About Batteries: Sonnenschein Dryfit Sportline Solar Block Short List

Most batteries are designed for EITHER Deep-Cycling work OR to crank or start motors! (Some others are just meant to sit there and look pretty - they are called 'Float' or 'Standby' batteries but we wont worry about them for now.)

The process of regularly discharging and then re-charging a battery to 100% full is called 'Deep-Cycling'.

Genuine 'Deep-Cycle' batteries are usually very different to ordinary automotive cranking or starting batteries.

Cranking batteries commonly have a lot of lead plates but the plates are thin and porous. The idea is to present a large surface area to the battery's acid-electrolyte so that the maximum amount of power can be obtained for a few moments when cranking a motor. Once a vehicle starts, the alternator takes over and the battery is not used again; or until the next time the motor is started.

If the motor is in good condition it may only take 2 or 3 seconds to start. On a trip of 1000 kms with 5 stops, the battery might only be used for no more than 10 seconds! Ordinary cranking batteries are lazy batteries and their thin, porous plates mean they wont last long when mistakenly used in deep-cycle applications.

On the other hand, 'Deep-Cycle' batteries are tougher and often have a tough life. They are designed as work-horses and in the case of Sonnenschein Dryfit 'Deep-Cycle' batteries, are expected to last up to 100 times longer than common cranking batteries in the same job. Simply put, Dryfits can do this because they have fewer, less porous but much thicker, more resilient plates in a specially formulated and patented, thrixotropic gel electrolyte.

However, the really famous thing about some of the Sonnenschein battery range is that they not only excel at deep-cycling but they are ALSO EXCELLENT CRANKERS! The best known of these hybrid 'Deep-Cycle/Cranking batteries are probably the Sonnenschein Sportline range. One in particular, the 75Ah (Ah = Ampere-Hours) Sportline SL75 can not only crank at 600CCA! but also provide 400x 50% Depth of Discharge Cycles, all in a very compact case - see table below. This makes it child's play to choose just one battery for both cranking and deep-cycling.

Sonnenschein batteries are also completely sealed and waterproof to a depth of 30 metres.

Not a lot of people know.... Our very toughest and most demanding market for Batteries and Chargers is actually for Power Wheelchairs! Working or student and other busy owners are often in their chairs for up to 12 to 15 hours a day - every day of their lives. They sometimes have as little as 8 or so hours to re-charge the batteries 100% before starting a new day. Very few other applications come anywhere near this level of usage. The average life of a set of wheelchair batteries is about 2 years. However, the new Dryfit A500-cyclic range are providing an average of 3 to 4 years!

What is Depth-of-Discharge or DoD ?

Depth-of-Discharge (DoD) means how many Amphours (Ah) or how much power you take from a battery before recharging it. It refers to the 'Deep' bit of 'Deep-Cycle and is usually quoted as a % like 10%, 25% or 50% etc. If you regularly take 50% from a deep-cycle battery between charging this would be unimaginatively called a 50% Depth-of-Discharge cycle or more simply 50% DoD. A DoD Cycle can be anything from 1% to 100% of capacity.

What is a DoD rating?

A 50% DoD 'Rating' refers to the number of times a Sonnenschein deep-cycle battery can be continually drained down to 50% before it is 'depleted' and needs replacing. Sonnenschein use the figure of 60% of the original, or new, battery capacity as a benchmark of being 'depleted' - even though the battery may still be perfectly usable. In other words, when the battery can only hold 60% of it's original stated capacity, after a full charge, it is considered to be elderly and in need of replacement.

An example of this might be a Sonnenschein Sportline SL80 battery which is nominally rated as an 80Ah deep-cycling (and 450CCA cranking) battery when new, but is considered to be at retirement age when it's capacity, after being fully charged, has fallen to 48Ah or 60%.

A Sportline SL80 battery is good for 400x 50% DoD cycles before it needs replacing. This means that if you used half of the capacity of a SL80 every single day and fully charged it each night it would effectively last 400 consecutive days. That's just over 1 year and 1 month. If you cycled or used it in this manner just once a week then it would theoretically last 400 weeks or over 7.5 years. If you only cycled it 25% it would theoretically last twice as long again. These figures assume a correct charger and correct charging practice!

