Picked a used bus analyzer over a new one and it worked out fine

Tbh I was on the fence about buying a used ARINC 429 bus analyzer from a guy on eBay or just going for a fresh one from the usual supplier. I went with the used one because it was $400 cheaper and the seller had a 30 day return policy. It's an old Excalibur unit from like 2018 but after I cleaned the connectors and ran a self test it's been solid for the last two weeks. I was nervous at first because I've been burned on used gear before but this time it paid off. Has anyone else had good luck picking up older test equipment from online marketplaces?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.miles13d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a podcast recently where an avionics tech was talking about how older bus analyzers actually have better build quality sometimes (like the teardown videos showing metal cases instead of the plastic ones now). My buddy grabbed a used Honeywell databus tester off Craigslist for his workbench and it's been running for three years with zero issues after he just replaced a few capacitors. That Excalibur unit you got was peak reliability era before they started cheaping out on components around 2020. You probably got a better deal than the new ones that'll fail in two years anyway.

wren30113d agoMost Upvoted

You're missing the point though. Those metal cases mean nothing when the capacitors inside are failing left and right from age. My buddy bought a vintage Excalibur unit and it died within six months because finding replacement parts for that era is a nightmare. The new plastic ones might feel cheaper but they use surface mount components that don't dry out like old electrolytic caps. Plus modern bus analyzers have way better software support for newer protocols like ARINC 664. Your buddy's Honeywell might still be running but he's stuck testing old ARINC 429 stuff while everyone else moved on.