OpenEVSE - Open Source Charging Station

[waidy]

It would be really cool if Chris went on Jay Leno's Garage and assembled an Open EVSE with him.

I am in... Just waiting for the invite.

I am jealous.

 

[waidy]

Tonight, after I plugged the J-hose into my Rav and after the usual "PANG" noise, the OpenEVSE display switches its language to Greek. Has anyone seen this? What have I done wrong?

 

[91040]

I got similar gibberish on my Adafruit. I was advised that the display was faulty based on the side LED remaining steadily lit while the display was flickering. Whether this was caused by my lack of soldering skills or a defective unit was not determined. I replaced the display.

See if any of the solder connections look bad and re-flow if suspect. Also, check if there are any solder splatters or contaminants on the display or shield.

Tonight, after I plugged the J-hose into my Rav and after the usual "PANG" noise, the OpenEVSE display switches its language to Greek. Has anyone seen this? What have I done wrong?

 

[waidy]

I got similar gibberish on my Adafruit. I was advised that the display was faulty based on the side LED remaining steadily lit while the display was flickering. Whether this was caused by my lack of soldering skills or a defective unit was not determined. I replaced the display.

See if any of the solder connections look bad and re-flow if suspect. Also, check if there are any solder splatters or contaminants on the display or shield.

I checked this morning after my Rav is fully charged (it was fully charged in the middle of the night). My 75amp OpenEVSE decided to speak English again (showing 75Amp, EV is connected). Would it be a possible bug where the EVSE was set to 75Amp but it was drawing 40Amp, that it won't display the correct amperage? Or the openEVSE only speaks Greek to Rav, English to S, and English on idle.

 

[waidy]

I checked this morning after my Rav is fully charged (it was fully charged in the middle of the night). My 75amp OpenEVSE decided to speak English again (showing 75Amp, EV is connected). Would it be a possible bug where the EVSE was set to 75Amp but it was drawing 40Amp, that it won't display the correct amperage? Or the openEVSE only speaks Greek to Rav, English to S, and English on idle.

Another possibility is "operator error", that the driver should set the unit to 40Amp when charging the Rav. If this is true, what other consequences would I have, other than seeing Greek on the display?

 

[mitch672]

Waidy, it's nothing to worry about, the I2C communication can get garbled, or more likely a voltage transient garbled the display.. Your OpenEVSE will work fine, regardless of the garbled display.

I connected up a "reset" button to the mine, and I just press it to reset the OpenEVSE. You can flip the breaker also to reset it, I just choose to use the reset line which is brought out on the programming header (6 pin) (less wear and tear on the 100A circuit breaker), there is a ground directly opposite of it, which makes a 2 pin header work for reset/ground access. Look at my pictures on the 75A OpenEVSE wiki, you will see the reset button and the 2 pin header connected to it. I tried using shielded wiring, Rf chokes, better grounding, still happens once in a while, but has not affected the operation of the actual EVSE

Here is the picture of the reset button, connected to the programming header (yellow/black wires connected to a momentary Pushbutton on the bottom)

Note: the surface mount OpenEVSE that Chris supplies also has the 6 pin programming header, so you will have access to "Reset" and "Ground", same as the thruhole board pictured.

 

[waidy]

Waidy, it's nothing to worry about, the I2C communication can get garbled, or more likely a voltage transient garbled the display.. Your OpenEVSE will work fine, regardless of the garbled display.

I connected up a "reset" button to the mine, and I just press it to reset the OpenEVSE. You can flip the breaker also to reset it, I just choose to use the reset line which is brought out on the programming header (6 pin) (less wear and tear on the 100A circuit breaker), there is a ground directly opposite of it, which makes a 2 pin header work for reset/ground access. Look at my pictures on the 75A OpenEVSE wiki, you will see the reset button and the 2 pin header connected to it. I tried using shielded wiring, Rf chokes, better grounding, still happens once in a while, but has not affected the operation of the actual EVSE

Here is the picture of the reset button, connected to the programming header (yellow/black wires connected to a momentary Pushbutton on the bottom)

Note: the surface mount OpenEVSE that Chris supplies also has the 6 pin programming header, so you will have access to "Reset" and "Ground", same as the thruhole board pictured.

Thanks for the notes. You are correct that the display, regardless of its language, has no effect on charging. I left the charging cable connected to the Rav after the charging session completed from last night. I went out half an hour ago and set the Rav for Extended charge. The OpenEVSE kicked in automatically and the display on the OpenEVSE shows the correct language.

