Category Archives: Test Equipment Repair

Custom-Cal repairs test instruments, too

Our customers rely on us to keep their instruments calibrated properly. We’re proud of our calibration work, but that’s not all we do. We also do repairs. We fix test equipment from just about any test equipment manufacturer, including:

  • HP/Agilent,
  • Anritsu,
  • Ando,
  • Advantest,
  • Fluke,
  • Datron/Wavetek
  • Yokogawa,
  • JDSU, and
  • many other companies

In addition to repairing instruments from many different manufacturers, we can often repair instruments that are no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Does your cal company actually do repairs?

Many companies rely on their calibration company to perform instrument repairs. The problem with this is that most calibration companies don?t really do their own repairs. There are several reasons for this:

  • They are not set up to do repair work.
  • They don?t have the expertise, the maintenance documents (manuals), or parts needed to perform repairs.
  • They have set up their labs to perform high-volume, low-cost calibrations, not time-consuming repairs.
  • They are not willing to take the risk of performing repairs. Failing to perform a repair properly, or to repair an instrument in a timely manner, could cause a customer to become dissatisfied and adversely affect their calibration business.

Specify Custom-Cal repair services

If your calibration provider does not do their own repairs, we suggest that you specify Custom-Cal as your preferred source for instrument repairs. If you do not specify where an instrument is to be repaired, you are basically authorizing the cal lab to get the repair done wherever they please.

In most cases, the calibration vendor will send instruments to be repaired to the manufacturer. Very rarely do companies question sending an instrument to the manufacturer for repairs. As long as the manufacturer supports the instrument, they will no doubt be able to make the repair, but there are several reasons why this may not be the most beneficial strategy for you:

  • Manufacturers often charge more for repairs than test-equipment companies such as Custom-Cal. Cal labs don’t care about the higher cost because they just pass it on to you, the customer. Not only that, they make more money on high-cost repairs because their markup is usually a percentage of the total repair cost.
  • Your shipping costs may be higher because you will pay shipping to your cal lab, from the cal lab to the manufacturer and back, and then finally back to you.
  • Repair costs are often higher because the broken item is part of a kit, and rather than just replacing the broken item, the manufacturer will make you pay for the entire kit, even though you don’t need most of the items in that kit.
  • When asked to repair an item, a manufacturer will simply perform the repair no matter what the cost. At Custom-Cal, we will compare the cost of doing a repair vs. the cost of a replacement unit before performing a repair. If we determine that it will be cheaper for you to replace a unit instead of repairing it, we will give you that option.

Custom-Cal has been repairing test equipment for many years, saving our customers a lot of money in the process. Let us do that for you. For more information on our repair services, e-mail sales@custom-cal.com or phone of our locations:

  • Hamilton, NJ: 609-530-9000 8am to 8pm Eastern time, 908-328-3663 8am – 11pm Easter time (weekends)
  • Sanford, FL: 407-322-5663 7am to 4pm Eastern time
  • Medford, OR: 541-245-3992 8am – 5pm Pacific time

Custom-Cal calibrates and repairs torque wrenches

Custom-Cal can calibrate and repair all kinds of torque tools, including torque wrenches, torque screwdrivers, closure torque testers,  torque dials, and torque gauges.

Custom-Cal can calibrate and repair all kinds of torque tools, including torque wrenches, torque screwdrivers, closure torque testers, torque dials, and torque gauges.

A torque wrench is used where the tightness of screws and bolts is crucial. A torque wrench allows an operator to measure the torque applied to a fastener so that he or she can appropriately tighten the fastener. Applying the correct torque to the fasteners in an assembly assures that all of the parts have the proper tension and load.

There are several different types of torque wrenches, including click wrenches, beam wrenches, and electronic wrenches.

Calibration
Regularly-scheduled verification and calibration ensure that your torque wrenches will meet their accuracy and reliability specifications. Most manufacturers call for calibration every 5,000 to 7,000 cycles of normal use. Misuse can also affect torque wrench accuracy. If a torque wrench is jerked or forced when applying torque, torque application will be highly inaccurate and inconsistent.