What is Engineering Best Practice?

When calculating which size of deep-cycling batteries to use for an application or installation, professional engineers always work to the rule of 50% DoD to find the correct battery capacity. For example, if you have calculated that you require a battery or battery bank to supply 100Ah of power per use, session and/or between charging then you would specify a battery or bank with a 200Ah capacity. 100Ah being 50% of 200Ah. This is what is considered and often called, 'Engineering Best Practice".

It allows for the most economic use of batteries and a margin of error and tolerance and extra capacity for unforseen occurences.

While you can decide to try a 135Ah or even 100Ah battery for a 100Ah application, factors like temperature, rapid discharging and unexpected power drains can quickly cause problems. If your battery application is potentially life, limb or financially crucial then always ask yourself - before cutting corners - "How lucky do I need to be?". The wise person going to sea or into the desert or otherwise in harm's way wont spend a lot of time in the company of this type of question.

SONNENSCHEIN DRYFIT SHORT LIST Contact Sales@BeeTechnical.com or Australian Local Call 1300 888 320 for more information and the LONG LIST and Battery Accesories List. *Why Sonnenschein?* Most batteries are designed for EITHER Deep-Cycling work OR to crank or start motors! (Some others are just meant to sit there and look pretty - they are called 'Float' or 'Standby' batteries but we wont worry about them for now.) The process of regularly discharging and then re-charging a battery to 100% full is called 'Deep-Cycling'. Genuine 'Deep-Cycle' batteries are usually very different to ordinary automotive cranking or starting batteries. Cranking batteries commonly have a lot of lead plates but the plates are thin and porous. The idea is to present a large surface area to the battery's acid-electrolyte so that the maximum amount of power can be obtained for a few moments when cranking a motor. Once a vehicle starts, the alternator takes over and the battery is not used again; or until the next time the motor is started. If the motor is in good condition it may only take 2 or 3 seconds to start. On a trip of 1000 kms with 5 stops, the battery might only be used for no more than 10 seconds! Ordinary cranking batteries are lazy batteries and their thin, porous plates mean they wont last long when mistakenly used in deep-cycle applications. On the other hand, 'Deep-Cycle' batteries are tougher and often have a tough life. They are designed as work-horses and in the case of Sonnenschein Dryfit 'Deep-Cycle' batteries, are expected to last up to 100 times longer than common cranking batteries in the same job. Simply put, Dryfits can do this because they have fewer, less porous but much thicker, more resilient plates in a specially formulated and patented, thrixotropic gel electrolyte. However, the really famous thing about some of the Sonnenschein battery range is that they not only excel at deep-cycling but they are ALSO EXCELLENT CRANKERS! The best known of these hybrid 'Deep-Cycle/Cranking batteries are probably the Sonnenschein Sportline range. One in particular, the 75Ah (Ah = Ampere-Hours) Sportline SL75 can not only crank at 600CCA! but also provide 400x 50% Depth of Discharge Cycles, all in a very compact case - see table below. This makes it child's play to choose just one battery for both cranking and deep-cycling. Sonnenschein batteries are also completely sealed and waterproof to a depth of 30 metres. Not a lot of people know.... Our very toughest and most demanding market for Batteries and Chargers is actually for Power Wheelchairs! Working or student and other busy owners are often in their chairs for up to 12 to 15 hours a day - every day of their lives. They sometimes have as little as 8 or so hours to re-charge the batteries 100% before starting a new day. Very few other applications come anywhere near this level of usage. The average life of a set of wheelchair batteries is about 2 years. However, the new Dryfit A500-cyclic range are providing an average of 3 to 4 years! *What is Depth-of-Discharge or DoD ?