ITT J1772 Plug/Cable Set

DIYers, I just received my ITT Cannon EVC-C-30A-600S-20 J1772 Plug/Cable today from Avnet.

Photos of it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lincomatic/sets/72157627038881356/

It looks very high quality, but it's not nearly as visually appealing as the Yazaki plug. The button/latch is made of black plastic instead of metal. The cable is very beefy, but it's a dull black with lettering all over it. One minor annoyance... when I plug it into my Leaf, it won't latch when I just plug it in straight. I have to give it a light upward tug in order for the latch to engage. It seems like the hook is slightly too short, or misaligned. Does anyone else have the same problem with this plug?

UPDATE: After repeatedly plugging in it, the ITT plug is now working smoothly. I guess it just needed to be broken in a bit.
UPDATE2: I tried another virgin ITT plug on my friend's newly-installed AV EVSE, and had no latch problems.

I tried to find a source for the Yazaki plugs, but wasn't successful.

Text deleted by author

So...Mr DIY...what's the project if we may be so bold? A retrofit on an older EVSE or something new?

This is the same connector / cable as used by PodPoint in the UK, can you PM me details of price / availability of this

thanks

davewill said:

So...Mr DIY...what's the project if we may be so bold? A retrofit on an older EVSE or something new?

Click to expand...

I'm collaborating with Chris. My plan is to build a completely universal voltage/current EVSE with connectivity to Windows/phones/etc.

Boomer23 said:

I'd be a little concerned that this connector is having a fitment problem right out of the box. While it looks like a good quality unit and it doesn't look like the one that I had such trouble with back in April http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3603&p=85553&hilit=this+j+connector+immobilized#p85553, I'd want to make sure that it releases properly every time. Otherwise, you might be immobilized, like I was.

However, the latch on yours is open and easily reached, so you could easily pry it upward with a tool if it got stuck.

Click to expand...

Do you know if the one you were having trouble with was by Dostar? I was getting pricing from some Chinese factories, and the most cost effective one was the Dostar unit, which looks exactly like the one you had trouble with. In the end, the shipping costs + the experience you had killed my idea of sampling a few to share with others.

daleph said:

This is the same connector / cable as used by PodPoint in the UK, can you PM me details of price / availability of this

thanks

Click to expand...

In the US, it's available from Avnet Express. I bought it for ~$260 + tax + shipping. Very pricey, but the only domestic source I could find besides tucsonev.com, whose unit supposedly has fitment problems on the Leaf.

lincomatic said:

Boomer23 said:

I'd be a little concerned that this connector is having a fitment problem right out of the box. While it looks like a good quality unit and it doesn't look like the one that I had such trouble with back in April http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3603&p=85553&hilit=this+j+connector+immobilized#p85553, I'd want to make sure that it releases properly every time. Otherwise, you might be immobilized, like I was.

However, the latch on yours is open and easily reached, so you could easily pry it upward with a tool if it got stuck.

Click to expand...

Do you know if the one you were having trouble with was by Dostar? I was getting pricing from some Chinese factories, and the most cost effective one was the Dostar unit, which looks exactly like the one you had trouble with. In the end, the shipping costs + the experience you had killed my idea of sampling a few to share with others.

Click to expand...

Oops, I see from your thread that it was indeed a Dostar.

It looks a lot like the unit I used today, used by a certain Italian vehicle manufacturer with neither a prancing horse nor a trident in their logo. If so, it worked fine on the car I applied it to (which, in fairness, was not a LEAF).

This looks exactly the same as the one used with the Schneider EV2430WS. I haven't had any connection issues with it over the last 30 days. Seems to connect/disconnect easily.

COuld this kit be used to make a simple J1772 cord extension unit ?

<Male receptacle J1772>-----------------<Female receptacle J1772>

Thanks!

Yes, simple but expensive?

A satisfactory, "water-proof" Housing for the receptacle might be a problem?

