When to Repair Your Test Equipment with Apex Waves

When unexpected issues or failures occur in your test equipment, it can result in expensive downtimes and disrupted processes. When you have a vital component in need of repair, time is of the essence. In this post, we will take a look at some of the warning signs that your equipment is in need of repair and break down the convenient repair service options offered by Apex Waves.

In this post: Why Choose Professionals? | Apex Waves Repairs | Requesting a Repair

Why Choose Professionals for Repairs?

As fellow engineers, we are all too familiar with the problem-solving, “let me at it” attitude. While daily maintenance and inspections can be done in-house (such as these Obsolete Test Equipment Maintenance Tips), certain repairs require more expertise. These are best done by a professional technician who has access to the specialized tools and setups that diagnose and address even the most complex issues. If you’re stuck debating whether or not you should send your part off to Apex Waves, consider the benefits:

Repairs for Corrective Maintenance

Even with a regular schedule for preventative maintenance, unanticipated problems are still possible, resulting in the need for corrective maintenance. Corrective maintenance helps you to identify, isolate, and repair a worn-out or malfunctioning component before it becomes an even larger issue.

If you begin to notice inaccurate test results, power supply issues (such as surges or outages), hardware damaged by wear and tear, or a similar issue—it may be a reason to consider professional repair or replacement. Identifying, planning, and prioritizing repairs allows you to address problems before they lead to a production delay or emergency.

Repairs from Environmental Factors

Environmental factors are often outside of your control, but can still cause issues with the performance of your equipment. Dirt, debris, and dust can build up over time and interfere with the functionality. If internal parts are affected, it may be hard to find the exact cause of an error without the proper tools and mechanical knowledge. Apex Waves can help evaluate and diagnose the issue! 

Unseen environmental factors, such as temperature fluctuations, can also prevent devices from working properly or lead to further damage. Professional repair technicians have the experience to locate these and, if necessary, determine which parts would be suitable replacements if the damage is too extensive.

Official documentation and user manuals from NI often list out the environmental specifications for individual models. Try searching our Manual Archive, which includes archived documentation for legacy parts!

Apex Waves Repair Service Options

We service any and all NI hardware models regardless of their current status on the NI Product Lifecycle. Repair services with NI become increasingly limited as hardware ages out of certain lifecycle stages, but this is not an obstacle with Apex Waves—we offer our repair services in perpetuity!

Repair Evaluation: When You Need Help Diagnosing the Issue

The Repair Evaluation option is the first step to any successful repair. At this step, the part(s) are thoroughly bench tested by experienced technicians in order to diagnose and evaluate any faults or errors. There are no surprise costs—all of the diagnostic services are covered by a flat evaluation fee of $150.

After the assessment is finished, we provide you with a comprehensive estimate of the repair cost based on the test findings. Should you decide to move forward with one of our repair options, the initial $150 fee will be waived and refunded.

Full Repair: When You Need Professional Expertise

With a typical turnaround time of only 1-2 weeks, our Full Repair service option is backed by a One Year Warranty guarantee. Our technicians have years of experience diagnosing and fixing test equipment failures of all types. This hands-on knowledge is put to work for you, to get your system back up and running in no time. 

The total cost of a Full Repair depends on which parts are required to complete it. If you choose this repair option, we will send you an estimate that is tailored to your individual needs.

Our top priority with this repair option is to fix your existing equipment, but in some situations the damage may be too extensive to regain reliable performance. If this is the case, we will gladly replace your device with an equivalent option from our inventory with thousands of parts.

Rapid Repair: When Speed is the Main Factor

When time is of the essence, our Rapid Repair service operates as a quick equipment replacement option. We will automatically swap out your current equipment with a thoroughly tested equivalent part, ensuring the quickest possible turnaround time of a few days.

While this is our most expedient solution, rest assured that there is no downgrade in quality. Our inventory is stocked with thousands of fully tested parts from every NI Product Lifecycle stage. Our quality control processes ensure that each of these parts are ready to ship. For additional peace of mind, Rapid Repairs are also covered by the same comprehensive One Year Warranty guarantee.

As with the Full Repair option, pricing varies depending on the parts involved. We work with you to come up with a cost effective solution that best meets your needs.

Requesting a Repair from Apex Waves

Ready to get the repair process started? Send us the specifics of your issue using our RMA form. When you fill it out, get descriptive! Our technicians can duplicate, diagnose, and resolve the issue much more efficiently if they know the context in which you are using your test hardware.

Once we have all of your information, we will send you an RMA form to print out and place inside of the package you will send us along with the part. Don’t worry, we will keep you informed about the status of your repair or replacement. Once the issue has been diagnosed and a course of action has been decided, we will return your newly repaired hardware or a replacement to you as soon as possible!