To Orange or not....

[gregd]

So I was really crossing my fingers on this one as I've read that the UMC is poorly designed and not reliable. Well it seems to be faulting out. So far I have had probably 4 faults. First at 40 Amps several times, then 32 amps several times. I was able to get an hour or two between faults. I then reduced charge to 24 amps, well that seems to work ok. I noticed if I even slightly moved the cable it would fault at 40 amps, then the other faults occurred when the unit was static. So when a fault occurs. I get four red blinks on the UMC interface segment, the thing gets hot as hell. Could this be over heating? Also, I read on the unit it says to send back to Tesla if a malfunction occurs. Do they still take these for repair? Is that even an option? What does the community recommend for an alternative?

Beautiful car! Welcome to its new home.

The UMC (presume it's the "Mobile Connector 240") should not get very hot, even at 40 amps. Cozy warm, yes, but not hot. I'm guessing the contactor (relay) contacts inside it might be dirty or failing, or the wiring is coming apart. Not serviceable, unfortunately. Also a bit scary (fire hazard?).

I used mine for several years at 24 amps (dryer plug limit), and just replaced it with an OpenEVSE (along with a new 14-50 dedicated circuit) so as to save it while it's still good. Stays cool, even at 40A, and has a display. It's not as small as the MC, but could definitely be taken on the road if needed. Also a lot less expensive. It terminates in a J1772 connector, so an adapter is necessary, but if your MC is toast, you might consider cutting off the Roadster cable and using that with the OpenEVSE. That was my plan for a while, but I couldn't locate such a cable... Good luck!

 

[ecarfan]

@Rotarypower glad to hear -- and see! -- that the new baby arrived and is basically healthy. As to your stereo headunit, can't offer any useful advice other than to say that mine is powered down and I don't miss it. The Roadster is so noisy at speed that I consider listening to music to be a waste of time. Listen to the motor whine as you spin it up instead.

 

[Rotarypower]

@TEG ...... Yes it does have the upgraded headlights. Tested them out tonight, seem to work well. Yes, I've read stories about the brakes. I think that needs to be my first priority on upgrades to the car. Thx!

 

[TEG]

Well first thing is you are going to get that wheel spin direction issue sorted out...

 

[Rotarypower]

@TEG regarding wheel direction....it's on my list, but I wasn't aware the tires are unidirectional, therefore, they can't just be swapped left to right.

 

[TEG]

Well they can if you remount the tires !

 

[DaveD]

Re Roadster squeaks and rattles:

The wife of a Roadster owner once asked her husband where a squeaking sound was coming from.

His reply: "Everywhere!"

 

[ecarfan]

Re Roadster squeaks and rattles:

The wife of a Roadster owner once asked her husband where a squeaking sound was coming from.

His reply: "Everywhere!"

I think that was me.

 

[DaveD]

I think that was me.

Sure, if you say so! I definitely read it here in the TMC Roadster forum. I was just being lazy in not wanting to take the time to find the original posting, so I quoted it anonymously.

 

[ecarfan]

No worries Dave.

A more accurate description of my old post is: We're in the Roadster and my wife says "What is making that noise?". My reply: "Everything!"

My car has lots of squeaks. I don't care.

 

[supersnoop]

The UMC (presume it's the "Mobile Connector 240") should not get very hot, even at 40 amps. Cozy warm, yes, but not hot. I'm guessing the contactor (relay) contacts inside it might be dirty or failing, or the wiring is coming apart. Not serviceable, unfortunately. Also a bit scary (fire hazard?).

The UMC and the MC240 are two different units. The UMC goes up to 40A, is not serviceable, and has a history of being a little flakey. The MC240 only does 30A and is built like a tank.

 

[gregd]

The UMC and the MC240 are two different units. The UMC goes up to 40A, is not serviceable, and has a history of being a little flakey. The MC240 only does 30A and is built like a tank.

Yes, I understand. The problem is that there are actually three devices. The original connector that the Roadster used (your 30 amp "tank"), its replacement (the 40 amp flaky one), and the thing that is used with the Model S/X. They call that a UMC too. The flaky one is labeled in big letters on the front: "240 Mobile Connector", and is the device we're all talking about. I called it that - spelled it out - to be clear I wasn't talking about the MS/X "UMC" device.

Some do use the UMC (the MS/X device) with the Roadster, but through the CAN-SR adapter. I don't think that is what he was referring to.

 

[Rotarypower]

So here are some photos of the UMC that I have. Anyone ever approached North Shore Safety who originally designed and manufactured these charger cables to get their UMC repaired?

 

[ecarfan]

My advice is to either buy this Tesla — Roadster High Power Wall Connector or buy a Tesla — Wall Connector with 8.5' Cable and Henry Sharp's CAN-SR unit (which is fantastic). Either way you can charge at 70A. The former is perhaps a bit more convenient since no adaptor is required, but I would recommend the latter since with the CAN-SR you can charge your Roadster at most Tesla Destination Charger locations (some won't work, there is a thread about that).

Forget the Roadster UMC, it is very likely to fail. Get something reliable.

 

[DaveD]

Once I'd purchased an @hcsharp CAN-SR to allow me to use the destination chargers that were popping up all over, it didn't take me long to realize that I should get Tesla's Mobile Connector Bundle to go along with it. I now carry those two in my trunk all the time. Nice and compact! I've recently added a TT-30 adapter to the collection, which fits neatly in the zippered bag that comes with the Mobile Connector Bundle. I also carry a CAN-JR, for J-1772 charger use.

 

[ecarfan]

Dave, your Roadster is very well equipped for charging! Color me "orange" for "impressed".

I have the original Roadster J1772 adapator and a CAN-SR in my Roadster trunk. But you've got me beat!

 

[redan]

Forget the Roadster UMC, it is very likely to fail. Get something reliable.

I agree. You could buy another of these: Tesla — Roadster Universal Mobile Connector - Available in North America Only

But I would buy a CAN SR from @hcsharp and pair it with:

Tesla — Mobile Connector Bundle

and/or one of these:

Tesla — Wall Connector with 24' Cable

or

Tesla — Wall Connector with 8.5' Cable

 

[Rotarypower]

All...thanks for the recommendations. I agree the mobile connector bundle with the can-sr looks like a wise combo. Also the car did come with the original tesla J1772 roadster adapter. Has history shown that this is reliable or not? @ecarfan have you had any issues with yours?

Update on charging, roadster just did complete a full charge with no issues @ 24 amps. I'm thinking the UMC is just getting too hot at 40 and 32 amps. Anyway, car charged in standard mode as shown in the picture which I believe is pretty good?

 

[ecarfan]

o the car did come with the original tesla J1772 roadster adapter. Has history shown that this is reliable or not? @ecarfan have you had any issues with yours

I have used mine about 4 times with no problems. I believe the consensus is that it is very reliable.

car charged in standard mode as shown in the picture which I believe is pretty good?

That looks reasonable. But what is more important in terms of knowing the health of the battery is what the CAC is, which can be determined from the logs.

 

[DaveD]

Also the car did come with the original tesla J1772 roadster adapter. Has history shown that this is reliable or not?

I can personally report mixed reliability with the original Tesla Roadster J-1772 adapter cable. I bought one and used it for a few years without problem until I got the CAN-JR. A friend of mine who also has a Roadster also got one of them not long after I did, and his stopped working after a couple of years. I checked it with my multimeter and determined that the pilot signal line connectivity is broken. Where exactly it failed, I haven't taken the time to determine. After I got my CAN-JR, I gave my friend my Tesla J-1772 adapter to replace his broken one.