Now that I have the B&K Precision / Sefram DAS240-BAT package in my hands, lets document the unboxing experience and go through the supplied parts.
Unboxing
The unit came inside an Avnet box that was a little bit crushed on a corner, along with a large label that says “Attention Randy Scasny”. I’m not Randy Scansy … but I think we all know who he is ;).
The unit itself is packaged in a white box with a colour label on the top with an image of the product. The label on the side of the box provides the model and unit-specific data – this particular unit is a DAS240-BAT with a serial number of 537L18292, Made in France.
Opening the box, we are greeted with the calibration report, some bubble wrap and some cardboard hiding the other contents. Removing some of this, we can see the recorder itself underneath protected in a plastic bag, the interface cable and the cardboard box with the power supply.
The box itself seems to be a little bit stressed from the weight of the recorder pushing against the box. Let’s go through the rest of the contents in detail.
Channel Module
The item packed within the cardboard is the channel module and its associated accessories. This is packed in cardboard with egg-crate foam, forming a secure compartment.
Included within this package was the 20-channel module, a set of 20 pluggable terminal blocks, a 25-pin D-shell connector and backshell, a brace for connecting extra 20-channel modules (with screws and washers) and a capacitive-compatible stylus for use with the screen.
The 20-channel module has the channels labelled in an anti-clockwise order starting from the bottom left, like the legs on an integrated circuit. Each channel has three connections – a positive, negative and shared bias (for resistance measurements). The underside has an identification label with the serial number for the unit (20CHANSI120521). There are six Phillips screws which hold the module together along with four brass threaded nuts embedded in the case to allow for the brace to be installed when adding extra units. There are also four clear rubber feet to prevent the unit from slipping.
One end of the unit has a 26-pin captive micro-ribbon style connector while the other does not.
The connectors used are three-position pluggable terminal blocks from Phoenix Contact and belong to the SM STB 2,5-5,08 series.
It is nice to see that they had included a Duratool (element14-brand) screwdriver for the terminal block with protective sheath. The included stylus is a simple light-weight rubber-dome tipped stylus – nothing too remarkable, but surprisingly, I found two in my box when only one was expected.
The supply of a DB-25 connector including back-shell assembly is an added convenience for use with the digital channels on the unit. The unit uses a fold-over snap-together plastic shell with screw-down cord restraint. This is something which other manufacturers may not bother including, so bonus points for B&K there, although I would have probably appreciated if they had terminated it to some wire ends or terminal blocks as I doubt many people would have time in the field to take out a soldering iron to assemble a custom wiring harness. An assembled harness is available as an option, for US$310 from Newark.
Main Unit
With the main unit removed from the bag, the screen is protected by plastic film.
Removing the film reveals the clean aesthetic of a 10” 1024x600 capacitive touch LCD screen that forms the front of the unit. This is surrounded by a black frame with the branding and rubber end-pieces that protect the unit from shock while in transit and when set down onto a work surface.
Connections are made along the top edge of the unit. From left to right is the power connection, charging LED, power button (and LED), two USB-A ports, Ethernet port, digital I/O port, earthing connector and analog channel module I/O port. It was nice to see that the ports arrived with protection covers, although the Ethernet one seems to have been crushed in transit.
The rear of the unit has a grey and white label which has the details on the ports. It also features a one-position fold-out kickstand which allows the unit to be propped up to a comfortable angle for use on a flat surface, with rubber feet acting as an end-stop when flipping the kick-stand back onto the unit. On the whole, the unit feels solid with an aluminium chassis that has no flex, although the seams of the chassis seem to have a slight gap with irregular and slightly sharp edges which do not provide the best quality feel.
The sides of the unit have holes for ventilation, with the product details on the left side of the unit. The eyelets for the shoulder strap are plastic, which is a surprise.
The bottom edge of the unit also has holes for ventilation.
The unit itself, without any attachments, weighs 1914g which is significantly more than the datasheet listed 1.5kg. I have contacted B&K Precision to find out why this is the case.
Power Supply
The power supply is a matte black rectangular unit with a single power indicator LED. The power cable has ferrite bead EMI suppression and terminates in a barrel plug connection. The unit is manufactured by Cincon Electronics Co. Ltd., model TRG70A150 with universal input and 15V 4.6A rated output. It appears to be dated Week 44 of 2018 with an efficiency rating of Level V.
This power supply uses a three pin IEC connection and unlike many switching power supplies, the negative outer-shell of the barrel plug shows continuity to the earth pin on the power supply. This ensures the unit is properly grounded when powered by the mains.
Accessories
The included accessories includes a CD-ROM disc containing notices and user manuals, a microfibre cloth for screen cleaning, an IEC lead with US plug, a shoulder strap, an analog channel module interface cable, the calibration report and a leaflet that warns that the manufacturer warranty depends on using the supplied “belt”. As I am in Australia with 230V/50Hz power, I’ve decided to use my own locally-sourced IEC lead to avoid any safety issues.
A close look at the calibration report reveals there is some localisation issues – “adjustement”, “preconised”, etc. It also has a validity date of one year, with the adjustment dated 3rd January 2019, which suggests that the unit may technically be out of calibration already at the point of review.
The channel module connection cable uses 26-pin captive micro-ribbon style connectors, but one of the connector shells seems to be slightly bulged. The connectors and cable appear to come from 3M, with the 28AWG cable rated for 80 degrees C and 150V.
The shoulder strap has a rubberised plastic shoulder pad, with decent-quality clips at each end so that the weight of the main unit should not cause any issues.
Conclusion
The unboxing experience for the B&K Precision / Sefram DAS240-BAT is a relatively straightforward and enjoyable one. Packed carefully inside a white cardboard box with a full-colour label on one side, the entire package is quite comprehensive including accessories to make it convenient for the new user. The unit did, however, seem to impact on the rear of the cardboard box, but still made it safely to me in Australia because the individual components are further protected by plastic bags, egg-crate foam, cardboard and bubble wrap compartments.
Included inside the box is the unit itself, a 20-channel module, set of 20 pluggable Phoenix Contact SM STB 2,5-5,08 terminal blocks, flat-headed screwdriver, channel expansion brace (with screws and washers), DB-25 connector (and backshell assembly), rubber-domed capacitive-touch stylus, port covers, shoulder strap, earthed power supply unit from Cincon, US-style IEC power lead, analog channel interface lead from 3M, CD-ROM manual, calibration report and information leaflet.
The unit itself feels solid and rigidly built with a metal chassis that doesn’t flex at all. It has a gorgeous 10” touch panel covering the front of the unit with a kick-stand at the rear that props the unit up to an angle that makes it convenient for use on a flat surface. Build quality is, however, somewhat rough with some of the edges between panels having slight gaps and rough edges that were verging on being sharp. Unusually, the unit weighed in at 1914g which is heavier than the datasheet stated 1.5kg, which is a significant discrepancy. The supplied calibration report also had some localisation issues and expired merely days after the unit was received. Hopefully retail units are better in this respect.
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This post is part of the B&K Precision/Sefram DAS240-BAT Multi-Channel Recorder RoadTest Review.
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