Soneil International Chargers at Econogics
Last updated 2007.07.07
Link to the Soneil website | Econogics Prices and Soneil Product List | Our Recommendations
Customer First
We don't just mean our customers come first – everyone that retails says that. What we mean is that we were Soneil customers before we chose to become distributors for their line of compact, intelligent, affordable battery chargers.
We have used electric vehicles, on-road and off-road, for over a quarter-century, and we found one thing even more limiting than the limited energy storage of lead-acid batteries for most of our applications: the lack of an affordable charger sufficiently intelligent that we could plug in our vehicle, and then just walk away and not worry about the charger cooking the batteries, or under-charging them, or a range of other quirks we came to know and dislike over the years (additional watering, the hydrogen-sulphide smell, vehicles not ready for operation when needed, etc). We spent a lot of time looking for a smart, affordable charger.
We were fortunate to discover the Soneil line when we needed a charger to keep our tractor charged at a remote location, where we could only attend to it about once a week. With the factory charger, this essentially guaranteed an extra 3 hours for each trip as we did a top-up charge on arrival and waited for that to complete prior to operation. The Soneil 3610SRF changed that. Just plug in on departure, and the tractor was fully charged and ready to go on next arrival. We put that charger through a year of Canadian operation (including winter), and were so satisfied with it, we wanted to bring it to other EV'ers. So we became a distributor. What more can we say? We liked the product so much, we wanted to share it with others. This is the first (and so far only) product from another company that Econogics has elected to carry.
We could wax ecstatic about these smart battery chargers, and put lots of information about them on our site, but we think it's better that you see the story from the manufacturer. The specifications sell the chargers. We do not provide an automated means of selling the chargers from the website. That's intentional. We want to communicate with you prior to the transaction to ensure that you are getting the charger that is appropriate to your application, including the right connector(s), when we make a sale.
Our prices and service will make you smile.
Econogics Price and Soneil Product List (prices in Canadian dollars, approximately US$0.93)
Our Recommendations on Applications
Trickle Chargers / Battery Maintainers
Ever used a trickle charger to try to maintain a battery over a storage period of a few months, only to find it has reduced capacity when you go to use it again? So did we. Now we use a charger with smarts, instead of one that just cooks the battery slowly. For typical 12-volt batteries (boat, motorcycle, ATV, lawn or garden tractor, generator, automotive, RV, etc), we recommend the Soneil 1202S. At our price, it probably costs less than the battery you're trying to save, or one of those old-style battery slow-cookers. If you have a 6-volt battery to maintain seasonally, the Soneil 604CC is just the ticket.
Golf Caddy Carts
Some of the electric-assist carts to carry golf-bags use chargers that are not designed for optimal battery life. In general, these use 12-volt batteries. For these units, we recommend the Soneil 1205SR or 1206S chargers.
Trolling Motor Batteries
There are two significant aspects to keeping batteries for trolling motors charged: a fast charge when the battery is in regular service; and, a maintenance charge when it is not. Now, you can have one smart charger that will do both, automatically. For normal situations (overnight charging acceptable, one 12-volt lead-acid battery weighing less than 20 kg or 44 pounds), we recommend the Soneil 1205SR. (This charger not suitable for use in series or parallel charger arrangements. Batteries can be combined in series or parallel.) If you need faster recharges, we recommend the Soneil 1214S.
Modular EV Chargers
Many EV users want to charge each battery in their pack separately, so that batteries are maintained individually, not undercharged or overcharged because of the overall pack condition. The compact, lightweight and intelligent Soneil chargers are ideal for this application. Which specific charger you select will depend on the nominal voltage of your battery modules (e.g., 6 or 12 volts), and the rate at which you want to charge them, and possibly the capacity of your mains charging circuit. Contact us with your specifics, and we will figure out which Soneil charger is most appropriate for your vehicle. (We use the Soneil 1212SR in our latest on-road EV project, one on each of our twelve Orbital XCD34 batteries. They all run off a single 15-amp, 120-volt circuit.)
12 Soneil 1212SR chargers in our
electric car conversion (6 behind bumper, 6 on bulwark
wall)
Close-up of mounting of 2 chargers
and power bar that shares one circuit to all 12 chargers)
Front
bank of chargers viewed from above
Close-up
of one charger showing green (charged) LED)
Energy
meter showing AC voltage at 120 volts (top line), and current
draw for 12 chargers (batteries all charged) at 0 watts (second
line).