I think I saw the 6 pin header while Darren was working on it (I don't want to touch the unit now because is charging now). The 6 pin header (as I remember) is next to the 4 pin I2C.

There is a "reset" button on the display module (which I never touch). Does this button just reset the display?

 

[mitch672]

There is a "reset" button on the display module (which I never touch). Does this button just reset the display?

No, that's a "reset" that connects to a pin on the headers that would normally connect to the processor the LCD display is attached to (on the Arduino stack). You could wire one up as shown in my picture.. The 6 pin header is next to the rectangular isolated +/- 12VDC module...

 

[garygid]

The 6-pin programming header is 2x3, not 1x6.

 

[waidy]

Thanks all for the useful information.

 

[borland]

Tonight, after I plugged the J-hose into my Rav and after the usual "PANG" noise, the OpenEVSE display switches its language to Greek. Has anyone seen this? What have I done wrong?

I noticed that earlier...

With the higher charging current builds, this might be a common problem. You might try re-routing the ribbon cable to the LCD module, or experiment by adding a string of small ferrite beads to individual ribbon cable wires to see what works best.

What you ideally need is ferrite beads of 1000 ohm impedence at 100MHz on the PCB as this design note suggests...

http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slea053/slea053.pdf

A firmware update might be able to fix certain glitches, such as ones caused by a EVSE hardware (relay energizing/de-energizing).

 

[garygid]

waidy, thanks for all your enthusiasm and involvement.

 

[sorloverboy]

I am unable to read all 98 pages of this thread so i apologize if this is covered somewhere within those pages.
Can someone tell me if a common person can buy this and just plug it into a power outlet to start charging EV?

Complete Package with EV Simulator: $225

Thanks

 

[evnow]

I am unable to read all 98 pages of this thread so i apologize if this is covered somewhere within those pages.
Can someone tell me if a common person can buy this and just plug it into a power outlet to start charging EV?

Complete Package with EV Simulator: $225

No - you need some extra work, buy some more parts. See one of the pages on an EVSE someone has built.

Like this one ... http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_thinwing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[mdinh]

Waidy,

Just curious if you/Darren have built the portable 30am Open EVSE and besides the relay/contactor, did you have to get additional parts? I, naively, embarked on an OpenEVSE build thinking: I'm an IT guy, I generally understand electronics concepts, so what the heck. I ordered the J1772 cable, OpenEVSE complete package, Diversified Stage enclosure. I started reading different OpenEVSE builds on the OpenEVSE page and they vary some. I have what I feel is my parts list together stitched from your post and also from http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_mwolrich" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. However, before I order from DigiKey, adaFruit, and StayOnline, I wanted to see how your build went with the openevse plus v2 package, diversified stage enclosure, and Leviton cable.

BTW, so far my total is going to be ~ $580 for all parts. ...a bit more than I imagined when I started ordering, but still cheaper than a full unit. The ability to make it a portable, go 120v or 240v, and future expansion / modifications is how I'm justifying this build in my head BTW, I do plan to apply for the EVSE tax break. I wondered if anyone's done so for their OpenEVSE build as well.

-Mark

Dear Chris, Darren said he will build the portable 30Amp OpenEVSE for me. I would like to confirm with you that the following items are additional items that I need to purchase for the OpenEVSE Plus (v2) Complete Package with EV Simulator:

* Get an OpenEVSE box from Aaron from Diversified Stage, Inc (Contact [email protected])
* Get one waterproof pushbutton (https://www.adafruit.com/products/481" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get one fuse block (http://www.digikey.com/scripts/dksearch/dksus.dll?vendor=0&keywords=+BM6032PQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get one ground bar (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100207842/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=Ground+Bar+Kit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get a J1772 30Amp cable (http://store.leviton.com/b/5742800011" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get a a pair of 8 awg for two hots (black and red) and ____ awg green for ground (please fill in the blank)
* Get two rings, one for the J-cable (http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/CR8420-1000-G/582-1018-ND/1045174?cur=USD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false and the other for the pair of 8 awg power cable (http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?WT.z_header=search_go&lang=en&keywords=240-2119-ND&x=15&y=15&cur=USD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get two cord connectors for the two big holes (http://www.polycase.com/cg-16" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=17209" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
* Get a 14-50 plug (Oh no, now I need to get another wire for neutral. Do I connect the neutral to the ground bar?)

The reason why I want 14-50 plug instead of a 6-30 or 6-50 is because I have all sort of 14-50 pig tails which were built for my 2002 Rav4EV charger (including 14-50 to 6-30, and 14-50 to 6-50, etc. etc.)

