Blink charger problems

[LEAFfan]

Yes, you do, if it's an outdoor installation. Those are hardwired. If the Blink doesn't recognize that it's plugged into the LEAF, it will not charge. There won't be any clunks and the blue lights won't flash. This is one of the issues that the firmware upgrade is supposed to address.

I must have missed her post about it being hardwired. I was talking about it being in the garage and plugged in.

 

[TonyWilliams]

How can you tell if you have a bad card? You'll run into all kinds of problem with it and need to reboot the Blink very often to get it working again, until the next failure.

That's my situation. It did leave me stranded once. They are supposed to come out and replace the SD card and told me that the new firmware comes out Tuesday.

 

[davewill]

One thing I have recently noticed that seems to be problematic. The J1772 spec states that the EVSE should discontinue charging when the latch is pressed on the connector, which actuates the disconnect switch inside. On my Blink this does not work. The charger continues charging when the latch is pressed and will let you disconnect the connector with it still hot and charging. This is obviously both a safety and a connector longevity problem.

Is this a design defect in the Blink in general or does my specific unit have a problem? If someone could verify how their Blink unit handles this, I would appreciate it. The switch does click when I press the latch so I know it is present and seemingly operational.

My Blink is the same...I'm pretty sure the L1 EVSE acts the same.
My understanding is that EVSE doesn't know that the button is pressed. I believe that it is the charger in the car that is responsible for shutting down current draw when the button is pressed. Unplugging HOT isn't a problem, it's unplugging when high current is flowing.

 

[TomT]

Here is the response I received from Blink:

Tom,

I have contacted the engineering department on this matter, as it is one that is unique to your situation. As soon as we get an answer, we will take the appropriate steps toward as remedy. We will keep you abreast of the situation. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

One thing I have recently noticed that seems to be problematic. The J1772 spec states that the EVSE should discontinue charging when the latch is pressed on the connector, which actuates the disconnect switch inside. On my Blink this does not work. The charger continues charging when the latch is pressed and will let you disconnect the connector with it still charging. This is obviously both a safety and a connector longevity problem.

 

[DarkStar]

One thing I have recently noticed that seems to be problematic. The J1772 spec states that the EVSE should discontinue charging when the latch is pressed on the connector, which actuates the disconnect switch inside. On my Blink this does not work. The charger continues charging when the latch is pressed and will let you disconnect the connector with it still hot and charging. This is obviously both a safety and a connector longevity problem.

Is this a design defect in the Blink in general or does my specific unit have a problem? If someone could verify how their Blink unit handles this, I would appreciate it. The switch does click when I press the latch so I know it is present and seemingly operational.

My Blink is the same...I'm pretty sure the L1 EVSE acts the same.
My understanding is that EVSE doesn't know that the button is pressed. I believe that it is the charger in the car that is responsible for shutting down current draw when the button is pressed. Unplugging HOT isn't a problem, it's unplugging when high current is flowing.

This is correct, per the J1772 spec, the vehicle (not EVSE) must discontinue drawing power when the button is pressed on the connector. Whether or not the vehicle immediately sends the EVSE a request to open the contactor isn't given in the specification. Nissan has chosen to not send this signal, but does discontinue drawing power when the button is depressed. Once the connector is removed from the vehicle, the pilot pin connection is broken and the Blink will automatically open the contactor.

 

[Volusiano]

Nissan has chosen to not send this signal, but does discontinue drawing power when the button is depressed.

Does Nissan say this in the manual or somewhere? Or have you been able to confirm it somehow?

I'm not questioning your statement in a negative way. I'm just trying to know where the source of this knowledge is from. Thanks.

 

[Volusiano]

Here is the response I received from Blink:

Tom,

I have contacted the engineering department on this matter, as it is one that is unique to your situation. As soon as we get an answer, we will take the appropriate steps toward as remedy. We will keep you abreast of the situation. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

I wonder why Blink CS said this is unique to your situation. Did you tell them that you're not the only one who experiences this?

 

[TomT]

I'm not sure why they said that... No, I had not yet received any responses back at the time I sent them an email so I didn't know if others were experiencing the same phenomena...

Based on the data received at this point, I'd like to know if any other EVSEs properly disconnect when the trigger is pressed. If not, it may be a car issue.
It seems one easy way to do this is to simply have the trigger switch interrupt the pilot which should then shut down the charger and the EVSE...

Here is the response I received from Blink:

Tom,

I have contacted the engineering department on this matter, as it is one that is unique to your situation. As soon as we get an answer, we will take the appropriate steps toward as remedy. We will keep you abreast of the situation. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

I wonder why Blink CS said this is unique to your situation. Did you tell them that you're not the only one who experiences this?

 

[tomsax]

Nissan has chosen to not send this signal, but does discontinue drawing power when the button is depressed.

Does Nissan say this in the manual or somewhere? Or have you been able to confirm it somehow?

I'm not questioning your statement in a negative way. I'm just trying to know where the source of this knowledge is from. Thanks.

A friend of mine confirmed this behavior last month. His Blink unit is wired through a dedicated utility meter, so he was able to confirm that current stopped flowing when the latch on the connector is opened.

 

[TomT]

Interesting... That would seem to indicate that some do work correctly and some (like mine) do not...

A friend of mine confirmed this behavior last month. His Blink unit is wired through a dedicated utility meter, so he was able to confirm that current stopped flowing when the latch on the connector is opened.

 

[davewill]

Interesting... That would seem to indicate that some do work correctly and some (like mine) do not...

You have verified current flow when the button is pressed?

 

[Volusiano]

A friend of mine confirmed this behavior last month. His Blink unit is wired through a dedicated utility meter, so he was able to confirm that current stopped flowing when the latch on the connector is opened.

