Multiple HPWCs: Communication Issue?

[Jillmark99]

Well I went ahead and tried switching one end of the +/- comm wire and it makes no difference. Still get top green and 4 flashing red’s.

one thing I notice is that if there are no comm wires hooked up and I set the rotary switch to F (slave), it will immediately start flashing the 4 red.

I’m at a complete loss here. It makes absolutely no sense. Everything is hooked up 100% exactly like the Tesla manual.

 

[drklain]

It sounds like you may potentially have two defective units, but it's also possible that there is something obvious we are missing. Do you have access to an electrician (or anyone) who has successfully done this install?

 

[Jillmark99]

I don’t have access to anyone who has done this before. I only know one other person with a Tesla and they only have 1 charger. I know several electricians. One has actually looked at my installation and confirmed it’s wired exactly as per the Tesla instructions.
They are at a loss as well.
I’m about ready to flip out like Clark Griswold in Christmas vacation when the friggin Christmas lights wouldn’t work.
Soooooo frustrating.

 

[PWlakewood]

Do you have any pictures for us to look at so we can see if we spot anything?

 

[Jillmark99]

Here you go. Please disregard the two temp wires with the ends not hooked up. In my frustration of not being able to get this to work I even tried a couple different (non spec) comm wires which you can see. But it made no difference. These temp wires have been removed.
You can see the master is set to comm out and the slave is set to comm in.
The comm cable is grounded on the master end only.

 

[KG M3]

As I read through the thread, it seems that the symptoms are consistent with no communication occurring. I think I am seeing that when the old WC is set to master and the new one to slave, the old unit charges and the new unit has one green light and 4 red flashes. When the new WC is set to master and the old one to slave, the new unit charges and the old unit has one green and 4 red flashes.

Are the symptoms the same with the comms cable connected and when it is disconnected? If that is the case, they you probably have a bad/blown RS485 unit in one of the two WCs. No way to tell which one from the data provided. One suggestion - can you return/exchange the new unit from where you bought it? If that does not work, contact someone locally who is trying to sell or buy a unit and see if they are willing to exchange - at least on a temporary basis.

 

[Ostrichsak]

If you're wiring 240-volt I think the #2 dip switch needs to be up. Double check the install manual & disregard if this is any other type of electrical connection. It also said all of the dip switches & rotary adjustments need to be properly set before power is turned on. I'd double check that because I seem to recall that the dip switch scenario for my install was 1-off 2-on but our installation scenario may differ.

ETA: I may be backwards on this as it's been a while since I saw the manual.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

If you're wiring 240-volt I think the #2 dip switch needs to be up. Double check the install manual & disregard if this is any other type of electrical connection. It also said all of the dip switches & rotary adjustments need to be properly set before power is turned on. I'd double check that because I seem to recall that the dip switch scenario for my install was 1-off 2-on but our installation scenario may differ.

ETA: I may be backwards on this as it's been a while since I saw the manual.

When we tested a plug-in wall connector, it didn't work correctly at first. We found the second DIP switch that should always be on was off for some reason.

In our situation, I remember now that it was flashing red but don't remember if there was any green.

I couldn't see the picture clearly until I zoomed in but it does look like the OP had them set 1 off and 2 on.

 

[Jillmark99]

As I read through the thread, it seems that the symptoms are consistent with no communication occurring. I think I am seeing that when the old WC is set to master and the new one to slave, the old unit charges and the new unit has one green light and 4 red flashes. When the new WC is set to master and the old one to slave, the new unit charges and the old unit has one green and 4 red flashes.

Are the symptoms the same with the comms cable connected and when it is disconnected?.

yes this is exactly what is happening.

if it’s a bad RS485, are they removable? Is that the circuit board that the comm cable is attached to? If so I have a charger at my office that I could remove it from and swap if it’s a simple process. I haven’t opened up the charger any further than the pictures shown.

 

[Jillmark99]

When we tested a plug-in wall connector, it didn't work correctly at first. We found the second DIP switch that should always be on was off for some reason.

In our situation, I remember now that it was flashing red but don't remember if there was any green.

View attachment 467840

I couldn't see the picture clearly until I zoomed in but it does look like the OP had them set 1 off and 2 on.

I have a line to line install and the switches are set to 1 off and 2 on on both chargers.

 

[LineofSight]

In your pictures it appears that the black and red power wires in the Slave unit are misaligned with the terminal block. Did you use ferrules on the ends of the power wires? Looks weird.
Have you done a continuity check on the comm wires, both end to end and between the black and white wires to make sure that there is no short between them?
There is an excess of wire showing on the comm wires where they are attached to the terminal block. Make sure there are no extraneous wire strands crossing over to the opposite wire, and that you definitely have the comm wires under the set screw completely.
Try moving the rotary switches around and coming back to the A and F settings just to make sure they are centered on the correct setting.
And you said "The comm cable is grounded on the master end only". I could not figure out what that meant. Can you clarify that?
Scott

 

[Jillmark99]

In your pictures it appears that the black and red power wires in the Slave unit are misaligned with the terminal block. Did you use ferrules on the ends of the power wires? Looks weird.
Have you done a continuity check on the comm wires, both end to end and between the black and white wires to make sure that there is no short between them?
There is an excess of wire showing on the comm wires where they are attached to the terminal block. Make sure there are no extraneous wire strands crossing over to the opposite wire, and that you definitely have the comm wires under the set screw completely.
Try moving the rotary switches around and coming back to the A and F settings just to make sure they are centered on the correct setting.
And you said "The comm cable is grounded on the master end only". I could not figure out what that meant. Can you clarify that?
Scott

The line wires are direct connected. I did not use ferrules. They are firmly seated and connected. The charger works perfectly fine in master mode.
Yes I have done a continuity test on the comm wire. It passes the test fine.
There are no strands of wire crossing over on the comm wire and they are properly seated under the set screw. I have triple checked that.
I have tried rotating the rotary switch around and back to proper position. No dice.
I’m guessing defective RS485 in one of the chargers as mentioned above by KG M3. It has to be. Everything has been checked a hundred times. It makes no sense.
I think I’m just going to run a new power wire from my breaker panel and add a separate breaker for the second charger. I’ve spent enough time screwing around with this.

