impressed with thunder 1220 300W 12S charger

RC_guy

10 W
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
76
Location
Montreal
Hey guys,
Just to let you know I wanted a 12S charger for my lipo setup, came across this cheapo 90$ charger (it actually went on sale for 60$ after I bought mine)

The functionalities are somewhat basic but enough for charging lipos. The one thing I really like is you have easy access to HVC when you turn it on and you can set it to whatever value you want.
Thought it could be useful for some of you...

http://www.hobbypartz.com/75p-1220-charger.html
 
I bought one when they were on sale for $69 and it's a great bulk charger, but only so so when it comes to balancing.
If one is running 12S and are ok with 300 Watts, all one has to do is add a single cheap server supply and you're in business for less than $100. No need to isolate one server ground as is the case when running two PS's
yhst-62196343123315_2215_15739289.gif

The Thunder is a pleasure to use. The fan is quiet with a jet-engine ramping-up tone. The PS is actually much more whinny, but there is a simple mod for the HP Prolient to regulate fan speed. I wrapped my PS in some foam and duct tape so the "hot" chasiss isn't exposed.
The Thunder1220 is also easy and fast to use.
After scrolling to the batt. chem, scroll to the HVC, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, etc. Then scroll to the number of cells, hit the cell check and hit go.
This charger really makes the most of it's 300 Watts, ramping up quickly and running a minimum of power-down checks. It gives you a single beep @ 4.00V and a steady beep when it shuts down @ the HVC.
I like the form factor of the charger, it has a sturdy metal case with a very interesting olive drab, metal-flake paint job[two things one wouldn't normally expect to see together]. The display is bright[adjustable], large and easy to read.
The not-so-good, The cell level leads, adapter boards and ports are crap. The wires are stiff and short and the connections are finicky and stressful to use.
And the balancing is SLOW. NBD for me, as I usually use a pair of Battery Medics on a single 12S pack, often leaving the pack on the charger, running at a trickle[.03 A].
There is an individgal cell resistance reading feature that I haven't used much, but it seems moderately accurate.
Bottom line- it's not a Hyperion 1440i, but it's easier to use and I prefer this charger for day to day use. So if you are staying at 12S or less, this unit is certainly worth a look.
P.S. Thunder has recently released a souped-up model of the charger that does 16S, but it's rather pricey at the moment.
 
Dumb question...can you charge a 36V (12s) Ping with one of these if you take the BMS off, and just plug in the balance wires to the right spot on this charger? Along with the main power leads.
 
That's cool - the balancing might be slow, but i wonder about it's accuracy.
Could you do the forum a favor and balance a pack using it, then bust out a multimeter and figure out if it was accurate?

Ultimately, a balance is not something you should have to do all the time. Especially if you only charge up to 4.17v.
 
motomech said:
Bottom line- it's not a Hyperion 1440i, but it's easier to use and I prefer this charger for day to day use. So if you are staying at 12S or less, this unit is certainly worth a look.

I'm trying to pick a first charger. I've already ordered a rim and spokes and a Bafang SWXK which will end up on my wife's 700c commute bike with probably 12s2p. Second build will probably be a Soma Tradesman cargo bike with a MAC or BPM and more battery, although the GNG is a possibility. Third is a Bike Friday folder with maybe 12 or 14s1p and a SWXU. My plan to make up a db15 or db25 charge cable for each pack configuration so we can charge on the bike with just one cable to plug in with minimal other reconfiguration. Versatility is important, but so is simple operation.

I'm considering both the Hyperion 1420i and the Thunder 1220. Price is less important than reliability, safety, ease of use and functionality. Which charger do would work better for me? Is there some other charger I should look at? Thanks!
 
I have been using the Thunder 1220 for over a year with good results. I usually bulk charge my 12s 36v 20Ah Lifep04 battery at 3 amps. Voltage differential is usually less than 100mv mainly because I have one cell#4 that charges to a lower voltage than all the other cells.

