Cost & Turnaround Time to Repair Electronic Test Equipment
Running Tra-Cal laboratory, we understand the urgency of a repair and the need to stay within a budget. Repairs can be a great alternative to buying a newer model which is often prohibitively expensive. However, many people are dismayed with the exorbitant repair prices and long turnaround times at OEMs. Many factors will determine how much a repair will cost and the turnaround time:
Fixed Price vs. Variable? Fixed price repair quotes cover the worst-case scenario for the repair. It is often much less expensive if the repair lab does an evaluation first and determines what needs to be repaired and replaced.
Extent of the repair – some repairs are an easy fix and can be resolved with minimal time and effort. Other times, the unit requires significant time to troubleshoot and diagnose the root cause and may require several parts to be replaced.
Availability of parts – the availability of parts can vary significantly. For older units, it can be difficult and expensive to source the parts than need to be replaced, especially if the model is no longer supported by the OEM.
Warranty - Does the repair come with a warranty and for how long?
Here’s how repairs work at Tra-Cal lab:
Step 1 – Provide Evaluation Quote
We provide a quote for the cost to calibrate and evaluate the unit. For example, we recently repaired a Keysight N5172B EXG X-Series RF Vector Signal Generator. We first provided our cost to calibrate the unit to ISO 17025 standard with data and uncertainties ($950), plus our cost for evaluation of that unit ($285). If you decide you want to move forward with the final repair, the evaluation fee is waived.
Step 2 – Complete Evaluation
When doing an evaluation, we run through the entire calibration procedure to the extent possible to troubleshoot any issues. Sometimes it just requires a quick alignment and calibration, in which case we only charge for the calibration. Other times, we need to swap parts from units in our inventory or order replacement parts. In the example of the N5172B, we needed to order a new A6A5 display assembly from the OEM and a new power supply.
Step 3 – Provide repair quote
After we’ve determined the price of the replacement parts and the labor, we provide our customers with a final repair quote and ensure it’s within budget. By doing the evaluation first, we can pass on significant savings to our customers as opposed to providing a fixed price up front. If the price is not within your budget, we will return as is for the cost of the evaluation. If it makes more sense from a cost perspective to replace the unit with a refurbished model, we also provide that option for our customers. Our customer on the N5172B saved over $8k working with us instead of the OEM.
Step 4 – Complete Repair
Once the repair is approved, we order any necessary replacement parts, complete the repair, and calibrate the unit to the standard required. We also provide delivery services for our customers in the Mid-Atlantic region. All our repairs come with a warranty so you can rest assured that we stand by our work.
At Tra-Cal Laboratory, we calibrate and repair thousands of electronic test equipment annually from all the major OEMs. Here are just some of the items we repair and calibrate:
Signal Generators
Arbitrary Waveform Generators
Spectrum Analyzers
Vector Network Analyzers
Capacitors
Oscilloscopes
Power Supplies
Power Meters
Attenuators
Multimeters
Inductors
Resistors
Amplifiers
Picoammeters
Audio Analyzer Measuring
Scales
Laser Sources
Optical Sources
Temperature Probes
Ovens, Furnaces, Freezers