Portable OpenEVSE at 40A

I have a 32A EVSE for sale on MNL. Since it is constructed with 40A components I can sell it without the J1772 cable for $325. You would then add a 40A J1772 cable like the one Tony Williams' company Quick Charge Power sells. It you have the cable drop shipped here like several people have done I will install and test it for you.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=17663. As you can see from the title change this has sold.

For my 30A EVSE, I settled on getting an "open box" 40A welder extension cable and cutting it in two pieces. ($50 for a 20 foot cable). One part is the power cord for the EVSE, the other part will be part of a 14-50 to 6-50 adapter. As I already had a 6-50 receptacle (and many will, if they are replacing a commercial EVSE) and didn't feel like running the neutral (would the conduit be big enough for another conductor?), nor feel like having a 14-50R which wasn't wired correctly (doesn't seem like it would meet code), this seemed the best solution.

There are several sources for molded 40A (and 50A) 6-50 cables - in case someone else can use them. A good option, may be to buy the 40A Miller Welder replacement cord on eBay for ~80/shipped. Stayonline has a similar cord for $87 (50A) +shipping/etc. Americord has a 30A 6-50 cord for mid $20's in their clearance section. You might also find a used power cord on eBay from someone who swapped theirs out - they seem to be 1 to 2 feet long, which may work for you. There are at least 4 manufacturers of "welder extension cables", the prices are all over the map - but you can probably buy a 20 - 25 foot cable for $60-70 and cut it.

As many recommended, putting a 6-50P on proper cord is an option, but a lot less water resistant than a molded cord.

fooljoe said:

You could get one of these, chop off the plug end, and use the receptacle end for a nice adapter/extension cord.

But I would just relent and go with a 14-50p. Saw off the neutral prong so you can plug it straight in to either RV park or modern dryer receptacles. How often are you going to find a welder socket to charge from in the wild?

Click to expand...

My thinking on what L2 EVSE cord to use is to have one with a NEMA 14-50P on the end, because this is the MOST COMMON for 240V AC power in a majority of RV Parks. How you deal with a corresponding outlet in your garage, with respect to the "neutral" wire connection is up to you. Spending a lot more money (unnecessarily) to avoid this issue would not be my preference. Just label the outlet for "EVSE USE ONLY UP TO xx AMPS" and that should take care of it.

Now, having said that, I just obtained a selection of various "adapters", so that I will be covered if and when traveling in my RAV4 (or Volt) beyond the range of a full battery charge. I am debating whether to include a 14-50R to 6-50P adapter. I have all the parts needed already to make this particular adapter; 12" pigtail with the 6-50P on one end, and a 14-50R "DIY" receptacle head. The latter is available on Amazon for ~$15 (see link below) and is a well constructed replacement head for wiring to the opposite end of my pigtail. It's not completely waterproof, but I wound several layers of electrician tape around the pigtail cable just before the flying leads enter thru a coupling to keep it from being forcefully pulled out. That is the only bad thing with many unmolded cords, so I am making certain it will be safe to use with a portable L2 EVSE such as my JuiceBox.

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55353-Female-Replacement-Receptacle/dp/B00192QB9M

Yup thats the one I purchased too. I havent even used it yet but its in my Rav just in case. I have it to a NEMA 10-50. I also have a 14-50 to TT-30 and a TT-30 to 5-15. I have most of my bases covered except one for hotel ac units. I need to look that one up and get that adapter just in case.

I was able to make a "dual purpose" adapter, by getting the following "cordless" AC adapters on Ebay and just having them available when needed to use with my portable EVSE I carry with me in the trunk of my RAV4. I had to rewire the first item because most of these "off the shelf" adapters are only used in RV applications and the hot and neutral wired connections won't work in an EVSE application. However, the TT-30R to 5-15P unit required no modifications, because it is only for use at 125V, and the internal wiring just goes straight through, hot to hot on each side, and ground to ground, with no neutral connections to bother with. Only about $25 for these two items (after tax and shipping), to have the benefit of a nice little compact, dual purpose adapter for the most common 120V AC power sources I will likely ever need (or find) on the road!