Every 3rd or 4th charge I will balance charge at 1 amp after first bulk charging at my normal 3 amp rate. My cell voltage differential is then usually around 10mv. Actually, I might not even have to balance charge that often if not for the one "bad" cell. The balance charge after first bulk charging takes only a few minutes. The 1 amp charge rate also is more accurate that the 3 amp rate when I perform the follow-up balance charge.

A balance charge at 3 amps without first bulk charging takes much longer than a 3 amp bulk charge and does not balance as well as the two step charging process. However, my results might be skewed by my one bad cell. It appears to me that the bleeding process is what takes up most of the time. So bulk charging to your set cell voltage and then balance charging the small remaining voltage difference seems to work much faster and accurate.

I only have one concern. Lately after tilting up the display panel, my screen displays "garbage" and the charger wont work. I found that by leaving the panel down that the unit works again. I suspect a loose connector to the display panel, so now I just leave the panel in the down position. I will probably buy another T1220 when it next goes on sale. I almost had a heart attack when the charger appeared to die just before a recent long metric century ride on the Santa Ana Trail with my bike club.

Here's one other tip. Set the Input Power to its max value of 500 watts and leave it there. The T1220 will only use the necessary power from your power supply based on the charging rate. The T1220 will also limit the charging rate to the max PS output even if you set a higher rate. I happen to have both a 175w and 575w power supply, but rarely use the larger PS and the 175w PS is more than sufficient for my 3 amp charge rate and battery pack.

Here is a .pdf of the Thunder 1220 Manual:
 

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The balancing event interval, reflect the life end cliff it should.

The flexibility of these chargers makes them great for development work. Lovin the audible warnings to.
 
I doubt that it will ever go on sale again. It has been rumored on another forum that this was the last production run and Hobby Partz has a history selling them out.
Raygo-It is very easy to remove the housing and access the display ribbon cable. It is probably a loose connection.
 
motomech: Thanks for the tip on fixing the T1220. Hope it's that simple. Worth checking out.

At $95 for a new T1220, I think I will seriously consider the portable Cycle Satiator at $300.
 
I have a icharger 308B duo and I can charge at 40A. It also balances my batteries close to perfectly.

Pricey but well worth it, I have two thunder chargers with the display crapped out.

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Anyone only interested in 12s and average discharge rates could think about an ev charging setup when these are no longer available. That same $90 would buy a bms and 300w charger, which is a very tidy product with better battery monitoring. It then charges with the same complexity as a mobile phone so you can do it fresh in from the pub and nobody has ever had a fire from charging this way. I particularly like that it is cheaper, as that $90 charger won't plug in the wall. It needs another power supply, boosting cost and mess further.

Anyone wanting to see such a thing, could do worse than reading my yginrut thread.
 
Thunder 1220 instructions say:
Connectors for 12 ... 15V DC power supply or car battery.

Got this:
B&K Precision, Model 1692, 3-15VDC, 40A Switching Digital DC Power Supply
Variable output 3V to 15V at 40A
1692_front_lrg.jpg
What is your favorite number between 12V and 15V?

I am average guy. The average of numbers 12 + 15 = 13.5

Therefore I say 13.5V

Correct? My goal is no smoke.
 
Both of mine cycle and start booting up them goes blank it seems like it has trouble communicating through its own self. 13.5 sounds fine what size is your pack ?
 
The standard for nominal 12V power is 13.8V

But load devices are usually tolerant of a wide range, often 11-16V, so of course 13.5V is fine for those.

It's batteries that require more precision, and 13.8V happens to be good gentle lower Float level if standby battery is in the circuit.
 
999zip999 said:
Both of mine cycle and start booting up them goes blank it seems like it has trouble communicating through its own self. 13.5 sounds fine what size is your pack ?
Did ya try pressing DEC. and INC buttons, then turn on power supply?
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If all else fails? Maybe send broke RC chargers to amberwolf? Think he is our fit it guy? Wonder if there's a way to reset and forget about all past troubles?

If China don't get that coronavirus figured out. There will be a lot of broke stuff to fix. And no new stuff. Lets pray that people don't suffer and die.
 
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