* Depth-of-Discharge (DoD) means how many Amphours (Ah) or how much power you take from a battery before recharging it. It refers to the 'Deep' bit of 'Deep-Cycle and is usually quoted as a % like 10%, 25% or 50% etc. If you regularly take 50% from a deep-cycle battery between charging this would be unimaginatively called a 50% Depth-of-Discharge cycle or more simply 50% DoD. A DoD Cycle can be anything from 1% to 100% of capacity. *What is a DoD rating?* A 50% DoD 'Rating' refers to the number of times a Sonnenschein deep-cycle battery can be continually drained down to 50% before it is 'depleted' and needs replacing. Sonnenschein use the figure of 60% of the original, or new, battery capacity as a benchmark of being 'depleted' - even though the battery may still be perfectly usable. In other words, when the battery can only hold 60% of it's original stated capacity, after a full charge, it is considered to be elderly and in need of replacement. An example of this might be a Sonnenschein Sportline SL80 battery which is nominally rated as an 80Ah deep-cycling (and 450CCA cranking) battery when new, but is considered to be at retirement age when it's capacity, after being fully charged, has fallen to 48Ah or 60%. A Sportline SL80 battery is good for 400x 50% DoD cycles before it needs replacing. This means that if you used half of the capacity of a SL80 every single day and fully charged it each night it would effectively last 400 consecutive days. That's just over 1 year and 1 month. If you cycled or used it in this manner just once a week then it would theoretically last 400 weeks or over 7.5 years. If you only cycled it 25% it would theoretically last twice as long again. These figures assume a correct charger and correct charging practice! *What is Engineering Best Practice?* When calculating which size of deep-cycling batteries to use for an application or installation, professional engineers always work to the rule of 50% DoD to find the correct battery capacity. For example, if you have calculated that you require a battery or battery bank to supply 100Ah of power per use, session and/or between charging then you would specify a battery or bank with a 200Ah capacity. 100Ah being 50% of 200Ah. This is what is considered and often called, 'Engineering Best Practice". It allows for the most economic use of batteries and a margin of error and tolerance and extra capacity for unforseen occurences. While you can decide to try a 135Ah or even 100Ah battery for a 100Ah application, factors like temperature, rapid discharging and unexpected power drains can quickly cause problems. If your battery application is potentially life, limb or financially crucial then always ask yourself - before cutting corners - "How lucky do I need to be?". The wise person going to sea or into the desert or otherwise in harm's way wont spend a lot of time in the company of this type of question.
SHORT LIST Sonnenschein 'SPORTLINE' Heavy Duty Cranking & Cycling Sealed Gel 400x 50% or 800x 25% Depth of Discharge cycles - see note above
Product	Part No.	Volts	Ah/C20 & CCA	Connector	Kg	L x W x H
