There is no set price for buying a HERO robot.  Some things to consider before you make your purchase are:

• Are the batteries good?  Included?
• Is the charger included?
• Teach Pendant included?
• Is the robot functional?
• What options are installed?  ROMs?  Memory?  Arm?  Speech?  Remote?
• Which manuals are included?

Ebay can be a great source to find Robots and parts.  Know what you want to spend first.  Some things are reasonable and others are downright outrageous. Here are some searches to get you going. Ebay Hero Searches

If you need replacement parts you can expect to pay somewhere in these price ranges.  This list was compiled over the last year from Ebay and various other sources.  This is a rough estimate as there are not set prices for anything.

40 –100      CPU board

40 –80        batteries

180             Set of manuals - Mobile Ed

Once you have purchased a HERO 1 robot, make sure it gets to you in the condition it's in when you bought it.  

Note: You might want to pass on this information to the seller.  

HERO 1 Robot Shipping Instructions:

• Remove the four body panels AND head cover.  Put the four screws holding the head cover on in a plastic bag and tape them to the top of the aluminum head plate next to the battery.
• Unscrew the pegs from your plastic panels and put in a plastic baggie along with any other loose hardware.
• Remove the arm (absolute must!).
• Disconnect the batteries. If there is no battery cover, remove the batteries from the robot.
• Wrap the robot in a plastic bag.  A large, heavy-duty trash bag works great.
• Use a box that has at least 6 inches on all sides, top, and bottom of the robot. 
• Use at least two boxes. One for the robot and one for the accessories (arm, charger, panels, manuals etc.).
• U-Haul sells the perfect size boxes.
• Use LOTS of bubble wrap around panels, head cover, arm, charger and teaching pendant if it's included.
• The best method for ensuring the safety of the robot is to place the robot in a bag; place six inches of foam packing peanuts inside the bottom of the box; then set the robot on top of the initial packing material and then fill the box with more of the foam packing peanuts.  Do NOT use packing material sparingly.  You simply cannot use too much.

Parts are hard to find. Pay the extra to have it packaged and shipped properly. Nothing is worse then receiving a broken dream.  Body panels are IMPOSSIBLE to find.  Make certain they are protected!

NOTE: make certain the fuse in the head is removed BEFORE you install the batteries.  Be VERY careful installing batteries as you can short out the terminals... VERY BAD.

Heathkit HERO 1 Robot Wireless Remote

Will it work when it arrives?

Probably not.  BUT... don't worry too much right away.  Here's a short list of things to check: (before you apply power you should follow these steps first (1st time)

• First, are there batteries in the robot?
• Check the sleep switch and make sure it's in the "Normal" position.
• Plug the charger into the robot.  When turned on, the charger's red light means power and the white light indicates how much current the batteries are drawing as they are charged. When the white light is dim it indicates the batteries are fully charged.
• Check all five fuses (two inside, two on the front power supply board, and one on top next to the head battery.
• The HERO 1 robot is full of Molex connectors that can come loose during shipping.  This is common no matter how much packing material is used.  Double check each and every connector AND circuit board to make sure they are seated properly.
• If the robot has the Speech Accessory Board installed, does it speak "READY" when you turn it on?  If so... it's a good sign but does not necessarily mean all the functions will work.  Try them all using the keypad or teaching pendant.  

Refer to the "Technical Manual" and the Programming section of this site for more information regarding troubleshooting and testing.