UMC Gen2 Questions

[pjuk]

I'm planning on driving down to the alps next year for a ski trip and started making plans. Clearly the route is well stocked with superchargers so there will be no issues en route, but the question that I'm unsure about is the use of the UMC whilst in France. I've read that there isn't a standard for the live/neutral pins and the UMC can complain about "polarity", yet I've also read that gen2 doesn't have these problems i.e. no need for a live/neutral polarity swapping adapter.

Without rewiring a UK 3-pin plug to try this out, can anyone confirm if gen2 is ignores the "polarity" of these pins?

To be honest there are a few destination chargers where I'm planning on going so I hope that I can leave with 80% or so to keep us toasty whilst driving down the mountain, if not I'll just have to make sure I'm topped up before I arrive and find out a way to use the UMC.

PS - How do you know if the UMC is gen2? I received my car in June19 so I presume it is.

 

[Mr Miserable]

I have a French trip planned where I know I will probably have to resort to the UMC.
I too have heard about polarity not being an issue with the Tesla V2 UMC but I don't want to risk the info being incorrect.
I went shopping at Tough Leads to address the problem.

 

[davidmc]

Get a £3 socket tester from the site link above, this will also help in seeing if you L/N is reversed.

 

[pjuk]

Get a £3 socket tester from the site link above, this will also help in seeing if you L/N is reversed.

Sounds like a good idea but doesn’t help if the only socket close to the car will be wired “incorrectly”. I might just make up a test extension lead with the live/neutral flipped and see if the UMC complains.

 

[Mr Miserable]

Sounds like a good idea but doesn’t help if the only socket close to the car will be wired “incorrectly”. I might just make up a test extension lead with the live/neutral flipped and see if the UMC complains.

If you don't post the results of your experiment, I'll assume the worst.

 

[jimmymc]

If you don't post the results of your experiment, I'll assume the worst.

‘Not only will electricity kill you, it will hurt all the time you are dying’

 

[Adopado]

‘Not only will electricity kill you, it will hurt all the time you are dying’

Ah, when I was a lad we took a belt from the mains in our stride! No RCD protection in those days. Never killed any of us but maybe we were lucky. (Disclaimer: If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.)

 

[davidmc]

Ah, when I was a lad we took a belt from the mains in our stride! No RCD protection in those days. Never killed any of us but maybe we were lucky. (Disclaimer: If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.)

I licked a 9v battery when I was young, does that count?
(Disclaimer: don't do it unless you are a trained pro like me)

 

[pjuk]

Thanks for the concern and I’ll keep you posted. Brown is live and blue is neutral right?

 

[MrBadger]

Thanks for the concern and I’ll keep you posted. Brown is live and blue is neutral right?

No, red is live and black is neutral

 

[pjuk]

No, red is live and black is neutral

Oh..I wondered why it didn't match up. I'll twist and join the wires up with some electrical tape.

 

[arg]

Thanks for the concern and I’ll keep you posted. Brown is live and blue is neutral right?

Actually, in the latest terminology, brown and blue are both 'live conductors'. Brown is 'line' and blue is 'neutral'.

I'm not convinced this change in terminology was useful...

Edit: to correct myself, the 'neutral is live' terminology is not really new - it dates back at least to the 1980's at which point you were supposed to say 'phase' and 'neutral', even though equipment was usually marked 'L' and 'N'. Evidently at some point 'line' was coined to make the term match the equipment. I don't have enough old books to say exactly when things changed, but of course people have continued to say 'live' and 'neutral' the whole time regardless of what the books say!

 

[pjuk]

A simple search on how not to wire a plug comes up with some fine examples. This is the example not my attempt to switch blue/black and red/brown wires.

 

[MrBadger]

f***

 

[MrBadger]

Anyone have experience plugging UMC Gen 2 into 3 pin 13A weatherproof socket - specifically after if the 3 pin plug fits - is all/some etc.

Thinking of getting a 13A external socket fitted for other uses but might want initially to use it for UMC charging.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Anyone have experience plugging UMC Gen 2 into 3 pin 13A weatherproof socket - specifically after if the 3 pin plug fits - is all/some etc.

Thinking of getting a 13A external socket fitted for other uses but might want initially to use it for UMC charging.

I can confirm that the 13 A plug on the UMC fits a British General IP66 single gang outlet OK, and the lid closes and locks. The BG is probably one of the ones with the biggest cavity under the lid, though, I think that the MK version is very slightly smaller inside. The lid was a tight fit to get closed, as the cable's a bit fat and compresses the rubber seal a fair bit.

 

[Roy W.]

Anyone have experience plugging UMC Gen 2 into 3 pin 13A weatherproof socket - specifically after if the 3 pin plug fits - is all/some etc.

Thinking of getting a 13A external socket fitted for other uses but might want initially to use it for UMC charging.

I use one of these things with a standard single gang socket. The UMC end has plenty of room inside. I’ve had to slightly enlarge the cable entry hole rubber gland, but it’s still a very tight fit!

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Masterpl...ds=Weatherproof+socket&qid=1574674860&sr=8-43

 

[WannabeOwner]

Brown is 'line' and blue is 'neutral'.

Still going to use "George Brown was a live wire" ...

For all your youngsters George Brown <> Gordon Brown

How do you know if the UMC is gen2?

Th adaptors plug straight into the control box, on Gen 1 they plugged into a socket on the lead.

the UMC can complain about "polarity", yet I've also read that gen2 doesn't have these problems i.e. no need for a live/neutral polarity swapping adapter.

I read that Model-3 doesn't care ... not sure if that's the same as Gen-2 doesn't care (for Model-S/X ?)

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Still going to use "George Brown was a live wire" ...

For all your youngsters George Brown <> Gordon Brown

My mother taught me how to wire a plug when I was a small boy. Even now when I come to do one I recall her telling me "Red on the Right"...

The plugs in question would have been the round pin ones we had before BS1363 plugs were in common use.

 

[arg]

I read that Model-3 doesn't care ... not sure if that's the same as Gen-2 doesn't care (for Model-S/X ?)

The cars have never cared (because they wouldn't then work at all in regions with niether side of 230V earthed). It was the UMC (gen1) that did care, so I am fairly sure the reports of "Model 3 doesn't care" actually mean "UMCv2 doesn't care"