HP3458a on Ebay....needs some work!

[IanJ]

Hi all,

Spotted on Ebay........check the photos, yep, needs a bit of work.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-3458A-Multimeter-/331810815107?hash=item4d41773c83:g:3MMAAOSwZtJW8rf2

Ian.

[Towger]

That look in worse nick than the flood damged Philippines ones. Not cheap either.

[mmagin]

Man, no way I would pay as much as that's been bid up to unless there were some pictures of the insides.

[saturnin]

The seller must be a joker if he described its condition as "Minor physical damage."  I am really surprised that VFD still works ...

[plesa]

For this price it is much more better
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Advantest-R6581T-8-5-Digits-Multimeter-/181938978075?
for $1600

[mmagin]

It's not the squashed binding posts that scare me, it's the off-center fan and the hole where there should be a power switch that make me wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[Brumby]

The off-centre fan is due to the mounting screws being absent (but why are they missing?)  Other missing and damaged bits would make me very wary.

This is something I wouldn't even look at - unless I could look at it.

[Dr. Frank]

Hi Ian,

that 3458A is junk, just like these instruments from the Philippines..
Front jacks are also completely damaged, power button missing, the whole case looks like being milled with cleaning powder´.. horrible.. and there seem to be rust stains on the bottom of the front.
http://www.palacecages.com/ebay/hpmultimeter2.jpg

That's probably salvaged from the scrapyard.
 
Serial Number ..05561 indicates early 1990-ties model, with probably flat SRAMs, sporadic rundown convergence error fault, old firmware, weak fluorescent display, and so on.

That's no fun, as the buyer has to invest even more to get it working properly .. plus calibration / adjustment.. you're still looking for < 10ppm uncertainty on DCV, aren't you?

Frank

[TiN]

I see nothing which could stop dedicated(crazy?) volt-nut with 200+ free hours and extra 1-2K$ to add the winning bid from getting the beast running again.

At least no rust on the steel frame, I spent good 10 hours to get mine cleaned. Transformer is working at least, and all the boards are present and sorta working, otherwise you would not get a single reading out of it. My crystal ball tells me this puppy will go for 2K$ or so. If I would not have my rusty gem, I could be the one to bid on this box (and likely spending less on repairs).

Or my case does not count? 

[plesa]

I see nothing which could stop dedicated(crazy?) volt-nut with 200+ free hours and extra 1-2K$ to add the winning bid from getting the beast running again.

At least no rust on the steel frame, I spent good 10 hours to get mine cleaned. Transformer is working at least, and all the boards are present and sorta working, otherwise you would not get a single reading out of it. My crystal ball tells me this puppy will go for 2K$ or so. If I would not have my rusty gem, I could be the one to bid on this box (and likely spending less on repairs).

Or my case does not count? 

Thats explaining volt nuts - I do not have better word for spending $2K on such an crap

[Macbeth]

Or my case does not count? 

TiN, your case has put the absolute kibosh on my stupid fantasies of picking up a "cheap" 3458A and attempting to repair it.

I mean, I actually prefer to buy broken stuff and fix it. Of course I expect it to be something worth salvaging and reasonably cheap. If I included a realistic hourly rate then it should just go in the landfill, but that is sacrilege and no fun either. Then all the utterly unobtanium parts? 

I will stick to 6.5 digit. But if I see a duff K2001 going cheap I will probably be persuaded.  (It's a slippery slope, I know!)

[TheSteve]

I think those of us who buy broken equipment try to hover around the 10 to 25% price mark compared to fully working gear. A broken 3458A far exceeds that(and has no cheap parts) so I won't be playing.

[mmagin]

I think those of us who buy broken equipment try to hover around the 10 to 25% price mark compared to fully working gear. A broken 3458A far exceeds that(and has no cheap parts) so I won't be playing.

Yeah, this one seems to have already entered the 36-40% of the working ones on ebay.  For all anyone knows, it's in such bad shape you'll have to buy another broken one like this for the unobtainium to fix it back up.  And then you're at like 75% of the price of a working one, plus a lot of effort.

