Instrument repair
RF, optical, and electronic test instruments. Flat-rate estimate before any work starts. Most repairs completed within 1 to 3 business days.
The instruments OEMs won't fix
There's a specific category of instrument that causes a lot of headaches: it's out of warranty, the OEM has discontinued support, and every third-party shop you call either doesn't know it or quotes you a price that doesn't make financial sense for what the unit is worth. That's where we spend a lot of our time.
We do a high volume of Ando and early Yokogawa optical spectrum analyzers, Fujikura PM fiber fusion splicers, and legacy Keysight/Agilent analyzers. These aren't instruments we've learned about from a manual. They're instruments we've repaired hundreds of times and keep calibrated reference units for.
Optical spectrum analyzer repair
OSAs are probably what we fix most. The Ando AQ6315 series, AQ6317B/C, AQ6319, and AQ6331 come in regularly, as do Yokogawa AQ6370B/C/D, AQ6380, and AQ6370E. We also work on the Keysight/Agilent 86140B, 86142B, 86145A/B, 86146A/B, Anritsu MS9740A, and Bristol instruments. Even the HP 70950B shows up now and then.
Most OSA failures fall into a few categories: wavelength drift (usually the grating motor or detector aging), sweep failures, HDD failure with firmware boot loops, dead or dim LCD displays, and weak detector sensitivity showing up as poor power accuracy. Broken input connector assemblies are common on instruments that have been in field use.
We rebuild sweep and grating motors, do SSD conversions on older spinning-drive units, clean and realign optical benches, repair detectors and power amplifiers, restore corrupted firmware, and replace LCD and backlight assemblies. Every unit gets full wavelength and power verification before it ships back.
On Ando instruments specifically: they're genuinely orphaned. We hold reference units and calibration data for the AQ6315/17/19/31 series because these show up often enough to justify it. If you've been quoted an OEM repair for one of these, that quote came from a third party working from whatever they could find. We're usually the only shop that's actually fixed the specific failure mode you have.
Fujikura PM fusion splicer repair
We specialize in Fujikura PM splicers. Specifically the FSM-20PM, FSM-40PM, FSM-45PM, FSM-100P, 100P+, and 100M. These run in production lines, telecom labs, and R&D environments where PM splice quality is critical and a bad alignment wastes expensive fiber.
PM rotational alignment drift is the most common complaint, followed by arc calibration errors, X/Y/Z motor faults, heater tray failures, and electrodes that have degraded past the point where recalibration helps. Touchscreen failures and dust contamination causing misalignment come up too, just less dramatically.
Repair work typically involves PM axis optical realignment, motor rebuild and recalibration, electrode replacement, heater unit repair, V-groove cleaning and micro-polishing, arc profile recalibration, and touchscreen or LCD repair as needed. Every splicer gets a full alignment and test splice certification before it leaves.
Spectrum analyzer, VNA, and signal generator repair
Spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VNAs, RF power meters, frequency counters. The instruments we see most often are in the Keysight/Agilent 856x series, E4438C, E4440A/E4443A, N9000/N9020A family, Rohde & Schwarz FSV and FSU, MS266x from Anritsu, and Tektronix. VNAs (8753D, E5080A, ZVL, ZNB series) come in for port failures and source chain issues.
Common failures: no RF output, amplitude errors from a failing input attenuator or preamp, broken SMA or Type-N connectors, PLL unlock and phase noise degradation, and power supply instability. YIG oscillator problems on older signal generators often get misdiagnosed as general phase noise until you scope the signal directly.
Depending on the unit: front-end RF path repair (attenuators, mixers, IF amplifiers), oscillator and synthesizer troubleshooting, connector replacement, PSU repair, LCD and touchscreen swap, firmware recovery. All RF repairs close with power and frequency accuracy checks against calibrated references.
OTDR, tunable laser, and optical power meter repair
OTDRs from EXFO, Viavi/JDSU, Anritsu, and Yokogawa (FTB-1, FTB-200, MTS-6000, MW9076). Most OTDR failures trace back to the laser or detector stage, or the front-end board. Typical symptoms: no trace or weak backscatter, distance errors, UI lockups, and non-booting units.
Tunable laser sources, including the Keysight 81680A, 81608A, and Santec TLS-55: usually wavelength instability, low output power, or excessive ASE noise. Repair typically involves the laser module, temperature controller, or output amplifier.
Optical power meters and lightwave multimeters (Keysight 8163B, 81634B, EXFO IQ-1600, Yokogawa AQ2170, Anritsu JW3208): usually incorrect readings, dead detector heads, range switching failures, or display problems.
