Making a L6-20 to 10-30 adaptor...what do I need?

[fulabu]

If I were to try and make this adaptor myself, what would I need to buy from Home Depot?

 

[Volusiano]

Check out this thread to make a low cost L16-20 pigtail out of chopping the 5-15P off the L6-20 to 5-15 adaptor.

Note that these are the smaller 14 awg wires and not the normal 12 awg size. If you want the bigger 12 awg size, you can order the L6-20 pigtail from evseupgrade.com or look for it at http://www.stayonline.com.

I would get the 10-30 connector from Lowe's instead of Home Depot. I like the one from Lowe's better.

 

[arnolddeleon]

The prices have gone up on Americord since I posted that. Someone else was selling the same adapters on eBay (see the thread). As noted that wires are 14 gauge but that is plenty for a short pigtail. You may need double over the stripped end to get the connectors to get the connectors to bite tightly.

My general tip is you only want to make one of the ends up, you want to the other end to be a pre-made molded connector. It will generally be cheaper and smaller. If you are in the SF bay area someone has been bring free 10-30 dryer cords to the meetings.

In this thread I show my adapters going into the original Nissan bag.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5222

arnold

 

[fulabu]

How I made my own L6-20 to 10-30 adapter (I have the “old” dryer outlet) that attaches to my upgraded EVSE unit:

Supplies bought from Home Depot:
- Pass & Seymour Turnlok Connector NEMA L6-20R
- Leviton 30/50 Amp Dual Angle Power Plug
- 3’ of 14-3 SOOW Wire (white, green, and black wires)

Starting with the L6-20R connector, I stripped the 3 wires and attached the green wire to the ground, the black to X, and white to Y.

For the power plug, I stripped the other end of the wires and attached the green wire to the “L” blade, the black wire to the “right” blade, and the white to the “left” blade. When I say “right” and “left” I’m referring to how the blades are positioned as if you’re plugging the plug into the wall.

Since this was my first time doing anything like this, I turned off the dryer breaker and plugged in the EVSE with the 10-30 connector attached. Went back and turned on the breaker and voila - green light on the EVSE, all systems go. Plug the EVSE into the Leaf and now charging.

 

[fulabu]

Arnold, thanks for your help.

 

[fooljoe]

Check out this thread to make a low cost L16-20 pigtail out of chopping the 5-15P off the L6-20 to 5-15 adaptor.

Note that these are the smaller 14 awg wires and not the normal 12 awg size. If you want the bigger 12 awg size, you can order the L6-20 pigtail from evseupgrade.com or look for it at http://www.stayonline.com.

I would get the 10-30 connector from Lowe's instead of Home Depot. I like the one from Lowe's better.

FYI the L6-20r pigtail I recently received from evseupgrade is 14 awg, which surprised me a little, but I assume is fine for a short length. And I see that OP already took care of his but FWIW for my L6-20 to 10-30 adapter (my primary charging solution) I just bought a 10-30 dryer cord like this one and chopped off the ends, then attached it to this receptacle. The dryer cord uses 10 awg wire with thick insulation, so I had to "whittle" down the insulation a bit at the ends to get them into the receptacle. Also note if you go this route that the dryer cord wires are unmarked; the middle one is the neutral/ground while the outside are the hot wires.