversary" system (model 370, released after NS launched the MM-57100 game chip in 1976). The system is same as the Adversary with one exception: the label says "Heathkit GD-1999" instead of "Adversary", and the model passed from 370 to GD-1999.

Another reason for not being a real kit is the electronic circuit board. Rather than being hand soldered, it came fully assembled, adjusted and tested. Only a few solders were required to wire the controllers to the circuit. The rest was really simple: screwing the two parts of the case after putting the circuit inside. The user manual shows quite well the ease of assembling: only four double-sided A4 pages instead of the thick 100-page manual full of illustrations and details like of the GD-1380, which was a true kit.

Talking about the electronic circuit board provided by National Semiconductor, another obscure system (supposedly a kit) was made by GEMINI (model 7640) and used the same circuit. If the Gemini 7640 was released in late 1976, the GD-1999 was released in 1977 and sold at a very low price. Curiously, not many sold (maybe a few thousands or less: the pictured system is one of the first 800 produced).
Info from pong-story.com

The Heath Company was originally founded as an aircraft company in the early 1900s by Edward Bayard Heath. Starting in 1926 it sold a light aircraft, the Heath Parasol, in kit form. Heath died during a 1931 test flight. In 1935, Howard Anthony purchased the then-bankrupt Heath Company, and focused on selling accessories for small aircraft. After World War II, Anthony decided that entering the electronics industry was a good idea, and bought a large stock of surplus wartime electronic parts with the intention of building kits with them. In 1947, Heath introduced its first electronic kit, an oscilloscope that sold for US$50 - the price was unbeatable at the time, and the oscilloscope went on to be a huge seller.

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