Electric-Assist Bikes
We love electric bikes; in fact we successfully campaigned to get them legalized in Ontario. (A 3-year pilot project was announced on October 4th, 2006, which covers most electric assist bikes, provided you are 16 years of age or older, and wear a bicycle helmet.) On most electric bikes, the objective is to have a small, light battery pack to drive the electric motors, but not exhaust the rider. So why use a bulky, heavy charger? The Soneil chargers are small enough and light enough to bring along on the commute, so you can recharge the pack at work as well as at home, and smart enough not to overcharge the batteries with the additional charging opportunities. Of course, you might find them so affordable, you'll have two. With one at work and one at home, no need to carry the charger with you. Which charger will be most appropriate will depend on your pack voltage (e.g., 12, 24, 36, 48 or 72 volts), desired recharge rate, and budget.
We have a Soneil 3602S for our home-built 36-volt electric bike. Affordable, and it can recharge the 7 amp-hour pack in about 7 hours, ideal for charging at both ends of a commute.
Unfortunately, with many electric bikes, the charger that is supplied with them is the cheapest thing that will push electrons. If you want to protect your battery investment, or if your OEM charger fails, consider getting a Soneil charger as a replacement.
Electric Tractors and Golf Carts
Most of these machines are 36-volt nominal. For these, we recommend the Soneil 3610SRF charger for reasonably fast charges (overnight), while eliminating the guesswork of setting timers, and reducing gassing and the need for watering. (You can keep your existing bulk charger for faster charging and the occasional equalization charge. We have used our Soneil 3610SRF in parallel with the OEM bulk charger for even faster charging of our electric tractor on occasion.) Another option is to use three 12-volt chargers or six 6-volt chargers for modular charging of the batteries. (The Soneil 604CC 6-volt charger is appropriate for charge-finishing and charge-maintenance, but not for bulk charging of large batteries.)
For units with a 48-volt system, we recommend the Soneil 4808SRF.
High Current / Fast Charging Applications
We are pleased to announce the recent addition of high current chargers to the Soneil product line for 12-volt (up to 50 amps constant current), 24-volt, 36-volt (up to 30 amps constant current) and 48-volt (up to 20 amp constant current) lead-acid battery systems. If your application demands high current, fast charging, these units deliver it, with an intelligent charging algorithm, in a small, lightweight package. (The constant current ratings apply to the initial bulk charge phase. Current during the charge maintenance phases is lower as appropriate to the stage.)
12 volts
1224SR - 12 amp constant current
1230SR - 15 amp
constant current Specifications
Charging Curve (others
similar)
1240SR - 20 amp constant current
1260SR - 30 amp
constant current
1280SR - 40 amp constant current
12100SR -
50 amp constant current
24 volts
2424SR - 12 amp constant current
2430SR - 15 amp
constant current
2440SR - 20 amp constant current
Specifications Charging
Curve (others similar)
2450SR - 25 amp constant
current
2460SR - 30 amp constant current
36 volts
3620SR - 10 amp constant current
3630SR - 15 amp
constant current
3640SR - 20 amp constant current
3650SR -
25 amp constant current Specifications
Charging Curve (others
similar)
3660SR - 30 amp constant current
48 volts
4820SR - 10 amp constant current Specifications
Charging Curve (others
similar)
4840SR - 20 amp constant current
Special Requests, Handling, Shipping
We provide in-line fuses as a standard feature on those chargers that do not come with user-accessible fuses in the charger, by default on the positive DC lead. We provide most conventional connectors as requested by our customers as a standard feature (e.g., ring terminals, quick disconnects – male or female). Unusual connectors, Gerbing connectors and Anderson connectors incur an extra charge. For XLR connectors (male on the charger), please specify your pin-out connection requirements. We normally ship regular post (seven days delivery), but will ship whatever way you want. We will try to accommodate any special shipping or handling requests. All shipping charges are extra. All applicable taxes are extra. Canadian residents pay GST. Ontario residents pay PST.
Contact us for more information about the chargers, pricing or your requirements.
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