HMI Repair Services

[agarb]

The web abounds with companies claiming they can repair HMIs and other industrial electronics.

I am looking for recommendations for companies with which you have had good success utilizing their repair services.

I have a 15" PanelView Plus where the touchscreen input has failed; no response when touching it with my fingers. If I hook a USB mouse up to the rear of the unit, I can operate the system normally.

My Rockwell distributor quoted $5500 to repair it. That is more than I paid for the thing two years ago. So I am looking for other alternatives.

 

[I_Automation]

I have had excellent results with Global Electronic Services out of Georgia.


They do rush work if you need it and have successfully got everything I have sent them fixed, even a couple of things customers have had returned by a local repair shop as unrepairable.


Plus, they say they have a contract with Rockwell and do their repairs (Might be salesman talk, but they have fixed PanelView's and SLC & CLX CPU's)

 

[agarb]

Thanks for the response. I have heard good things about GES. Also recommended by my local panel shop who has used them.

But when I verbally requested a price range based on symptoms, I was told 50-60% of a new unit. Which seems a bit weird.

I would think the cost would be based on actual time and material, not what a new unit may cost. When I questioned this, she said to let them know if I had special A/B pricing and they may be able to work with me. Evidently their pricing philosophy is more "what the market will bear" rather than actual cost.

 

[I_Automation]

Yeah, pricing.


I never accept their first estimate for repair and they usually ask me what I want to pay (I say $100) and we agree on something in between.


I was told by them basically the same thing I was told at a marina when I took a boat motor in for repair and their estimate didn't include anything electrical for a no-spark problem - That motor new is $12,000 and it IS going to cost $1,200 to get it repaired



But they are better than the local repair shop that charged $125 to fix a Sola Silver Line power supply that new from Grainger's was $35 at the time. (mid 1990's) I told them I didn't believe any way that they didn't buy a new one and swap covers, that would have cost less than doing what they said they did to it.

 

[parky]

Yes there are a number of things that effect the price of repairs.
1. Low cost items like PSU's, very often the engineering time to open it, diagnose the problem, repair etc. the cost is greater than a new unit, unfortunately something that costs a couple of hundred is not really worth their time & probably the time, components & overheads would exceed the cost of a new one.
2. Obsolete equipment is a licence to make money, if there is no alternative at a cost that would be acceptable it is their licence to screw you.
3. If the repair company is associated with the OEM then it is often a case of the association have a policy of getting you to buy new or upgrade.
I used to use a company that over a couple of years gave good service at a reasonable cost, however, they were merged or taken over by the original manufacturer, I sent a unit away for an estimate of repair, the cost was more than a new unit with our discount from the supplier, although because it was obsolete the price was nearlydouble that of the price before they were made obsolete.
I actually repaired the unit myself the problen was just the HMI power transistor & a resistor, probable cost of components about £3.00 plus my time of about an hour.
Another one was a Siemens HMI, again obsolete but was still stocked, the cost of a replacement was nearly 70% greater than the original cost when still current (only a matter of 2 years since it was installed), the cost to repair was again quoted as over 50% more than the original cost, we had no choice as we did not have a spare, we bit the bullet & purchased a replacement, the problem was the touch screen had been damaged, I stripped the unit down, removed the touch screen unit & found the manufacturers part number, contacted them they told me they do not have any as it was obsolete due to ROHS compliance and do not sell directly, but gave me a couple of companies that may have some old stock, one had two at a cost of £50.00 each I ordered both & hey presto we had a refurbished spare & a spare touch screen.

 

[mike3475]

check this out.

https://rockwellautomation.custhelp...bezel-eeprom-corruption-causes-no-touchscreen

 

[Seanwang]

Or you can try to buy accessories of the corresponding model and replace them yourself. If you need it, you can send me the specific model and I'll help you find out if there are corresponding touch screen accessories.

 

[I_Automation]

Not worth wasting time for of you have a Proface. Never seen 2 the same inside, even the fluorescent bulbs are very different in every production run of what should be the same model

 

[geniusintraining]

We do repairs, no charge for the evaluation and for a 15 inch PV+ I dont think we have ever had one over 1,500.00 and that was replacing the overlay, glass and half of the components inside do to rust and corrosion