 

[LineofSight]

The line wires are direct connected. I did not use ferrules. They are firmly seated and connected. The charger works perfectly fine in master mode.
Yes I have done a continuity test on the comm wire. It passes the test fine.
There are no strands of wire crossing over on the comm wire and they are properly seated under the set screw. I have triple checked that.
I have tried rotating the rotary switch around and back to proper position. No dice.
I’m guessing defective RS485 in one of the chargers as mentioned above by KG M3. It has to be. Everything has been checked a hundred times. It makes no sense.
I think I’m just going to run a new power wire from my breaker panel and add a separate breaker for the second charger. I’ve spent enough time screwing around with this.

You didn't answer my question re: "The comm cable is grounded on the master end only". I see nothing about grounding the comm cable in the instructions. What did you do there? Can you take a new picture without all of those other bare wires in the box? You are scaring me! I do see a small wire, in your picture of the Master unit, that appears to go to the ground lug. I cannot see where it is coming from. What is that?

 

[Jillmark99]

You didn't answer my question re: "The comm cable is grounded on the master end only". I see nothing about grounding the comm cable in the instructions. What did you do there? Can you take a new picture without all of those other bare wires in the box? You are scaring me! I do see a small wire, in your picture of the Master unit, that appears to go to the ground lug. I cannot see where it is coming from. What is that?

LOL. Sorry, missed replying to that. The comm cable has a ground wire inside because it’s a shielded cable. The ground portion has been hooked to the ground lug in the master. You can see it in the picture of the master charger. That’s the small wire you reference above.

 

[Ostrichsak]

In your pictures it appears that the black and red power wires in the Slave unit are misaligned with the terminal block. Did you use ferrules on the ends of the power wires? Looks weird.
Have you done a continuity check on the comm wires, both end to end and between the black and white wires to make sure that there is no short between them?
There is an excess of wire showing on the comm wires where they are attached to the terminal block. Make sure there are no extraneous wire strands crossing over to the opposite wire, and that you definitely have the comm wires under the set screw completely.
Try moving the rotary switches around and coming back to the A and F settings just to make sure they are centered on the correct setting.
And you said "The comm cable is grounded on the master end only". I could not figure out what that meant. Can you clarify that?
Scott

It may go w/o saying but make sure you kill ALL power before adjusting dip/rotary switches as the instructions are very specific about this point. Probably for a reason.

Have you used any connectors in your installation? It could be that you've told the system that it should expect "x" Amps and maybe something is askew in your wiring back further upstream. Also, are you sure your panel is capable of supplying the amperage that you've set your rotary switches too along with whatever current draw existed in that panel prior to installation. Read: have you done your load calculations properly to assure that the panel you're pulling from has capable of meeting that new circuit's demand?

 

[LineofSight]

LOL. Sorry, missed replying to that. The comm cable has a ground wire inside because it’s a shielded cable. The ground portion has been hooked to the ground lug in the master. You can see it in the picture of the master charger. That’s the small wire you reference above.

I would try disconnecting the small ground wire from the comm wire to the ground lug. I don't see how that would cause your problem, but it's worth a try. I have heard that the Tesla is finicky about having a proper ground for charging, especially when using a portable generator. If that does not work, then I give up too! Scott

 

[Jillmark99]

I would try disconnecting the small ground wire from the comm wire to the ground lug. I don't see how that would cause your problem, but it's worth a try. I have heard that the Tesla is finicky about having a proper ground for charging, especially when using a portable generator. If that does not work, then I give up too! Scott

I tried that already. Makes no difference.

 

[hikerockies]

I tried that already. Makes no difference.

This may be a long shot. When I was setting up my two HPWCs, I noticed the rotary switch could get stuck in the wrong place. When arrow seemed to be pointing to F, rotary switch was actually on 0. There seemed to be a bit of play in the switch. I went around the rotary counting each click to make sure I was landing where I thought I was. It might be worth double checking rotary switch is indeed on F even though arrow seems to point to F.

 

[Jillmark99]

This may be a long shot. When I was setting up my two HPWCs, I noticed the rotary switch could get stuck in the wrong place. When arrow seemed to be pointing to F, rotary switch was actually on 0. There seemed to be a bit of play in the switch. I went around the rotary counting each click to make sure I was landing where I thought I was. It might be worth double checking rotary switch is indeed on F even though arrow seems to point to F.

I tried this as well a few days ago. No difference.

 

[LineofSight]

I just can't give up on this! I can't sleep at night. jk The only thing we have not seen a picture of is your junction box, where you split the power coming from the main circuit breaker. Can we get a picture? I can't imagine what might be wrong in there. Have you tried reversing the power wires on one unit?