TT-30P to 14-50R:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261269572512?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

TT-30R to 5-15P:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281190265389?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Someone here asked me (jokingly I hope) if I could build one for them for Black Friday. I said no but Tony Williams' has a special on his Tesla UMC conversion with $100 off. It's not as versatile as this portable OpenEVSE but it is pretty slick.

I just received 100 new poly-carbonate enclosures today. They are slightly larger than the basic model and have a cutout for a LCD and button. The enclosure comes with watertight seals and graphics are full color. The internal panel is pre-drilled for 30A components, but there is a lot of space for other options as well. Here is a picture...(Sorry for the poor quality, I will take better pictures tomorrow)

Very nice Chris.

Nice design!

Even though unintentional, I see some similarities between this product and the rather Plain Jane looking JuiceBox Basic enclosure. The latter, however, is lacking any visible display information on the front panel. Nevertheless, I modified mine for that purpose without too much extra cost. Having front panel display information DEFINITELY enhances the overall usefulness of ANY EVSE whether for wall mounting or portable applications.

The only thing holding back both of these "open source" products from absolutely dominating the EVSE market are UL approvals, but sales must still be good enough, I hear that is coming from eMW on their next generation of fully, pre-assembled units.

Dsinned said:

Nice design!

Even though unintentional, I see some similarities between this product and the rather Plain Jane looking JuiceBox Basic enclosure. The latter, however, is lacking any visible display information on the front panel. Nevertheless, I modified mine for that purpose without too much extra cost. Having front panel display information DEFINITELY enhances the overall usefulness of ANY EVSE whether for wall mounting or portable applications.

The only thing holding back both of these "open source" products from absolutely dominating the EVSE market are UL approvals, but sales must still be good enough, I hear that is coming from eMW on their next generation of fully, pre-assembled units.

Click to expand...

Thnak you, many hours were spent designing every aspect of the enclosures. I personally do not think there are any similarities at all to the EMW design...

The OpenEV enclosure has a button and 16 x 2 Liquid Crystal Display. You can see the state, settings and current (with optional coil). Settings can be changed with the button.

Material
EMW - Cast Aluminum OpenEV - Poly-Carbonate

Mounting
EMW - Penetrations through enclosure OpenEV - Pre-drilled Mounting plate on internal risers

Display
EMW - None OpenEV 16 x 2 LCD

Input
EMW - None OpenEV push-button

Color
EMW - None - Bare metal OpenEV White

Graphics
EMW - Sticker OpenEV - Full color Embedded into poly material

Size
EMW 11 x 7 x 3 OpenEV 8 x 5 x 3

Mounting Flanges
EMW None (Optional cradle) OpenEV included

No offense, but I said, "I see SOME similarities . . . ". For example, without become too nitpicky, the overall size and shape of both enclosures are similar; even the six front panel mounting screws used. Both are intended to be watertight with sealing gaskets around the edges of the panel. And both have their I/O cables coming out the bottom. Neither unit needs to be wall mounted, and can easily be used for portable applications. Both are open sourced based on Arduino DIY kits, and as such neither safety agency approved. More importantly, they are BOTH excellent products for the money.

This is where the similarities end. I love my JuiceBox and I'm sure most of your customers love their Open EVSEs, so they both have that in common too. :mrgreen:

Dsinned said:

No offense, but I said, "I see SOME similarities . . . ". For example, without become too nitpicky, the overall size and shape of both enclosures are similar; even the six front panel mounting screws used. Both are intended to be watertight with sealing gaskets around the edges of the panel. And both have their I/O cables coming out the bottom. Neither unit needs to be wall mounted, and can easily be used for portable applications. Both are open sourced based on Arduino DIY kits, and as such neither safety agency approved. More importantly, they are BOTH excellent products for the money.

This is where the similarities end. I love my JuiceBox and I'm sure most of your customers love their Open EVSEs, so they both have that in common too. :mrgreen:

Click to expand...

No offence taken.

It's hard to tell from pictures but there is a pretty big differance in size. The OpenEV enclosure has about half the volume as the EMW enclosure (120 vs 231 cubic inches). The OpenEV controller also 1/4 the size as the JB controller. 6 OpenEV boards fit in the same footprint as the JB controller and its power supply.

Even with half the volume the OpenEV enclosure maintains a footprint for fuses.

