Portable OpenEVSE at 40A

TonyWilliams said:

Exactly, it is a 40 amp relay that to has a 30 amp limitations, as stated. We haven't had any of the relays fail to my knowledge. The failures of any of the Tesla UMC's have been the wall plug and the components themselves, but as far as I know I've never had a relay fail.

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I believe that it's capable of 6,000 cycles at 40A and 100,000 cycles at 30A per the datasheet. Is that correct?

surfingslovak said:

TonyWilliams said:

Exactly, it is a 40 amp relay that to has a 30 amp limitations, as stated. We haven't had any of the relays fail to my knowledge. The failures of any of the Tesla UMC's have been the wall plug and the components themselves, but as far as I know I've never had a relay fail.

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I believe that it's capable of 6,000 cycles at 40A and 100,000 cycles at 30A per the datasheet. Is that correct?

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Absolutely. Like I say, a 40 amp relay with a 30 amp limitation. That's no different than other components are rated.

When Phil announced that it was a "30 amp" relay, that became the de facto truth to a lot of folks. But, it is very much a tested and rated 40 amp relay, and secondly, that's not what fails in the UMC / JESLA.

A red herring, folks. Nobody has bought AND warranted more Tesla UMC's than me. I personally have every JESLA that failed and couldn't be fixed.

There are plenty of things wrong with the UMC that we fully intend to make it better, but the relay is not one of them.

Also worth noting, the J1772 and Tesla chargers both have a proximity switch whose purpose is to signal the on-board charger to immediately "cut power". That means there's no arc current when the relay opens and closes, which is what kills relays. By my guess, these "under-rated" relays will last an eternity even if they're used at max load (40A on 30A) every day. *shrug*
(you might notice I registered just for this, but I'd lurked for a while and just saw something I should mention. I'm a Leaf guy. =) )

End of year sale. Complete 30A kits with New Poly Carbonate Enclosure, 20" Ultra Flexible J1772 cable and Input cable.

Basic $369 Includes Red, Green, Blue Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Standard $399 Includes Monochrome Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
Deluxe $449 Includes Red, Green, Blue Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and Current Measurement Coil

http://store.openevse.com/products/30a-charging-station-combo-with-j1772-and-input-coard

FYI, I found a nice deal on a 14-50 to TT30 adapter that's actually wired correctly for EVSE use:


Conntek 30A 125-Volt RV/Generator Plug TT-30P to 50-Amp Electric Vehicle Adapter Cord for Tesla $24.99
I can't buy the parts for that. I haven't actually received mine yet, and I'll report on it as soon as I do.

Pair it with this:

Camco 55223 15M/30F AMP PowerGrip Adapter $6.90

and you've got the two main 120v plugs covered. It may be that I will need to get/make a TT30 to 5-25 adapter that has some cord length to it so the adapter can lay on the ground...or I can just use a short extension cord.

Thanks for the tip. Kind of pricey at a "list price" of $70 (plus shipping), however Amazon knocks $45 off, which is more reasonable, and still cheaper than most EVSE companies sell equivalent adaptors. Mine cost $35, but this one looks more "purpose built" for L2 EVSE applications.

For conversion to a NEMA 5-15P, I don't recommend this combination, because the plug-in portion of such an adaptor becomes too bulky and heavy to stay plugged in to a standard 120V outlet. It will be prone to falling out of the receptacle as a result. It would be better to make your own with a direct plug to receptacle adapter (5-15P to 14-50R) on a short power cord, and cheaper too.

Dsinned said:

... For conversion to a NEMA 5-15P, I don't recommend this combination, because the plug-in portion of such an adaptor becomes too bulky and heavy to stay plugged in to a standard 120V outlet. It will be prone to falling out of the receptacle as a result. It would be better to make your own with a direct plug to receptacle adapter (5-15P to 14-50R) on a short power cord, and cheaper too.

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Yes, I mentioned that, although since the TT-30 is right angle, I'm hoping it won't be an issue. If it is, I've got a nice 6 ft. heavy extension cord that I can afford to pack with the adapter to take the strain off the outlet.