Is my mobile connector broken?

[diplomat33]

I can't charging at home so I often charge at work for convenience. There is a 110V outlet that sticks out of the ground. I use my mobile connector.

Recently, I've been getting a strange error when I charge. When I plug it, the connector flashes green except the first letter that is nothing and then solid red. On the screen, it starts to charge but after a few seconds, it says "handle is too hot, check for debris". The charging drops to 5A. Charging jumps back to 12 A and then drops to 5A again. It jumps back and forth. So, I disconnect. Not sure if it is just the outlet that is bad or if it is the cold weather (temps around 20 C in the morning) or if my mobile connector is bad.

Here is the outlet for reference. I know it is not the best outlet for charging. There is a supercharger available but since I work for 10 hours a day, I figure an extra 40-50 miles per day of free charging isn't bad.

Yes, I know. I should get home charging. I am renting a place so it is not easy. I would probably need to move which I don't want to do right now.

 

[Rocky_H]

That doesn't sound like it's broken. It sounds like it is correctly detecting and announcing a problem. The adapters for the mobile connectors have temperature sensors in the plug heads, so they may be sensing if the face of the outlet is getting really hot. And that could very well be happening if a wire is getting loose inside the outlet.

 

[freeAgent]

I assume when you said 20C you meant 20F? It does sound like there may be some sort of debris interfering with a proper connection somewhere. I don't know if that message is referring to the plug at the wall or the plug in your car being too hot. With very cold temperatures, there could be ice built up on the receptacle at your work that may be causing some intermittent short or something like that.

If you want to rule out the connector and your car's charging port being the cause of the issue, it should be as simple as finding a different receptacle to plug into, even if only for a few minutes.

 

[diplomat33]

I assume when you said 20C you meant 20F? It does sound like there may be some sort of debris interfering with a proper connection somewhere. I don't know if that message is referring to the plug at the wall or the plug in your car being too hot. With very cold temperatures, there could be ice built up on the receptacle at your work that may be causing some intermittent short or something like that.

If you want to rule out the connector and your car's charging port being the cause of the issue, it should be as simple as finding a different receptacle to plug into, even if only for a few minutes.

Thanks. Yes, I meant 20 F.

 

[diplomat33]

That doesn't sound like it's broken. It sounds like it is correctly detecting and announcing a problem. The adapters for the mobile connectors have temperature sensors in the plug heads, so they may be sensing if the face of the outlet is getting really hot. And that could very well be happening if a wire is getting loose inside the outlet.

Thanks

 

[JCtx]

I'd also isolate the problem, and then deal with it. You could quickly eliminate the car with a supercharger. That'd leave the outlet or the UMC. I'd try a with a new/newish 115V outlet, and see what happens. My guess based on your input is the outlet. And since it's on the floor, debris is a good possibility, rather than something wrong with the outlet or wiring. You could try one of those compressed air cans to clean keyboards and stuff, and try to blow the crap from the holes. Next step would be to remove the cover, and check the wires. Good luck.

 

[diplomat33]

I'd also isolate the problem, and then deal with it. You could quickly eliminate the car with a supercharger. That'd leave the outlet or the UMC. I'd try a with a new/newish 115V outlet, and see what happens. My guess based on your input is the outlet. And since it's on the floor, debris is a good possibility, rather than something wrong with the outlet or wiring. You could try one of those compressed air cans to clean keyboards and stuff, and try to blow the crap from the holes. Next step would be to remove the cover, and check the wires. Good luck.

Thanks. I know it is not the car since I can supercharge just fine.

I did try other neighboring outlets and I had the same issue which is why I thought it might be my connector. But those other outlets might have debris too. I was able to successfully charge from the outlet two days ago. So I guess it could just the outlets since they are on the ground. It just seems very hit and miss. Sometimes, the outlets work great, sometimes I have problems.

I will try an indoor outlet and see what happens.

It is probably just those outdoor outlets that are not very reliable.

 

[JCtx]

It is probably just those outdoor outlets that are not very reliable.

That's my guess too, but you'll know for sure after charging from a good garage outlet. If it's the outlet, as I suspect, and you can always charge from the same outlet (like on a dedicated parking space), I'd clean it with compressed air, and insert a non-metal part on every hole, like a toothpick, to loosen all the crap inside, blow it out again, and then buy some kind of cover for it, so it doesn't happen again. Good luck.

 

[freeAgent]

Yes, it could be that debris has been pushed into those outlets mounted near the ground, particularly in the winter. Plugging and unplugging your charger from the outlet could also have "helped" to push junk into it. Who knows. Next step is definitely to find a known-good outlet.

 

[diplomat33]

That's my guess too, but you'll know for sure after charging from a good garage outlet. If it's the outlet, as I suspect, and you can always charge from the same outlet (like on a dedicated parking space), I'd clean it with compressed air, and insert a non-metal part on every hole, like a toothpick, to loosen all the crap inside, blow it out again, and then buy some kind of cover for it, so it doesn't happen again. Good luck.

As you can see from the pic, they already have covers. And they are public chargers at my workplace so I can't really mess with them, like changing the covers or the wiring.

 

[Need]

You should check the connection between the 110v adapter and the Mobile Connector brick. Pull it out and check to see if there is any dirt or water in between the connection. The other thing is that if that connection is slightly out (not all the way in), it will also have that problem I think.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

As you can see from the pic, they already have covers. And they are public chargers at my workplace so I can't really mess with them, like changing the covers or the wiring.

The link to the image isn't working so none of us can see what you are referring to. If you linked directly from Google Drive or a similar site or copied/pasted directly into the message, it might not be shareable. Try saving the image locally and then upload it or create a shareable link and then use that URL for attaching the image to the thread.

 

[diplomat33]

The link to the image isn't working so none of us can see what you are referring to. If you linked directly from Google Drive or a similar site or copied/pasted directly into the message, it might not be shareable. Try saving the image locally and then upload it or create a shareable link and then use that URL for attaching the image to the thread.

My apologies.

This should work.

 

[GtiMart]

Exterior plugs have a test and a reset button right? Did you try pressing test, then reset, then plugging in again? Might be that the GFCI is partly tripped?

 

[diplomat33]

Exterior plugs have a test and a reset button right? Did you try pressing test, then reset, then plugging in again? Might be that the GFCI is partly tripped?

Yes, it does have a reset button. I will try that. Thanks.

 

[diplomat33]

I plugged my mobile connector into a reliable indoor outlet and I got all green indicators on it. So I think that confirms that the outdoor outlets are to blame. They might have a poor connection or something.

 

[hcdavis3]

Is your UMC fully plugged into the adapter?

 

[diplomat33]

Is your UMC fully plugged into the adapter?

What adapter? I plug my UMC directly into a 110V outlet.

 

[355rockit]

What adapter? I plug my UMC directly into a 110V outlet.

The UMC can take a variety of plug adapters. You appear to be using the 110V plug adapter. If this plug adapter is not seated fully, the UMC can overheat or lower amperage. If after removing and reinserting the 110v plug adapter into UMC and still have an issue, you could try pressing the reset on the UMC for a few seconds to see if it clears the issue.

 

[diplomat33]

The UMC can take a variety of plug adapters. You appear to be using the 110V plug adapter. If this plug adapter is not seated fully, the UMC can overheat or lower amperage. If removing and reinserting the 110v plug adapter and still have an issue, you could try pressing the reset on the UMC for a few seconds to see if it clears the issue.

View attachment 633713

Oh, ok. Thanks.