DIY Home EVSE

[widodh]

I am not sure what version you are refering to but here is the latest experimental code form GITHUB and the stable code from google code...
GITHUB line 1222 svclvl = 1; // L1
https://github.com/lincomatic/open_evse/blob/master/open_evse.pde

code.google line -1223 svclvl = 1; // L1 same line should also be added to line 1208
http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/source/browse/trunk/firmware/open_evse.pde

Ah, you are right!

I prefer Github btw, much easier to use GIT with branching I'll probably send you a couple of patches to make 3-phase easier.

 

[TEG]

This almost looks home made:
[EV Tradin' post] - EVSE J1772 Charging Station for Electric Vehicles
EVSE J1772 Charging Station for Electric Vehicles, Leaf ,Volt and Focus | eBay

 

[hcsharp]

This almost looks home made:

That's because it IS homemade.
Only rated for 25A??? It looks like a lot of phantom load when charging and not charging. I'll bet that thing consumes 15 or 20 watts when it's charging (on top of what's going to the car).

 

[widodh]

I finally got my 3-phase 40A relays and hooked it up to see if it worked.

It works, but it seems the load is to high for the EVSE board. My multimeter is showing me that the relays is using about 450mA, while the board is designed for 300mA, correct?

The big black thing labeled "MPD D107E" gets warm and starts to make a "sissing" noise.

Next to the relays connection there is a 12V/GND connection on the board. What is the maximum load for that? If that can handle the 450mA better I'll probably buy a small relays in between to switch on the big relays.

 

[Chris1howell]

I finally got my 3-phase 40A relays and hooked it up to see if it worked.

It works, but it seems the load is to high for the EVSE board. My multimeter is showing me that the relays is using about 450mA, while the board is designed for 300mA, correct?

The big black thing labeled "MPD D107E" gets warm and starts to make a "sissing" noise.

Next to the relays connection there is a 12V/GND connection on the board. What is the maximum load for that? If that can handle the 450mA better I'll probably buy a small relays in between to switch on the big relays.

View attachment 8873

450ma @ 12V (5.4W) is far too much. The OpenEVSE Power supply is only 4W. The OpenEVSE board and Adafruit LCD use less than 1.5w leaving more than 2.5w for the relay... The D107E is he DC/DC converter for the pilot. It is probibly getting hot due to a voltage drop when the relay kicks in... Is your relay avaliable with a 230v coil? You can use a much smaller relay to switch 230V to your 3 phase relay and stay within the 4W.

 

[widodh]

450ma @ 12V (5.4W) is far too much. The OpenEVSE Power supply is only 4W. The OpenEVSE board and Adafruit LCD use less than 1.5w leaving more than 2.5w for the relay... The D107E is he DC/DC converter for the pilot. It is probibly getting hot due to a voltage drop when the relay kicks in... Is your relay avaliable with a 230v coil? You can use a much smaller relay to switch 230V to your 3 phase relay and stay within the 4W.

I can't return the relay anymore, it was a special order.

The 230V version is also much more expensive.

I think I'll take a doorbell transformer which outputs 12V 1A and use a small relay to use the doorbell transformer to turn on the big relay.


12V doorbell transformer ----> Relay connected to EVSE ----> Big relay

 

[EV_de]

Try one of these :

small solidstate relais 12V DC IN -> 48V DC 0,5A out

http://catalog.weidmueller.com/procat/Product.jsp;jsessionid=2DC616337944A5B290917AE029AA7141?productId=%28[8950970000]%29&page=Product

or

http://www.elektro4000.de/Neue-Artikel/Relais/Schaltrelais/Finder-KOPPELRELAIS-12V-AC-DC-KON-385100125060::237129.html

 

[mitch672]

Just an FYI, OpenEVSE released new firmware that allows setting the pilot amperage via a 1 button menu system, viewed on a 2X16 RGB LCD display, see the homepage for pictures: http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/

Also in the news Leviton is now selling 30A J-1772 cable, 25' long for $126, this has brought down the price of building a 30A portable OpenEVSE to a little over $400, see my build link below, which has been updated with the new lower cost Leviton J-1772 cable: http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_mwolrich

Mitch

 

[widodh]

Just an FYI, OpenEVSE released new firmware that allows setting the pilot amperage via a 1 button menu system, viewed on a 2X16 RGB LCD display, see the homepage for pictures: http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/

Also in the news Leviton is now selling 30A J-1772 cable, 25' long for $126, this has brought down the price of building a 30A portable OpenEVSE to a little over $400, see my build link below, which has been updated with the new lower cost Leviton J-1772 cable: http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_mwolrich

Mitch

Nice!

I'm still working on my 3-phase version, but that should be up and running in about 4 weeks I think.

 

[dwegmull]

My own EVSE is done! I started this effort before I was aware of the open EVSE project; however I decided to continue with my own design mostly for my own education. While the J1772 part itself was fairly strait forward, the GFCI, was another matter...
I can confirm that off the shelf GFCI "donut" modules designed for hot tubs do not work with the Roadster! The unit I bought did provide a nice coil that I ended up using with my own circuit.
I put all my design notes (including schematic and source code) in one document here: J1172 Design Notes - Google Docs
Here is a picture of the finished unit:

 

[widodh]

Nice! I'm not that familiar with the US connectors, but is this one 40A (Nema 14-50?)

