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Roadster Connector Disassembly?
- Thread starter NEWDL
- Start date
dhrivnak
Active Member
If you are talking about the GFI end you plug into the wall it is very simple just a few screws and you can add another GFI plug. If you are taking the barrel end I have never touched that.
I have a detailed description of the procedure to disassemble the Roadster charging connector that was written by Martin Eberhard. He used this procedure to harvest the connectors to make the Roadster Foundry mobile charge cable that supported up to 40A charging with a collection of pigtails for different source plugs. This was before Tesla had produced the MC240 or the UMC.
If you PM your email address to me, I will send the document to you.
If you PM your email address to me, I will send the document to you.
I've taken apart a few of those. The SMC cable is only 12 AWG so if you are trying to install a larger cable it's a bit tricky. Simply drilling out the contacts where the wire is crimped in and re-crimping a larger wire is not considered safe. Neither is soldering. Your best bet is to replace the contacts with new ones and fresh crimps with an 8-ton or greater crimping tool. I'm not sure if slcasner's document explains how to remove the contacts from the block other than ground which comes out easily.
I am looking to replace with a similar cable with a molded plug instead of an attached plug. I previously had the factory GFI on it but replaced that with a removable unit for conditions where a GFI already was in place. The attached plug didn’t hold up and I would like a more permanent/stronger solution.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Martin's document does say that there is an o-ring and metal spring clip holding the contacts other than ground into the housing. He also does make clear that new crimp sockets are needed since his purpose for the disassembly was to attach the connector to a larger cable.
I found this thread because I'm desparately searching for disassembling instructions.
One of the core cables of my mobile connector seems to be broken directly at the connector plug:
If I bend the cable a little bit from one side to the other, it starts and stops charging.
So it would be enough to shorten the cable 20-30 centimeters and recrimp the contacts.
Thank you for any pointers or help.
Arnold
One of the core cables of my mobile connector seems to be broken directly at the connector plug:
If I bend the cable a little bit from one side to the other, it starts and stops charging.
So it would be enough to shorten the cable 20-30 centimeters and recrimp the contacts.
I would like to contact slcasner, but can't find the option to PM a member. Did I miss a forum FAQ or instructions?
Thank you for any pointers or help.
Arnold
Welcome to the forum Arnold. I have a little experience taking apart and re-assembling the Roadster connector. Since Roadster shop fires are a hot topic on this forum right now, I feel compelled to mention a few words in the name of safety. As i mentioned in post #6 above, you cannot safely drill out the existing contacts and re-crimp them. You also cannot solder new wires into new or old crimp contacts. Doing either one of these things will substantially increase your risk of starting a fire and/or experiencing a dangerous electric shock. It would also violate the IEC in the EU.
It is important that you purchase new crimp contacts at least for the two power pins. The contacts are designed for an 8-ton crimping tool (approx 7000 kilo).
There is also a thread that details taking that connector apart on the German Roadster forum. It would be quite an old thread by now and I don't have a link but you might be able to find it. Disassembly is not trivial and will require some special tools.
, much appreciated!Similar threads
