Re: [Amateur-repairs] Calibrating test equipment?

At the semiconductor manufacturer where I work my Engineering Support team is in charge of all 3 design/applications labs and the Test Floor.  We're preparing for our annual calibration of equipment, which consists of a vendor checking each piece of equipment to see if it is with in spec.  I was talking to a couple of other engineering technicians, one of whom is my manager and is in charge of the calibration, about checking with the vendor to see if we could arrange for a time where we could get some personal equipment calibrated at an affordable price.  The thought is that our company has a national contract with them to calibrate the equipment in all of our facilities in the US and that might make them willing to pass the cost saving on to some individuals.  We'll see what comes of that.  There are a few pieces on my home work bench that I would like to get checked, just for personal comfort.

 

In my experience, almost every piece of equipment passes calibration every year.  We have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,500 pieces of test equipment to be calibrated yearly.  Usually we only see around a dozen pieces that fail calibration and need adjustment or repair.  That's less than 0.1% of our equipment that fails to pass calibration.  I have very little worry that the equipment on my bench at home is out of calibration enough for me to worry about for my personal use, but knowing that they passed calibration would make me a little more comfortable when I use them.

 

73 de AC7EW

Kelly

 

 

From: Amateur-repairs@groups.io <Amateur-repairs@groups.io> On Behalf Of Tom ai4th via groups.io
Sent: Saturday, 26 July, 2025 7:15
To: Amateur-repairs@groups.io
Subject: [Amateur-repairs] Calibrating test equipment?

 

How do folks assure the accuracy of their test equipment? DVM, VTVM, oscilloscope could all use a good voltage standard. Signal generator and oscilloscope need frequency standards.  More obscure stuff like IC testers, LC meters, etc also need verification or calibration.   In my case I have stuff spanning 50 yrs and manufacturers from around the world. How do you decide what you can trust and what needs repair/replacement?