What we work on
Optical
- Optical spectrum analyzers (OSA)
- Tunable lasers and light sources
- Optical power meters
- Lightwave multimeters
- OTDRs and fiber inspection tools
- Fusion splicers (SM and PM fiber)
RF and microwave
- Spectrum analyzers
- Signal generators
- Vector network analyzers (VNA)
- RF power sensors and meters
- Frequency counters
- Modulation analyzers
Models we service regularly
Not on this list? Send us the model number. This isn't exhaustive.
Common failures and repair coverage by category
A quick reference across instrument types. If your specific model or symptom isn't here, ask. This covers the most common scenarios, not all of them.
| Category | Brands we work on | Common failures | What we do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optical spectrum analyzers | Ando, Yokogawa, Keysight/Agilent, Anritsu, Bristol, EXFO, HP | Wavelength drift, grating motor stall, HDD/boot loop, dead LCD, weak detector, calibration errors | SSD conversion, motor rebuild, bench realignment, detector repair, firmware restore, LCD/backlight |
| Tunable lasers | Keysight, Santec, Yenista, Ando, Anritsu | Wavelength instability, low output, excess ASE noise, overheating, no output | Laser module repair, output amplifier, temperature control, optical alignment, fan/board |
| Optical power meters | Keysight, EXFO, Viavi/JDSU, Yokogawa, Anritsu | Wrong readings, zero offset, dead detector head, range not switching, display issues | Detector replacement, power amp repair, range switching, LCD, firmware recalibration |
| OTDRs and fiber inspection | EXFO, Viavi, Anritsu, Yokogawa | No trace, weak backscatter, distance error, dead laser/detector, frozen UI, boot failure | Laser/detector repair, PCB repair, touchscreen, connector rebuild, firmware reload |
| Fusion splicers (SM and PM) | Fujikura, Sumitomo, Fitel, INNO | PM axis drift, high splice loss, arc failure, Z/X/Y motor error, heater failure, bad electrodes | PM axis realignment, motor rebuild, arc circuit repair, electrode/heater replacement, full cleaning |
| Spectrum analyzers | Keysight/Agilent, Rohde & Schwarz, Tektronix, Anritsu | No RF input, wrong amplitude, failing attenuator, broken connector, PLL unlock, cracked LCD | Front-end RF repair, attenuator/preamp rebuild, oscillator repair, LCD, PSU, connector |
| Signal generators | Keysight/Agilent, Rohde & Schwarz, Anritsu, Tektronix | No RF output, level error, modulation failure, frequency drift, internal errors | RF output module repair, power amp, modulation board, OCXO/TCXO repair, firmware recovery |
| Vector network analyzers | Keysight, Rohde & Schwarz, Anritsu | Wrong S-parameters, port failure, port damage, display failure, boot loop | Port module repair, source/receiver chain rebuild, touchscreen, PSU repair, firmware |
| RF power meters and sensors | Keysight, Boonton, Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz | Incorrect readings, burned or open sensor, connectivity issues, no power-up | Sensor head repair, internal amp replacement, range switching, cable/connector repair |
How a repair works
- Send us the model and serial number
We confirm we can service it and give you a flat-rate estimate. Nothing ships until you've approved the quote.
- Ship the instrument to us
We'll send packing instructions if it's a fragile optical instrument. Double-boxing and foam-in-place is the standard for anything with a monochromator. You can use your carrier account or ours (FedEx, UPS, DHL). We ship domestically and internationally.
- Diagnostic and repair
ESD-controlled bench, calibrated reference standards, documented findings. We'll contact you if we find something outside the original scope before touching it.
- Post-repair performance verification
Every repaired instrument is tested against its specifications before it ships back. If calibration is needed or you want a fresh NIST-traceable cal certificate, we do that in the same turn.
- Ships back within the quoted timeframe
Most repairs are back in 1 to 3 business days. You get a realistic timeframe with the estimate, not a vague range we adjust later.
On pricing
We quote flat rates, not hourly. You know what you're paying before anything starts. For most instruments we've worked on before, the diagnostic and the repair are the same visit. We're not charging you to figure out what's wrong and then charging again to fix it.
On instruments we know well, you're usually paying 50–70% less than OEM service. For anything the OEM has discontinued — which is a lot of what comes through here — a new replacement is often 6 months out. We're generally the only repair that makes financial sense.
We accept credit/debit cards, ACH, wire transfer, and PayPal. Net-30 for approved accounts. No card surcharges on transactions under $5,000.