Re: (ET) Another Soneil charger experience

["Dave & Deb" <daveb drizzle com>]

so how much is the 36v model?
Dave

> Disclosure:  I am so enthused with my Soneil charger I am in the process
> of
> becoming a distributor for this line of chargers.
>
> I have the 36-volt, 4.5 amp Soneil charger on my ET 12S.  2 summers ago I
> thought
> my pack was done (it is at least 12 years old now).  However, I put the
> Soneil on
> primarily to have a plug in and forget charger while I was away from it
> for a week
> or more at a time, and to see if the claims for this charger were valid.
> I used
> both chargers for a period of time, until the capacitor failed on the ET
> charger.
>
> I have noted 3 significant changes in using the 2 chargers.
>
> 1) With the Soneil, I am not using nearly as much water.  The ET charger
> would have
> me watering the batteries every 2 months.  I have added water once in the
> year-plus
> since I have been using only the Soneil.
>
> 2) With the Soneil, the tractor is ready for use when I arrive.  With the
> ET
> charger, I would invariably have to recharge before use.
>
> 3) With the Soneil, the batteries have more effective capacity, as
> measured in
> round trips hauling construction material around the cottage property.
>
> While the desire for a charger with more initial oomph may be desirable
> for certain
> constructions, I certainly have not detected any issues with the Trojan
> 105s using
> only the Soneil.  These are reduced capacity batteries due to age, but
> given that
> many of us use second-hand or simply older batteries, that may relevant 
> to
> some.  I
> am prepared to discuss the potential for a higher-rated charger with
> Soneil if a
> number of you here think that would be of value.
>
> I believe the 4.5 amp Soneil will take longer to charge a 
> fully-discharged
> pack.
> This has not been a factor for me.  The pack has always been fully 
> charged
> overnight with the Soneil in my experience (based on dash gauge and
> voltmeter
> readings over 43 volts on full pack while Soneil is in a refresh cycle in
> the
> morning).
>
> The Soneil is a 3-stage charger, so it will pump out 4.5 amps 
> continuously
> in the
> bulk charge stage, where the ET charger starts high, but tapers down
> quickly.  It's
> been a while since I had an ammeter on the ET charger, but my 
> recollection
> is 18
> amps to start, which had dropped to 12 within an hour and down to 6 
> within
> 3 hours.
>  (Again, this pack probably does not have full capacity of a new pack -
> but it will
> blow snow for an hour without problems - with batteries cold.)
>
> With the ET, I have to guess how long to set the timer for a charge based
> on
> age/capacity of the batteries, and how discharged I think the pack is.
> With the
> Soneil, no guess-work.  Just plug it in and walk away.
>
> I am now planning to buy 12 of the 12-volt Soneil units as finish 
> chargers
> for my
> next on-road EV project instead of using regulators with a bulk charger
> for finish
> charging.  I will have the bulk charger as well for fast charging on the
> car.
>
> Disclosure (repeated):  I am so enthused with my Soneil charger I am in
> the process
> of becoming a distributor for this line of chargers.
>
> --
> Darryl McMahon      http://www.econogics.com/
> It's your planet.  If you won't look after it, who will?
>
>
>
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