I agree on the expensive comment ... the plug/cable/socket could easily cost $400+. But as for waterproof enclosures ... they're easy to find.

just a comment on longevity of connectors. since i use 120 volt charging up until recently but still using the modified L2 upgrade, i have noticed that mine does not latch as easily as it did before. how i know this?

my 4 YO Son could easily plug it in before, now he struggles. it seems the "latch threshold" is now smaller. iow, before i could push it in and it would latch maybe a millimeter before it was completely seated. now it seems it must be completed seated before i get that click.

i dont consider this to be an issue really. i have had the thought of a public charging station to test this on to see how well it connects up, but with moving issues over the past few weeks, i have not had time to do much of anything. today is our first real leisure day since the major moving started nearly 3 weeks ago.

now, wondering if anyone else has noticed. problem is that very few use their Portable EVSE as much as i have. but something to keep in mind.

for the OP, i think yours will actually "break in" over time to where it snaps in easier

DaveinOlyWA said:

now, wondering if anyone else has noticed. problem is that very few use their Portable EVSE as much as i have. but something to keep in mind.

Click to expand...

I use the same Yazaki connector on the AV L2 every night, and the L1/L2 portable probably once every couple of weeks, and haven't noticed that issue at all.

mwalsh said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

now, wondering if anyone else has noticed. problem is that very few use their Portable EVSE as much as i have. but something to keep in mind.

Click to expand...

I use the same Yazaki connector on the AV L2 every night, and the L1/L2 portable probably once every couple of weeks, and haven't noticed that issue at all.

Click to expand...

is the connector the same as the portable one?

another thing that happened once a few weeks ago (think son might have had something to do with it) was after plugging in, i got alert on my phone that Leaf was unplugged, so went and checked it and was not charging and pushing on the connector did nothing so i unplugged it and plugged it back in and charging restarted. other than this one incident, it has never happened again. now why this happened, i dont know. guessing maybe not clicked in fully the first time plugged in??

to be honest with ya, the Leaf if so effortless, i kinda gloss over the details. the fact that it takes 10 seconds to start the refueling process over the 10-30 minute process it takes to fuel up the Prius just makes it that much more enjoyable

DaveinOlyWA said:

mwalsh said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

now, wondering if anyone else has noticed. problem is that very few use their Portable EVSE as much as i have. but something to keep in mind.

Click to expand...

I use the same Yazaki connector on the AV L2 every night, and the L1/L2 portable probably once every couple of weeks, and haven't noticed that issue at all.

Click to expand...

is the connector the same as the portable one?

another thing that happened once a few weeks ago (think son might have had something to do with it) was after plugging in, i got alert on my phone that Leaf was unplugged, so went and checked it and was not charging and pushing on the connector did nothing so i unplugged it and plugged it back in and charging restarted. other than this one incident, it has never happened again. now why this happened, i dont know. guessing maybe not clicked in fully the first time plugged in??

to be honest with ya, the Leaf if so effortless, i kinda gloss over the details. the fact that it takes 10 seconds to start the refueling process over the 10-30 minute process it takes to fuel up the Prius just makes it that much more enjoyable

Click to expand...

The portable EVSE uses the Yazaki connector, which is supposed to even withstand drive overs. It's the same connnector as on the Chargepoint station I used in a parking lot the other day. It should be very durable for repeated use.

There's a switch in the latch mechanism, for the proximity circuit, so if you don't latch it properly, it will stop charging. You probably didn't click it in securely.

DaveinOlyWA said:

for the OP, i think yours will actually "break in" over time to where it snaps in easier

Click to expand...

You were right, it just needed some breaking in. I plugged it in over and over again, and it works smoothly now.

Leland said:

This looks exactly the same as the one used with the Schneider EV2430WS. I haven't had any connection issues with it over the last 30 days. Seems to connect/disconnect easily.

Click to expand...

I wanted to "me too" on this. I had wondered which connecter my Schneider unit was using, and the pics match up exactly with my unit.

DaveinOlyWA said:

is the connector the same as the portable one?

Click to expand...

Though the portable unit uses wiring of a lighter gauge, I'm 99% sure the head is the same.