 

[dwegmull]

Nice! I'm not that familiar with the US connectors, but is this one 40A (Nema 14-50?)

It started life as a 14-50, but I removed the unused neutral prong, so it can be plugged into either a 14-50R (common at campgrounds) or a 14-30R which is used for clothes dryers.
For those of you not familiar with US wiring, most houses are supplied with two 120V phases, 180 degrees out of phase with each other. Most small appliances are connected between the neutral (which is grounded at the main panel) and one of the two phases.
Some large appliances (Such as the Roadster) run on 240V by being connected to the two phases.
Finally, some appliances, such as clothes dryers use 120V (for the motor) and 240V (for the heating element). This why there are four prong plugs: two phases, one neutral and one protective ground.

 

[TEG]

For those of you not familiar with US wiring, most houses are supplied with two 120V phases, 180 degrees out of phase with each other...

I think it is preferred to call it one split phase, not two phases...
Two-phase electric power - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...Three-wire, 120/240 volt single phase power used in the United States and Canada is sometimes incorrectly called "two-phase". The proper term is split phase or 3-wire single-phase. The two live outputs of a 3-wire single phase transformer secondary winding are properly called "legs"...

 

[wycolo]

> single phase power & how to confuse the hell out of rubes:

Especially wrt EVSEs, where the NEUTRAL is being UNused, the 240 volt legs go directly to the opposite sides of the SAME WINDING in the pole pig on your power pole. Read: ONE CONTINUOUS WINDING. Therefore by definition: UNITY, the SAME IDENTICAL PHASE ! ! [disappears over the horizon, pulling hair & sputtering]
--

 

[vfx]

UPS into a charger and more.

You may have a UPS on your home or work computer. It's typically a box that you plug into the wall, and then you plug your computer into it. In case of a power outage, the UPS instantly kicks over to battery power, giving you some certain small amount of time to continue using your computer, or at least save your work, and shut down the system. When power comes back on, the UPS recharges the 12V battery inside it, so that it's ready for the next time it's needed.

So, a UPS is actually TWO things. It's both a DC to AC Power Inverter (typically converting 12VDC to 120VAC) AND it's a battery charger (usually low power 12VDC.)

So, when I needed a new charger for my motorcycle, could I just use a UPS? And if so, could I use it as a power inverter as well? The answer in both cases is YES!

 

[TEG]

First commenter had some important safety observations about the device VFX just mentioned:

...There are a couple of problems with your setup in terms of safety.

Most importantly if you forget to shutoff the main you can KILL somebody. Not just hypothetical, but actual. A search of the internet will reveal stories of linemen getting killed.

A DPDT transfer switch, by design, does not allow backfeed through the main. It doesn't rely on you to remember to switch anything. The transfer switch mechanically either allows your selected house circuits to get power from the main or to get power from the generator, but not both at the same time. It is dummy proof.

The second, and probably only dangerous for you an those around you, is that your input to the structure should be a male receptacle and a female plug instead of a male plug that is potentially energized...

 

[widodh]

I did some work on my EVSE yesterday. It took some time for my shed to be build, so I got delayed by that.

I have a blogpost online about it: Widodh Installing the socket of my Open EVSE

My question is: Does anybody have a suggestion about how to control the actuator with the Open EVSE board?

To lock the connector I need to send 12V to the socket for 300ms and reverse the poles for unlocking the connector again. This is to prevent the connector from being pulled while charging.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

To lock the connector I need to send 12V to the socket for 300ms and reverse the poles for unlocking the connector again. This is to prevent the connector from being pulled while charging.

I would suggest a Type 2 socket with a solenoid that opens when power is removed. Lots of drivers have experienced cables being locked into EVSE when power is removed using the solenoids you describe (rumour is that the latest Mennekes sockets even have a manual release mechanism to try and overcome this issue).

 

[widodh]

I would suggest a Type 2 socket with a solenoid that opens when power is removed. Lots of drivers have experienced cables being locked into EVSE when power is removed using the solenoids you describe (rumour is that the latest Mennekes sockets even have a manual release mechanism to try and overcome this issue).

The socket is already installed.

The red lever you see is indeed for a manual release.

The EVSE is only for my home, so I can easily open the socket if it jams for some reason.

See my blogpost above for more picture of the socket itself.

 

[widodh]

My other components arrived! The installation is working here, just waiting for the last couple of bits in my shed to be ready and I can install everything and it will be ready.

I created a short video to show how the layout is:

As you can see, a 40A 3-phase relays is quite big and won't fit into a Open EVSE box, so instead it's in the distribution panel which will go into my shed.

Attached is a picture of the panel which gives a better look of the wiring.

Once everything is installed I can hook up the Roadster (after some testing, more testing, more testing and even more testing!) and hopefully a 3-phase EV as well