Sportline	DS (SL) 40	12	40 Ah - 300 CCA	G6 (6mm bolt)	12.3	210 x 175 x 175
Sportline	SL 57	12	57 Ah - 450 CCA	A (round post)	21.2	278 x 175 x 190
Sportline	SL 75	12	75 Ah - 600 CCA	A (round post)	26.8	353 x 175 x 190
Sportline	SL 80	12	80 Ah - 450 CCA	A (round post)	30.0	330 x 171 x 236
Sportline	SL 115	12	115 Ah - 715 CCA	A (round post)	40.7	513 x 189 x 223
Sportline	SL 135	12	135 Ah - 920 CCA	A (round post)	47.5	513 x 223 x 225
Sportline	SL 200	12	200 Ah - 1100 CCA	A (round post)	70.0	518 x 291 x 242
Sonnenschein DRYFIT A200 "Heavy Duty" Cycling Sealed Gel Batteries 400x 50% or 800x 25% Depth of Discharge cycles - see note above .NEWSFLASH ! ! .............NEWSFLASH ! ! .............NEWSFLASH!!. *The A200 DRYFIT Battery range was discontinued in 2002 and replaced in the Sonnenschein product range by the superior 'Dryfit A500' and 'Dryfit A500-Cyclic' series.* *The 'A500-Cyclic Series' has since been renamed and is now called the 'Motive Power Series'.*
Product	Part No.	Volts	Amphour C20	Connector	Kg	L x W x H
A200	07 190 525	12	9.5	S (4.8mm)	3.4	152 x 98 x 95
A200	08 190 610	12	24	G5 (5mm bolt)	8.6	176 x 167 x 126
A200	08 190 625	12	28	G6 (6mm bolt)	10.7	197 x 132 x 181
A200	08 190 643	12	36	G6 (6mm bolt)	12.3	210 x 175 x 175
A200	08 190 660	12	50	A (round post)	19	261 x 135 x 230
A200	08 190 682	12	55	A (round post)	17.8	293 x 175 x 175
A200	08 190 702	12	63	G6 (6mm bolt)	23.1	381 x 175 x 190
A200	08 190 722	12	80	A (round post)	30	330 x 171 x 241
A200	08 190 750	12	110	A (round post)	37	284 x 267 x 230
A200	08 190 900	12	200	A (round post)	70	518 x 291 x 242
SHORT LIST Sonnenschein DRYFIT A500 "SUPER Heavy Duty" Cycling Sealed Gel 600x 50% or 1200x 25% Depth of Discharge cycles - see note above
Product	Part No.	Volts	Amphour C20	Connector	Kg	L x W x H
A500	07 895 525	12	10	S (4.8mm)	4.1	152 x 98 x 99
A500	07 895 565	12	16	G5 (5mm bolt)	6.8	181 x 76 x 167
A500	08 895 615	12	25	G5 (5mm bolt)	9.6	176 x 167 x 126
A500	08 895 625	12	30	G6 (6mm bolt)	11.7	197 x 132 x 181
A500	08 895 632	12	40	G6 (6mm bolt)	14.8	210 x 175 x 175
A500	08 895 660	12	55	A (round post)	19	261 x 135 x 230
A500	08 895 664	12	60	A (round post)	21.8	306 175 x 190
A500	08 895 668	12	65	G6 (6mm bolt)	25	381 x 175 x 190
A500	08 895 722	12	85	A (round post)	33	330 x 171 x 236
A500	08 895 750	12	115	A (round post)	40.3	284 x 267 x 230
Sonnenschein DRYFIT A500-CYCLIC "ULTRA Heavy Duty" Sealed Gel Now renamed as the "MOTIVE POWER SERIES" 800x 50% or 1600x 25% Depth of Discharge cycles - see note above
Previously	New Part No.	Volts	Amphour C20	Connector	Kg	L x W x H
A500-Cyclic	GF1214YF	12	15	G5 (5mm bolt)	6.8	181 x 76 x 167
A500-Cyclic	GF1222YF	12	24	G5 (5mm bolt)	9.6	167 x 176 x 126
A500-Cyclic	GF1225YG	12	28	G6 (6mm bolt)	11.7	197 x 132 x 184
A500-Cyclic	GF1233YG2	12	38	G6 (6mm bolt)	14.8	210 x 175 x 175
A500-Cyclic	GF1244Y	12	52	A (round post)	19	261 x 135 x 230
A500-Cyclic	GF1251YG	12	56	A (round post)	21.8	278 x 175 x 190
A500-Cyclic	GF1272Y	12	80	A (round post)	33	330 x 171 x 236
A500-Cyclic	GF1294Y	12	110	A (round post)	40.3	284 x 267 x 230
Sonnenschein DRYFIT SOLAR BLOCK "EXTREME Heavy Duty" Sealed Gel 600x 100% or 2400x 25% @ C5 'Depth of Discharge' cycles - see note above
Product	Part No.	Volts	Amphour C100	Connector	Kg	L x W x H
Solar Block	01 198 060	12	60	A (round post)	20	278 x 175 x 190
Solar Block	01 198 075	12	75	A (round post)	30	330 x 171 x 235
Solar Block	01 198 100	12	100	A (round post)	39	513 x 189 x 233
Solar Block	01 198 130	12	130	A (round post)	48	513 x 223 x 233
Solar Block	01 198 185	12	185	A (round post)	64	518 x 291 x 242
Solar Block	01 198 200	6	200	A (round post)	31	244 x 190 x 275
Solar Block	01 198 330	6	330	A (round post)	48	312 x 182 x 359