Weekend(s) Project - DIY EVSE

[lincomatic]

This is just an ugly mockup of the GUI to use while I'm getting the communications plumbing working.
I'll work on prettying it up after it's functional.

Some of the info displayed is just for debugging. I need to add an elapsed time display for charging.
I'm open to any suggestions for anything that's missing. Once we get Bluetooth and networking on the board,
it will be a lot more useful.

 

[davewill]

This is just an ugly mockup of the GUI to use while I'm getting the communications plumbing working...

I'm finding the image to be unavailable. If I put the url directly in my browser, I get:

The connection has timed out
The server at http://www.lincomatic.com is taking too long to respond.

Edit: Must have been my end. The image was fine when I came back to the thread after a while.

 

[lincomatic]

This is just an ugly mockup of the GUI to use while I'm getting the communications plumbing working...

I'm finding the image to be unavailable. If I put the url directly in my browser, I get:

The connection has timed out
The server at http://www.lincomatic.com is taking too long to respond.

That's strange. Maybe your firewall software is blocking my ISP? It shows up in the post OK for me. Try again. If it's still having problems,
maybe I'll move the images to Picasa.

 

[chris1howell]

The image works fine for me....

 

[surfingslovak]

Nice mockup, I can see the image OK. I couldn't think of anything to add, except perhaps the current draw in kW addition to the amps. I find that information quite useful whenever I charge from a commercial Coulomb station.

 

[chris1howell]

I think it would be cool to add SOC to the EVSE software, it would require hacking Gary's SOC CAN hack adding bluetooth or wireless. The EVSE could become very smart if it could get data from the EV CAN bus...

 

[lincomatic]

I'd like to be able to calculate Miles/KWh from the plug. The numbers the car & Carwings give are too optimistic.

Another crazy hack I'm considering is to mount the EVSE in the car, and put a plug where the DC charger is supposed to connect. Then
all it would need is an extension cord with two plug adapters.. one for 240V and one for 120V to get your juice anywhere.

 

[fotajoye]

www.evseupgrade.com .......for 120/240 Nissan Brick
www.modularevpower.com......for EVSE info
www.tucsonev.com ......for J1772 cable

 

[fotajoye]

Correction: www.modularevpower.com for module info.

 

[chris1howell]

I would use extreme caution with the J1772 plug form Tusconev, there have been reports of the cable not releasing properly from the LEAF. It is also not currently UL listed.

 

[fotajoye]

Chris:
Good point...and noted! :shock:

 

[chris1howell]

Success.... :!: :!: :!:

Charged the leaf with the DIY EVSE at 16A 240V and 12A 120V...


picture3 by chris1howell, on Flickr


picture4 by chris1howell, on Flickr


picture2 by chris1howell, on Flickr


picture1 by chris1howell, on Flickr

 

[mwalsh]

Success.... :!: :!: :!:

Charged the leaf with the DIY EVSE at 16A 240V and 12A 120V...

Nice going Chris!

 

[lincomatic]

Most Excellent!

 

[DaveEV]

Success.... :!: :!: :!:

Charged the leaf with the DIY EVSE at 16A 240V and 12A 120V...

Nicely done!

 

[rainnw]

Ironic how inexpensive this can be built, but with the price of the J1772 and safety certification, the price shoots right back up

 

[lincomatic]

Ironic how inexpensive this can be built, but with the price of the J1772 and safety certification, the price shoots right back up

For DIY people building them for personal use, safety certification isn't an issue. The cost of the cable set in small quantities does bring the price back up, but only to the level of the cheaper commercial products, which may not be reliable, and are limited in features.

For someone going into production with a commercial product, the cable set is much cheaper. I got a quote from the factory on the Dostar cable set that EV Charge America and some others are using, for instance, and it's quite affordable in quantity as long as one uses sea shipping. The shipping cost of the heavy cable is prohibitive via air for small quantities. The bottom line is the manufacturers like AV who are selling dumb EVSE's which have no extra functionality, and cut corners with non-compliant circuitry for $995 are price gouging.

Having control of the design adds a lot more value than just trying to save a few dollars. It allows the DIYer to build something which is 100% standards compliant (unlike even the EVSE that Nissan supplies us), and has interesting added features, such as adjustable voltage/current, energy usage monitoring, bluetooth/web connectivity, etc.

 

[chris1howell]

Could've said it better myself.

 

[fotajoye]

What is the price for one, a quality product of course, and where does the price break for volume start?
Perhaps we can get someone to buy in volume for us. What say?

 

[surfingslovak]

I got a quote from the factory on the Dostar cable set that EV Charge America and some others are using, for instance, and it's quite affordable in quantity as long as one uses sea shipping. The shipping cost of the heavy cable is prohibitive via air for small quantities.

Very interesting, thank you for sharing this. I'm still waiting for the quote from Yazaki North America. They seem to be marketing J1772 plugs as well as complete J1772 plug/cable assemblies. I was wondering if Dostar would sell just the plug without any cable attached to it. In your estimation, what would be the minimum volume required to make the plug order economical?