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Charging the Roadster

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I have had good luck charging the Leaf with them on the J-plug.

I think some companies like them because they can make the access cards private for employees only.
Clipper Creek doesn't seem to offer conditional access control, which is fine for truly public charging, but not for "staff only" charging.
Also, those other brands don't lock the plug when not in use so they are more prone to vandalism.
L2 seems to work fine. While I was fiddling w/ my plug a guy in a Leaf showed up but didn't have a card. As I was in the process of giving up on my EVSE I used my card to authorize his charge (charging is free at SFO).

I also like the conditional payment feature as my company was planning to make the chargers public to qualify for the tax credit but still provide free charging to employees.
 
No light on the MC120 plug and when I plugged into the car it didn't change the blue. I was able to get the head of the MC120 cord into the box and tried to close the door but it wouldn't close over the large MC120 cord. It also felt like the door was hitting the little locking arm. I pulled everything out and closed the door and feeling w/ my fingers it didn't look like there was any room for a cord to drop through the bottom when the door was closed.

If I understand you, you left the GFCI on the MC120. That's probably interacting with the GFCI circuitry in the Coulomb unit.
 
Somewhat related:
FAQ Overview - ChargePoint Network
  • GFCI (Ground Fault Current Interrupt) Trip: Occurs when the station detects a problem with the vehicle's battery charging circuit or the cord connecting the vehicle to the charging station. The station will retry after a 15-minute countdown, but give up after three occurrences.
  • Over current: The vehicle is trying to draw more current than allowed. The station will cut off the power and, as in the case of GFCI, retry after a 15-minute countdown. If you receive this notification, please contact the manufacturer of your vehicle, or the company that did the conversion, as it may indicate a problem with the charging circuit or the battery in the vehicle.
 
Yeah, I still have the stock GFCI on the MC120. I was planning to replace the plug (because of physical fitment limitations) but figured the mini extension cord would work.

The unit kept displaying, "open door and insert plug". I never heard any relays click in the unit and it never displayed a fault (Roadster kept saying to plug in charging cable or whatever). It was like it wasn't even trying, like it kept waiting for me to close the door but I couldn't get the door to close. I'll try to replace the plug and give it another shot.
 
Looks like it is meant to close...
Driver Assistance: Using a Charging Station - ChargePoint Network
Level 1 Charging
Use this method to charge at 120 V by plugging your own charging cord into the charging station's outlet.
To start a charging session:
l1-start-step-2.gif
1. Plug your charging cord into your electric vehicle.
2. Tap your ChargePass card on the station's reader symbol.
When your card is authorized, the station displays a message indicating the door is unlocked and you can insert the plug.
IMPORTANT! Cords with clear or transparent plugs will not work.
3. Lift the door and plug your charging cord into the socket.
4. Push the door closed to lock in place.
Charging begins when the door locks. The station displays a message indicating the vehicle is charging.
 
Woah, my 6" extension cord has translucent heads. Based on the "IMPORTANT!" note above, I wonder if that was the problem all along? It wasn't detecting a plug so it wasn't activating the door locking mechanism? Seems overly complicated to me, you'd think there's be a simpler mechanical check to determine if a plug was inserted. Weird. Well, thanks TEG! I guess I'll plan to replace the stock GFCI w/ an OPAQUE head :p
 
Question (also posted to teslamotors.com): I'm putting in a NEMA 14-50 at my work's second office 130 miles from my home. Anyone else put an on/off switch in line to the outlet? Any risk plugging in or unplugging from a live outlet? Of course I'd stop charging first. The electrician at our first office put in such a switch and it is nice to know I'm not going to accidentally zap myself by only turning it on once the plug is connected, but not sure how much actual risk there is.
 
I don't see a risk in having the outlet live all the time. You can plug in the UMC at any point. There is a negotiation that takes place between the car and the charger before any current flows so it doesn't really matter what order you assemble everything though plugging the UMC in first before the car would have it all ready sooner.

As for unplugging, if you disconnect the car (slide back the switch), the current stops so you can unplug the UMC without issue.

The only danger is if you unplug the UMC and reach round to touch the contacts with your finger ends as you unplug it - that's hard to do. In the US, each pin is only 120v to ground (you) so, whilst it'll give you a fizz & it's not recommended, I've never experienced anything painful plus, the same connector can be found on thousands of camp grounds across America - outside, in the rain.
 
Question (also posted to teslamotors.com): I'm putting in a NEMA 14-50 at my work's second office 130 miles from my home. Anyone else put an on/off switch in line to the outlet? Any risk plugging in or unplugging from a live outlet? Of course I'd stop charging first. The electrician at our first office put in such a switch and it is nice to know I'm not going to accidentally zap myself by only turning it on once the plug is connected, but not sure how much actual risk there is.

I did opt to install a switch for my NEMA 14-50 for several reasons. My RFMC stays plugged in most of the time so I wanted a way to eliminate the parasitic lose when unused and since it has no contactor it also eliminates power at the connector. Safety when plugging and unplugging is also a factor. In the case of campground outlets it is common practice and also highly recommended that the breakers remain off until after plugging in and be turned off before unplugging!

Unless you have the NEMA 14-50 with the molded handle it is very easy to contact the two hot pins when unplugging, especially with a brand new receptacle that tends to grip the plug prongs tightly.
 
The main thing you don't want to do is unplug the 14-50 while the car is charging.
Always make sure to unscrew the Tesla end from the car before unplugging the 14-50 side.
(Or stop charging from the VDS, but might as well just unplug from the car first.)