I wonder why one even needs to verify current flow with a dedicated utility meter? Shouldn't it be as simple as the Blink saying it's no longer charging if there's no current flow?

For example, if I plug the Blink to the car during the OFF time based on the car timer, first the Blink said Charging after I plug it in, due to the hand shake I guess. But then a second later, it switches to "Not Charging" when the Leaf's timer stops the current flow because it is during the OFF time programmed in the Leaf.

Or like when charging is completed, the Leaf stops the current flow and the Blink follows and says "Not charging".

So shouldn't the action of pushing down on the latch button, if it causes the Leaf to react and stop the current flow, will cause the Blink to change from "Charging" to "Not charging" because there's no more current flow?

You shouldn't need a utility meter to detect this. If you do because the Blink still says "Charging", then it's a bug in the Blink.

 

[davewill]

A friend of mine confirmed this behavior last month. His Blink unit is wired through a dedicated utility meter, so he was able to confirm that current stopped flowing when the latch on the connector is opened.

I wonder why one even needs to verify current flow with a dedicated utility meter? Shouldn't it be as simple as the Blink saying it's no longer charging if there's no current flow?

There's no reason to assume the Blink needs to end the charge session. All that's required is that the car stop drawing current while the button is pressed. Since it takes time for the EVSE to open the contacts, Nissan probably didn't want to tell the EVSE to open contacts unless you actually unplug.

 

[DarkStar]

All EVSEs I've used (Blink, Coulomb, Shorepower, AV, and Nissan/Panasonic) perform exactly the same on the Leaf. When the button is pressed, the Leaf stops drawing power but the EVSE contactor stays closed. Once the plug is removed from the Leaf and the pilot pin is broken, the contactor opens.

 

[Volusiano]

All EVSEs I've used (Blink, Coulomb, Shorepower, AV, and Nissan/Panasonic) perform exactly the same on the Leaf. When the button is pressed, the Leaf stops drawing power but the EVSE contactor stays closed. Once the plug is removed from the Leaf and the pilot pin is broken, the contactor opens.

Ah, I see. When the Leaf stops drawing current, do the blue charging lights on the Leaf dashboard stop flashing to signify that it's not taking any current?

Also, when I connect the Blink to the Leaf, I not only hear the clunking sound from the relay of the Blink connecting, I also hear a clunking sound from the relay from the Leaf connecting as well. But when I push and hold the J1772 latchbutton down, all's quiet as a mouse and I don't even hear the clunking sound of the Leaf's relay disconnecting.

If the Leaf relay is not disconnecting (no relay sound), and the Blink is not disconnecting either, then where's the disconnect? Or is it the actual J1772 latch button that's causing a mechanical disconnect when pushed down?

 

[davewill]

If the Leaf relay is not disconnecting (no relay sound), and the Blink is not disconnecting either, then where's the disconnect? Or is it the actual J1772 latch button that's causing a mechanical disconnect when pushed down?

No disconnect, no clunks, no change in lights... The LEAFs charger senses the button, and just stops drawing current.

 

[TaylorSFGuy]

Earlier this week, my Blink finally installed the 1.7 update, after many downloads and failed installs, along with one hard power reset. This morning, I went out and my Blink had "Charging Stopped" in orange and I should check the car schedule (which isn't turned on). The car was fully charged anyways so I went to work. When I came home, it still said that (after waking up the screen) so I plugged it into the LEAF. The car made the beeps and the Blink clunked and it is charging away.

I'd love to be a beta tester for updates as it seems they aren't doing much testing. Oh wait, I am already. We seem to move from one problem to another. They have got to put their heads down and get this thing working. People are expected to spend upwards of a couple thousand dollars for an EVSE and I can't recommend Blink at this point. They have a lot of competition and need to get the unit working properly. Turn off the constant internet connection - for crying out loud, it is only used once or twice a day at the most - download the data weekly instead of always being connected.

Hopefully they don't get the Level 3 contract in Washington or it could be like going to a restroom and seeing the Out of Order sign - now what?

 

[ttweed]

People are expected to spend upwards of a couple thousand dollars for an EVSE and I can't recommend Blink at this point. They have a lot of competition and need to get the unit working properly.

Maybe I was just lucky with my unit, but I have had zero serious problems charging with mine during 4 months and 5,000 miles of driving. It received and applied the latest update on the day it was issued, with no intervention on my part. Considering I got it for free, I am a happy camper and have no beef with its performance, other than nuisance items about the way it collects and displays data, the time stamps, the UI for entering charging rates, etc. These are small potatoes, though, IMHO, and will be worked out over time. The main thing is that to this point I have never been stranded because the unit wouldn't charge my car, and that's what counts for me.

I know that these threads are for people who are having problems, but I would just like to add the unheard voice of someone who is perfectly pleased with the Blink performance and only hold a grudge with Ecotality on the issue of the slow pace of the rollout of public infrastructure, especially L3 charging. Compared to the slow pace of the Leaf rollout and the unanticipated delays I had in getting delivery of the car, I would say that Nissan and Ecotality have been equally challenged in this whole unique endeavor, but I am willing to cut them both some slack.

TT

 

[EVVB]

i plugged in the car for just the second time last night and almost immediately I got a charging stopped message on the Blink EVSE with a statement that I should check the status of my vehicle. The only think I can think of is that the headlights were still on as they are set to auto. I reset the Blink charger by cycling the power and then plugged the car in again after the lights were off and charging proceeded with no problem. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

 

[LEAFfan]

I only had a few problems initially, but since the new SD card and the latest firmware update, I've had no more problems with my Blink. However, don't rely on the Blink's website for charging data. For some reason, it doesn't match (59ws/82B) what is on the Blink's data screen.