- information about buying used test equipment or second hand test
equipment and the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining refurbished
electronic test equipment / used test instruments for use in a laboratory of
production environment.
It can be a difficult decision to decide whether to buy
new electronic test equipment, used test equipment, or whether to proceed
with test equipment rental. The costs of much electronic test equipment is
high, and this means that it is necessary to ensure that the best value is
obtained for any financial outlay on test equipment.
Used test equipment, or second hand test equipment may
fall into many categories, and virtually any test equipment can be bought as
a second hand item. Spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, test
meters and DMMs, signal generators and virtually any piece of electronics
test equipment can be bought as used test equipment. Even complete automatic
test systems (ATE) can be bought as second user items, and this route offers
some considerable advantages. The purchase of used test instruments is
therefore an option that must be included in any acquisition of test
equipment.
Advantages of buying used test equipment
While buying new electronic test equipment is one option, and another is to
look at test equipment rental, and finally buying used test equipment is
another option that offers many advantages. While there are some
disadvantages to buying used test equipment, the advantages often outweigh
the disadvantages. Some of the advantages of buying second user test
equipment include:
- Cost benefits
- Swift delivery
- Availability of out of production test equipment
These are just three of the reasons why it can be
advantageous to buy used test equipment, second hand test equipment. There
may also be other advantages, dependent upon the particular application, and
they may be specific to a particular user.
Cost benefits of used test equipment
Test equipment rental can be one option when on a tight budget, but often
the period for which the electronic test equipment is required extends well
beyond the original estimates and this may not always be the best option. As
a result purchasing used test equipment, or as it is often called, second
user test equipment can prove to be an ideal option. The main benefit of
this is the considerable saving over new test equipment. Typically used test
equipment can provide cost savings of anywhere between 25 to 75% dependent
upon a variety of factors. This makes the purchase of used test instruments
a very attractive option under many circumstances.
Improved delivery
While it may be thought that purchasing new electronic test equipment would
offer the best solution in terms of delivery this may not be the case. Some
small items of electronic test equipment may be available ex-stock, but the
larger, more expensive items are almost always on a long delivery. Six to
eight weeks is not uncommon, and ten weeks is not unusual. When test
equipment is needed urgently, there are two other options that can be
considered, one is test equipment rental, and the other is to buy used test
equipment.
Availability of out of production test equipment
It often happens that electronic test equipment that is not available new is
called up in production test schedules. It may be that the electronic test
equipment was available in the development of a new product and is required
for its production testing, or it may be that increased quantities of test
equipment are needed as the production of a product is increased. Whatever
the reason, it can present a problem. Obviously buying the equipment new is
not an option. Hiring the test equipment may also not be possible because
the hire companies tend to focus more on new equipment. This means that
acquiring used test equipment, second user test equipment, may be the only
option.
Pitfalls of buying used test equipment
While there are many advantages to buying used test equipment there are some
disadvantages and points to note when buying any used test instruments.
- Ensure the test instrument is from a reputable dealer
- Ensure it has been fully refurbished
- Ensure it meets the required EMC and safety standards
- Ensure it comes with a guarantee
- Ensure it comes with support and can be calibrated in the future
- Ensure it can be operated from the required supply voltage
- If it is a software based product ensure that it has the relevant
software and the latest software and updates can be obtained
Ensure the test equipment is from a reputable dealer
There is naturally a risk in obtaining used test equipment. This can be
minimised considerably in buying it from a reputable dealer. Dealers who
have built a good name for themselves will want to ensure that any test
equipment they supply will work satisfactorily and that they have satisfied
customers who will return again.
Ensure the test equipment is fully refurbished
While there should be no problem with a reputable test equipment dealer it
is essential to make sure that fully refurbished test equipment is being
purchased. It is worth asking how much they do to ensure that they are
offering fully refurbished test equipment. Normally the refurbishment will
involve the test equipment being cleaned, checked and calibrated. Any
problems that are found should be rectified. Fortunately most test equipment
these days is built to very high standards and can be expected to provide
good service for many years. Thus refurbished test equipment should not be
much less reliable that if it were bought new.
Latest EMC and safety requirements
Safety and EMC standards are becoming more important. It is therefore
necessary to ensure that any electronic test equipment that is purchased
will meet the required EMC and safety requirements. For relatively new used
test equipment that is purchased from a reputable dealer, this should not be
a problem. However if it is being imported, it is from a foreign source, or
it is being bought from an unknown source, it is necessary to check that the
test equipment will meet the required standards.
Ensure it comes with a guarantee
In order to minimise any risk there may be in buying used test equipment,
second user test equipment, make sure there is a good guarantee from the
supplier. Any reputable dealer will ensure the test equipment comes with a
good guarantee, but in any case it is best to check what is normal for the
country in which the dealer is located - it can vary from one country to
another. By ensuring the equipment comes with a guarantee, should any
problems occur, then it will be possible to have them fixed.
Support and future calibration
This should not normally be a problem, but for older test equipment, or more
specialised equipment it is worth checking whether it will be possible to
maintain the equipment for as long as it is required. Most test equipment,
whether new or second user test equipment can be calibrated and maintained
by general test equipment calibration and maintenance houses. However it is
worth checking, particularly for the more specialised items.
Power supply requirements
Most equipment these days can operate on supplies anywhere between about 110
volts and 240 volts. However, particularly when buying equipment from
overseas it is worth checking that it can operate on the power supplies that
are available. Otherwise an expensive and inconvenient transformer may need
to be purchased. What would be worse, is the equipment arriving and being
set up only to find the required supply is not available. It may be that a
transformer tap needs to be altered, so check this before plugging in!
Software updates
Test equipment including logic analyzers has a heavy reliance on software.
Any software is likely to be updated, and it is therefore necessary to
ensure that there will be access to new updates and that these can be
downloaded and installed.
Summary
Used test equipment, second user test equipment is a very sensible option
for many electronic test equipment requirements. Buying used test
instruments provides many cost savings along with the possibility of faster
delivery than buying new, or obtaining specific items of test equipment that
may not otherwise be available. Care is obviously needed when buying, and
most of the precautions can made by purchasing from a reputable dealer. With
their guarantees this can be an ideal way of purchasing test equipment.