Custom-Cal services torque wrenches
Custom-Cal calibrates torque wrenches in-house and on-site.? We can accommodate, torque screwdrivers, closure torque testers,? torque dials, and torque gauges as well other torque indicating devices.? We can calibrate any torque tool or instrument with a minimum torque as low as 5 ozf. in.. and as high as 250 lbf. ft. We can even handle larger wrenches up to 1000 lbf. ft.. upon request. We specialize in quick turnaround times and we can expedite delivery upon request.?

We can verify and calibrate any torque tool from these manufacturers and more:

  • AKO
  • Aimco
  • Ametek
  • Armstrong
  • AWS
  • Blackhawk
  • CDI
  • Chatillon
  • CIP
  • Computorq
  • Craftsman
  • Dillon
  • Imada
  • KD Tools
  • Larson
  • Mark-10
  • Mecmesin
  • Mountz
  • Norbar
  • NuLine
  • Proto
  • S-K
  • Snap-On
  • Sturtevant Richmont
  • Tohnichi

To verify and calibrate your torque tools, we use the some of the most accurate torque analyzers and calibrators available, including:

  • Mountz TL-10i Torque Analyzer. This instrument can measure torque from 1 – 10 lbf. in. with an accuracy of up to ?0.5%. With adapters, we can use this instrument up 100 lbf. in., and can also calibrate electric torque drivers.
  • Mountz Torque System S320. This instrument has a range of 1 ozf. in. to 320 ozf. in and an accuracy of ?0.5%.
  • Teledyne Test Services LC-20 Torque Wrench Calibrator. The LC-20 Torque Wrench Calibrator is a highly accurate, microprocessor-based instrument that is traceable to NIST. The accuracy of this instrument is ?0.25% full scale.

Please contact us for all your torque tool calibration needs.?Phone 888-530-9009 or e-mail?sales@custom-cal.com.

Agilent 86100 oscilloscopes are still very popular instruments for characterizing digital signals from 50 MHz to 80 GHz.

Agilent 86100A gets an OEM software upgrade

Agilent 86100 oscilloscopes are still very popular instruments for characterizing digital signals from 50 MHz to 80 GHz.

Agilent 86100 oscilloscopes are still very popular instruments for characterizing digital signals from 50 MHz to 80 GHz.

Here at CCWest, (Custom Calibration Solutions West Coast laboratory), located in beautiful Southern Oregon, we have been repairing Agilent 86100A/B/C oscilloscopes. The most common problems that we see are inoperative displays and operating system problems.?We have developed standard repair prices for these and other common malfunctions.

Our extensive experience with these scopes allows us to offer quick turnaround times and very competitive pricing, and we back our work with a warranty. The result is a lot of very satisfied customers. If you have service questions about the Agilent 86100 series of oscilloscopes, please phone us at?541-245-3992 or contact us by e-mail.

Custom-Cal offering a great deal on Yamasaki TPU Optical Power Meters!!

TPU

Purchase four of these new intelligent optical power meters from Custom-Cal, and we will give you one free!

The new, affordable Yamasaki TPU Series Intelligent Power Meters are going like hotcakes! It’s not hard to see why.

The TPU’s InGaAs detector?is pre-calibrated for 850 nm and 1300 nm multimode signals and 1310 nm, 1490 nm, 1550 nm,?and 1625 nm singlemode wavelengths. In addition, the TPU supports Wave ID,?which allows the power meter to automatically detect the incoming wavelength transmitted by the TLU series Laser Source and adjust itself accordingly.

The TPU can also identify?270 Hz, 330 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz tones to assist technicians in fault finding and fiber location. The internal memory holds up to 1000 results, which users can download via?the USB port to a PC with the included reporting software.

The Yamasaki Optical Technologies TPU Series Intelligent Power Meters?really are a great deal, and if you buy four of them, we’ll give you one free. Call or email me,?Jon Winchester, for more info. jwinchester@custom-cal.com or 541.245.3992.

 

 

How can we better serve you??

In an effort to better serve you, our customers, we are taking a short survey.

When you buy test equipment products and services, what are your main concerns??Please consider the following and?leave a reply?below. Thanks!

  • On-time delivery?
  • Quality?
  • Price?
  • Regional location?
  • Person-person contact?
  • Technical ?go-to? guys?
  • discounts?

CCWest Laboratory

If taking surveys isn’t your style, call me or email me,?Jon Winchester, directly. My phone number is?541.245.3992, and my email address is jwinchester@custom-cal.com.