Why Buy Used Test Equipment?
You can save money by buying used test equipment instead of brand new.
Here are some kinds of test equipment you might want to consider buying used:
Basic Equipment
The following items are used for basic measurement of voltages, currents, and components in the circuit under test.
- Voltmeter (Measures voltage)
- Ohmmeter (Measures resistance)
- Ammeter, e.g. Galvanometer or Milliameter (Measures current)
- Multimeter e.g., VOM (Volt-Ohm-Milliameter) or DMM (Digital Multimeter) (Measures all of the above)
The following are used for stimulus of the circuit under test:
- Power supplies
- Signal generator
- Digital pattern generator
- Pulse generator
The following analyze the response of the circuit under test:
- Oscilloscope (Displays voltage as it changes over time)
- Frequency counter (Measures frequency)
And connecting it all together:
Meters
- Solenoid voltmeter (Wiggy)
- Clamp meter (current transducer)
- Wheatstone bridge (Precisely measures resistance)
- Capacitance meter (Measures capacitance)
- LCR meter (Measures inductance, capacitance, resistance and combinations thereof)
- EMF Meter (Measures Electric and Magnetic Fields)
- Electrometer (Measures charge)
Probes
Analyzers
- Logic analyzer (Tests digital circuits)
- Spectrum analyzer (SA) (Measures spectral energy of signals)
- Protocol analyzer (Tests functionality, performance and conformance of protocols)
- Vector signal analyzer (VSA) (Like the SA but it can also perform many more useful digital demodulation functions)
- Time-domain reflectometer (Tests integrity of long cables)
- Semiconductor curve tracer
Signal-generating devices
- Signal generator
- Frequency synthesiser
- Function generator
- Digital pattern generator
- Pulse generator
- Signal injector
Miscellaneous devices
- Continuity tester
- Cable tester
- Hipot tester
- Network analyzer (used to characterize an electrical network of components)
- Test light
- Transistor tester
- Tube tester