looking for advice on buying used F16v3

[utahhhdave]

wondering about an opportunity that fell in my lap and me still an inexperienced elf. should i buy an F16v3 used??? what should i watch for on this deal? is there a way to test it without hooking it all up?? is an F16v3 a fairly safe bet buying used??
deal is: used 1 season on retail display, appears in good condition, unknown seller until now.
any feedback is appreciated.

 

[TerryK]

Well, with used electronics, in my opinion there is a threshold where the asking price no longer justifies the risk of a non-functioning unit as compared to a new unit with a warranty. That price point will be a comfortable cost of your determination.

With that, I would want to see the unit or a good photo to look for any physical damage and a statement from the owner as to how it was working when last in use. With a complex electronics unit a complete test will be rather difficult although Falcon may have an automated test of a sort. If a hands on of the unit is possible, I would power the unit up and attempt to connect to it. If it communicates attach a string and run a few test patterns. If all so far works, most of the logic circuitry can be assumed functional.

Non-functional ports will typically be the output latch IC dead and those are socketed; easy to replace. Depending upon which voltage used, it wouldn't hunt to change over and again power up the device. About the only other items not covered are the DMX RJ-45 ports.

 

[Jay.S]

I think it comes down to who sells it to you, I bought a "gently used" F16V2 without hesitating because the good reputation of the seller (one of the other ACL users). To add to what @TerryK said, see if you can test it physically and if so, run a test pattern on either side (port 1 through 8 and port 9 through 16) of the board.

 

[utahhhdave]

thanks for the replies. echos of some things going thru my head. thanks for the conformations. i think i will hold off on this one as i'm looking at it long distance and can't get a good feeling about it. thanks again for the insights and advice