New questions:
(1) Would the OpenEVSE Plus (v2) allows charging in either 120V and 240V (auto sensing?)
(2) Would the ready-made box from Diversified Stage big enough to host a 75Amp camper (out of curiosity) ?

Your list looks pretty good you will also need a relay/contactor and the CT for GFCI but I think you covered most of the big parts... I would not worry about the 8awg wires, when I build an EVSE I usualy take a little wire from the AC cord and a little from the J1772 to make all the high voltage connections. The wire in the cords are usualy higher quality and much more flexable than standard cable.

(1) Yes, the OpenEVSE Plus (v2) does auto sense Service Level when using a relay with a 12VDC coil, it will automaticly set a pilot value based on voltage. Example 30A pilot on L2 and 12A pilot on L1. Note this feature is not avaliable if other hardware in the EVSE has a fixed voltage requirement.

(2) It may fit but it will be really tight. A 75A contactor will have a fixed voltage requirement as the coil is 240VAC so (1) will no longer apply and the EVSE will be L2 only.

 

[waidy]

Waidy,

Just curious if you/Darren have built the portable 30am Open EVSE and besides the relay/contactor, did you have to get additional parts? I, naively, embarked on an OpenEVSE build thinking: I'm an IT guy, I generally understand electronics concepts, so what the heck. I ordered the J1772 cable, OpenEVSE complete package, Diversified Stage enclosure. I started reading different OpenEVSE builds on the OpenEVSE page and they vary some. I have what I feel is my parts list together stitched from your post and also from http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_mwolrich" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. However, before I order from DigiKey, adaFruit, and StayOnline, I wanted to see how your build went with the openevse plus v2 package, diversified stage enclosure, and Leviton cable.

BTW, so far my total is going to be ~ $580 for all parts. ...a bit more than I imagined when I started ordering, but still cheaper than a full unit. The ability to make it a portable, go 120v or 240v, and future expansion / modifications is how I'm justifying this build in my head BTW, I do plan to apply for the EVSE tax break. I wondered if anyone's done so for their OpenEVSE build as well.

-Mark

Hi Mark, we haven't ordered the parts to build the portable OpenEVSE yet. I am having 2nd thought after Tony William posted a suggestion of getting a Model S portable unit (40Amp), cut the Tesla proprietary connector and connect it with a J1772 connector. This route would cost a little bit more (~$5xx for the Tesla portable + $220 for a 75Amp J connector). Since my Rav takes 40Amp, the extra few hundred bucks would allow me to charge the Rav at its max.

 

[91040]

You may want to look at the "Workshop" page on the Open EVSE wiki- http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/OpenEVSE_Workshop?ts=1352676672&updated=OpenEVSE_Workshop" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It has the parts list and links to what we used back in November. The Anderson connectors are not required, especially if the unit will be portable. Otherwise it is pretty much the same.

There is also http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/AssemblePlusV2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have a somewhat detailed step by step instruction sheet that I can send you. It assumes basic knowledge of soldering, crimping and assembly. Send a PM with your email address.

Waidy,

Just curious if you/Darren have built the portable 30am Open EVSE and besides the relay/contactor, did you have to get additional parts? I, naively, embarked on an OpenEVSE build thinking: I'm an IT guy, I generally understand electronics concepts, so what the heck. I ordered the J1772 cable, OpenEVSE complete package, Diversified Stage enclosure. I started reading different OpenEVSE builds on the OpenEVSE page and they vary some. I have what I feel is my parts list together stitched from your post and also from http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/wiki/EVSE_by_mwolrich" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. However, before I order from DigiKey, adaFruit, and StayOnline, I wanted to see how your build went with the openevse plus v2 package, diversified stage enclosure, and Leviton cable.

-Mark

 

[dzd]

Thought I would stop by and post my OPEN EVSE build. Thanks to all those in the thread who made this project possible. It has been educational and inspiriring. I have since started to learn ardunio and the AT architecture to make my own projects.

 

[megalo]

Anyone with a 2013 and the 6.6 kW charger build a 30 amp capable unit yet? I did get my stock EVSE upgraded, but I'd really like to take full advantage of the charger.

 

[waidy]

Thought I would stop by and post my OPEN EVSE build. Thanks to all those in the thread who made this project possible. It has been educational and inspiriring. I have since started to learn ardunio and the AT architecture to make my own projects.

Wow, this is so pretty. Did you draw the red/black/blue/yellow lines? By the way, where are the two rings (ferrite beads) that supposed to be on the two big trunky cables going in/out to the box? Beautiful unit, I admire it.