Vintage test equipment, back on the bench. $49 diagnosis, then a quote you approve.
Oscilloscopes, meters, bench power supplies, and signal generators, HP, Tektronix, and Fluke heritage names included. We restore function and prove it on known references. We are not a calibration lab, and we say so plainly.
How test equipment pricing works
$49 to find out exactly what your instrument needs. The fix is then one flat quote, approved before anything starts.
Diagnosis
$49The $49 diagnostic answers the real question: what is actually wrong, whether the parts are obtainable, and what the whole job costs. Free when you approve the repair, and free when the verdict is not worth fixing.
Oscilloscopes
Quoted after diagnosisPower supplies, vertical and trigger boards, high-voltage sections worked with proper bench procedure. Where the tube itself is dead and no replacement exists, the diagnosis says so plainly.
Bench power supplies
Quoted after diagnosisLinear supplies, pass transistors, regulation, and meters. Decades-old electrolytics are the usual first suspect, and rebuilt supplies are load-tested before anything else gets blamed.
Signal generators & analyzers
Quoted after diagnosisGenerators, counters, and audio analyzers brought back to working order and proven against known references on the bench.
Multimeters & bench meters
Quoted after diagnosisDrift, dead ranges, and tired references. Oxidized switches and aged parts are cleaned, measured, and proven, not condemned from across the room.
Switches, pots & connectors
Quoted after diagnosisThe actual killer of old instruments: oxidized rotary switches, dirty pots, cracked solder, and corroded connectors. Serviced properly, the failures they cause go away with them.
The three ways instruments come in
Bench gear fails in patterns. These are the three we see most.
Dead after decades in a basement
The power supply, almost every time. Aged electrolytics and tired regulators are the common killers, and a rebuilt, load-tested supply is the first stop before anything else gets blamed.
Readings drifted, or it won't zero
Oxidized switches, dirty pots, and aged references. Cleaned and measured, then checked against known references before the instrument leaves.
Intermittent, or works after warm-up
Cracked solder joints and thermal faults, found by probing the real circuit, not guessed at. The fault is proven before the fix is quoted.
Three ways in
However the instrument reaches the bench, the quote comes before the work.
Bring it in, or ship it
- 01Bring the instrument. 2224 Sunrise Dr, Longmont · Mon–Fri 9–6, Sat–Sun 10–3. Probes, manuals, and accessories are welcome but never required.
- 02Ship it. Anywhere in the U.S.: get an RMA number online, pack it well, and we diagnose within 24 hours of arrival and email a flat quote. Old instruments travel fine double-boxed; knobs and loose parts get bagged.
- 03Start online. The repair wizard gives a first-pass assessment any hour, and the AI receptionist answers the phone around the clock. A human follows up.
What we don't do
Scope stated plainly, so you know before you book.
The calibration honesty, up front
- We restore function. We are not a calibration lab. Instruments are repaired to working order and verified on the bench against known references. A traceable, certified calibration sticker for lab compliance is a specialist's job: if your unit needs one, we say so and point you at that specialist.
- Tube reality, stated plainly. CRT scope electronics are normal bench work. Where the tube itself is dead and no replacement tube exists for that model, the diagnosis says so and you owe nothing.
- Collector sensitivity. Original parts are preserved where the repair allows; restorations that change the instrument, like digital conversions and re-purposed units, live on the custom-work page. The sibling collector bench, vintage computers, is at vintage computer repair.
Test equipment questions
The things owners ask before the heirloom leaves their hands.
Straight answers
Diagnosis is $49 and free when you approve the repair. After that every fix is one flat quote that depends on the instrument and its parts. You approve before any work starts.
No, and we say so plainly. We repair the instrument to working order and verify it on the bench against known references. A traceable, certified calibration sticker for lab compliance is a specialist's job, and if your unit needs one we tell you so and point you at that specialist.
Usually in the power supply. Decades-old electrolytics and regulators are the most common killers of heritage gear, and supply rebuilds with load testing are the first stop on this bench.
Sometimes. Common parts are obtainable; proprietary hybrids and modules often are not. Where a part is no longer made anywhere, the diagnosis says what is obtainable and what is not before you commit to anything.
The electronics, yes: power supplies, vertical and trigger boards, and the high-voltage section, worked with proper bench procedure. Where the tube itself is dead and no replacement tube exists for that model, the diagnosis says so plainly.
Usually. Oxidized switches, dirty pots, and aged references are the usual drift sources on old instruments. They are cleaned, measured, and proven, and the instrument is checked against known references before it leaves.
Repair labor carries a 90-day warranty. Parts are covered by their manufacturer warranty where one exists, and the quote states which is which.
Tell us what the instrument is doing.
Call the shop any time: our AI receptionist answers around the clock and a human follows up. Or run the repair wizard for a first-pass assessment before you commit to anything.