[engiadina]

Just for interest I calculated the obvious replacement parts needed based on Keysight prices. Most expensive parts are the two terminal blocks for €236,- each    plus rear bezel (€110,-) and fuse holders (€53,33 each).

Altogether I had about €900,- for spare parts, which cover only outside visible components. If something is in doubt inside, that adds to the bill. That is at least three cal rams, long term check for A3 failure, check for ref. failure plus initial calibration.

I think the price is way too high.

BTW what did the owner do with the device? Fastening the binding posts with a pair of pliers? Pulling it along the road? How can such expensive devices be in such a state ?

[uncle_bob]

Just for interest I calculated the obvious replacement parts needed based on Keysight prices. Most expensive parts are the two terminal blocks for €236,- each    plus rear bezel (€110,-) and fuse holders (€53,33 each).

Altogether I had about €900,- for spare parts, which cover only outside visible components. If something is in doubt inside, that adds to the bill. That is at least three cal rams, long term check for A3 failure, check for ref. failure plus initial calibration.

I think the price is way too high.

BTW what did the owner do with the device? Fastening the binding posts with a pair of pliers? Pulling it along the road? How can such expensive devices be in such a state ?

Hi

If that's what is visible from the outside ... bet on the inside being even more expensive.

If you want to go cheap, drop back a generation or two. That gets you a fully functional gizmo with full cal. I would never trust the one in that listing, even after a rebuild. If it's been under water (a real possibility) you might need to replace 2/3's of what's inside.

Bob

[plesa]

Just for interest I calculated the obvious replacement parts needed based on Keysight prices. Most expensive parts are the two terminal blocks for €236,- each    plus rear bezel (€110,-) and fuse holders (€53,33 each).

Altogether I had about €900,- for spare parts, which cover only outside visible components. If something is in doubt inside, that adds to the bill. That is at least three cal rams, long term check for A3 failure, check for ref. failure plus initial calibration.

I think the price is way too high.

BTW what did the owner do with the device? Fastening the binding posts with a pair of pliers? Pulling it along the road? How can such expensive devices be in such a state ?

If the buyer will be lucky enough he can apply the exchange program ( unit must be complete ) for additional $3k he can have fully working unit with warranty.
Maybe he will be lucky enough to repair it in house (donor unit or at least another 3458A for parts swap). Repairing 3458A and rely on spare parts from official distributor is pure madness 

[iampoor]

Since the seller has listed it as "used" if anything is wrong with it the buyer can get a full refund...per Ebays policy.

[plesa]

Since the seller has listed it as "used" if anything is wrong with it the buyer can get a full refund...per Ebays policy.

I do not think so - Unit Powers up. No technical testing done. Minor physical damage. Sold as is.

[iampoor]

Since the seller has listed it as "used" if anything is wrong with it the buyer can get a full refund...per Ebays policy.

I do not think so - Unit Powers up. No technical testing done. Minor physical damage. Sold as is.

Ebay is known to be very aggressive in offering returns for unhappy buyers. They even officially suggest that sellers should "be forgiving" if an item is sold as-is with no returns.
http://www.ebay.com/gds/Sold-As-Is-A-Guide-to-Selling-Imperfect-Items-/10000000002127337/g.html

[michaeliv]

I do not think so - Unit Powers up. No technical testing done. Minor physical damage. Sold as is.

There is a contradiction in the listing. The contradiction is :
"Sold as is."
"Condition: Used" ( EBay Definition: An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. )

From what I've heard in these cases, eBay will decide according to the item condition ( "Used" ). So, yes, if the unit is not working the buyer has a high chance of getting their money back.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ebay/comments/3scq60/item_sold_as_usedno_returns_do_not_work_at_all/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ebay/comments/37wh0z/item_sold_as_used_listed_as_not_testedasis_but/


From 2nd link which may apply in this case too
Q: why downvoted though...
A: Because asking this is understood by most as "I want to take a gamble on this in case it works, but I also don't want to lose. So can I scam him like he's trying to scam others?"

[branadic]

So you got your 3485A working and calibrated, right?

Hope to get a Keysight 3485A this year for work too, but of course it will be new device, no second or third hand one, but with the option 002.