1220 Thunder power review and open comment

[999zip999]

Just got my 1220. Next day service 104usd. It came without balance wires for the balance boards. I called and the first time someone pick up the phone in two days of calling and said will.be sent out. Cool. Didn't think about the 8s-12s balance board a 12s plug. Yea but what ez plug in meter ?
I would to know the highest safe amps I can get away with ? I have a hp 500w 12v power supply.
It was ez to set up and shows i.r for ea . Cell.

 

[wesnewell]

The highest amp rate you can use would depend on the cell count and ah of the pack you are going to charge. Maximum is 20A in any case, even if the pack will accept more. All you want to know can be found here or in the manual.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thunder+1220

 

[999zip999]

Thanks Wesnewell. So 7a for a A123 12s 20ah. What's the avantage of 15v over 12v supply ?

 

[wesnewell]

Close enough. Don't think there is an advantage of 12V vs 15V, as long as the psu is at least 350W.

 

[999zip999]

First charge and worked great on 2-12s A123 20ah It read I.R. and didn't like 1.7 - 3.0 readings ? Worries of pack I only use at 40 amp.

 

[RayGo]

Hello Zip. Always a fun challenge trying to figure out what you are posting.

Anyway, here's how the Thunder 1220 is working for me with my 12s 36v A123 20ah battery (no BMS). First set the Input Power to 500 watts since the 1220 uses the required wattage from the PSU up to the max of 500w. Next choose LiFe as the Lithium type and set the Volts/Cell. I use 3.6v/cell. Then set the Cell Capacity to 20,000mAh. Finally, choose the Charge Current you want. You can use 0+ up to 20A. However, the 1220 will limit the charge rate to the available wattage from the PSU.

I have both a 165w and 575w PSU. I mainly use the 165w PSU and usually charge at 3A since I prefer a slow rate of charge. Seems to do a better job of keeping the cells in balance when bulk charging versus higher charge rates. I also do a 1A bulk charge every now and then since it takes less time than a 1A balance charge and does a good job of balancing the cells.

If I set a higher charge rate, such as 4A, when using the 165w PSU, the 1220 will limit the charge rate to around 3.4A. This is using the parameter values I stated above.

I have used the 575w PSU with the above parameters and had no problems charging at 6A. I have never used a higher charge rate. I'm guessing that if you use your 500w PSU with the above parameter settings, you will probably max out the charge rate at between 11 to 12 amps. Let me know what charge rate you get with similar parameter values.

I use the 165w PSU since is uses less electricity than the 575w unit and works well at charging rates around 3A or less. I'll probably give the 575w PSU a test at the max charge rate after my next bike ride. Hope you find this useful.

 

[docnjoj]

I've been using my 1220 for about a year now with a 24 amp 12-15 volt older power supply and it works fine. No problems when I balance charge each time. Also 12S AMP 20 cells set 6S split x 2. Works like a champ at about 5 amps out. Didn't try higher since I think the PS is over rated a bit. Works every day.
otherDoc

 

[999zip999]

Raygo I know what you mean. I read my shit and know I triing to write and form a sentence, E.S. has helped me spell plus. It's just my brain.
I was running the 1220 with 12v 500watt @ 7a. And felt the wires from the power supply cool coming out, but from the connection to the 1220 warm so turned it down to 5a. And ran fine. Been working better than the 1420 hyperion.

 

[RayGo]

By the way, my 12s pack's IR has been averaging about 60 micro-ohms over the last few bulk charges. So your cell IR values look better than mine. I'll record the individual IR values when I next do a balance charge. I know I've got one cell that's acting up and skewing the average. I don't really know what constitutes a "bad" IR value for these A123 20ah cells, but I assume lower is better.

 

[drutledge]

For what it's worth, I've been using a 1220 for about a year with no problems. I bought it as a back up to my Hyperion which did indeed die this winter, just like the previous two I had owned. I had to reduce my A123 20Ah pack to 12 cells from 14 to put the 1220 to use but no biggie. I power it off of a solar panel controller, charging at 5 amps max. I tend to balance every 12 or so charges just because. Seems to be doing well. My 2 cents.