Yes, both power cords exit the bottom but this is the same for every wall mounted charging station on the market. It would be akward to have cables exit the sides or top.

NRTL listing only applies to fully built units, which OpenEV does not sell. At least one OpenEV commercial customer in the US is currently in the NRTL process certifing their unit with a stock OpenEV controller. To date no modifications to the OpenEV board have been required by the NRTL. Several non-US customers are in the certification process with their respective Safety certification agencies.

Dsinned, I can see how a causal observer may see similarities between JB and OpenEVSE. However, there are many more differences than similarities in the philosophy and thus product design & implementation. At its core, OpenEVSE came about from an enthusiast owner's (Chris) frustration with the poorly designed and expensive EVSEs of the time. Arising from the enthusiast community with contributions from other enthusiasts, OpenEVSE continues to be refined as a true open source community DIY project. EMW's juicebox takes a different approach - one meant to make money by a small startup. There's nothing wrong with making money of course but the motivations often lead to very different products. Yes, technically the JB controller is open source but not really; here's why. The JB is for the most part designed and implemented by EMW without broader enthusiast community contribution (unless you count the community outcry when JB first came out with a design without GFCI protection; EMW did respond by adding it). On the other hand, the openEVSE design has been implemented and modified independently by several enthusiasts; that is to say that the controller boards and firmware have been modified and tweaked by the community at large. So in the end, OpenEVSE is a true open source project by supported & driven by enthusiasts who make it better simply because they can, whereas JB is open source only in name & made by a company whose drive & motivation is set elsewhere. Yes, Chris makes money for his efforts but the continued improvements are driven by the enthusiast spirit and not profit. As an example, EMW made and sold a few rather dubious so called products like the 120V to 240V Y plug which sold for $50; this thing was just dangerous and not elegant in it's design or implementation. Whats-more, EMW continued to sell this until shamed by the community into discontinuing it. In short, this device (below), I fear is representative of the quality and philosophy in EMW's products; this is ashame since I think the principal there, Val, is quite smart and personable.

chris1howell said:

Material
EMW - Cast Aluminum OpenEV - Poly-Carbonate

Click to expand...

I likeep the compact size.

Can either cast aluminum case or poly carbonate case withstand run over by a car if used as a portable unit? Which is stronger?

Rav4EVoom said:

chris1howell said:

Material
EMW - Cast Aluminum OpenEV - Poly-Carbonate

Click to expand...

I likeep the compact size.

Can either cast aluminum case or poly carbonate case withstand run over by a car if used as a portable unit? Which is stronger?

Click to expand...

I would put my money on the Poly. I will run over both types tomorrow.

The die-cast aluminium alloy used on the Hammond Manufacturing Enclosures is inexpensive and easy to machine but a bit brittle and quite thin on the sides.

The Poly Material is VERY strong and the enclosure design is quite beefy. The material has a tensile strength of 9000+ PSI.

Here is the data sheet for the poly material... http://www.polycase.com/uploads/134341325094730.pdf

I can't find any details on the aluminium alloy.

Thanks for quick reply. It'll be interesting learn of your experiments.

Rav4EVoom said:

chris1howell said:

Material
EMW - Cast Aluminum OpenEV - Poly-Carbonate

Click to expand...

I likeep the compact size.

Can either cast aluminum case or poly carbonate case withstand run over by a car if used as a portable unit? Which is stronger?

Click to expand...

The answer is yes for the Poly... I will test the Aluminum later this weekend.

I ran it over with a 2012 Nissan Leaf several times length wise, across the width, forward and backward. There wan no permanent damage, just a little dirt on the enclosure and the button seal squeezed out (with no damage).

chris1howell said:

The answer is yes for the Poly... I will test the Aluminum later this weekend.

I ran it over with a 2012 Nissan Leaf several times length wise, across the width, forward and backward. There wan no permanent damage, just a little dirt on the enclosure and the button seal squeezed out (with no damage).

Click to expand...

Your test result is impressive. Thank you very much.

Where is the picture of the Model S, RAV4, Frito-Lay truck, parked on it?

Rav4EVoom said:

Your test result is impressive. Thank you very much.

Click to expand...

+1, thanks. Nice sturdy enclosure!