Pics of the EVSE Innards

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Tango

Active member
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
37
Location
Mountain View, CA
So, i had my AV EVSE installed today. I wasn't sure if anyone posted pics of the insides yet, so while they were doing it, i took a couple of pictures of the innards.

They're on my blog (http://electriceptor.wordpress.com), but here they are too:
2010_12_01-10_04_24-003-evse-install-1600.jpg

(http://electriceptor.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/2010_12_01-10_04_24-003-evse-install-1600.jpg)


2010_12_01-10_03_55-002-evse-install-1600.jpg

(http://electriceptor.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/2010_12_01-10_03_55-002-evse-install-1600.jpg)

...alex...
 
Oh wow.
wheresdbeef.jpg


It's a wiring junction box, with a relay and some indicators. Where's the circuit board that does the pilot signal? Is it behind the indicators, or in a shrink-wrap lump on the wire? :0
 
I predict a Chinese knock off within 90 days, at less than $400, and most of that will be for the J-1772 connector/cable assembly.
 
Thanks Tango for posting the pics!!

LOL, I can count about $50 worth of parts in there. Oh, and to answer GroundLoop regarding the power signalling circuit board, there is this little board at the top left corner, could this be it?
clipboard1x.jpg
 
doesn't look like it, therre is no wire going to the J-1772 cabling area from that area..

My guess is the pilot signal generation is done on the PC board that the LEDs and switches are mounted to, there are several small gauge wires running from the PCB to the J-1772 wiring area. Again, these will be knocked off in China very quickly (maybe), as the EVs start arriving in 2011, these will be dropping in price quickly. the only thing keeping the price high will possibly be such low demand for these EVSEs, and 20-30K Nissan Leafs is not "high demand", now talk hundreds of thousands and multiple Chinese mfrs would be interested, and the price would fall faster...
 
I believe it is on the right side where the small control wires are. I saw the inside of one of these cheap devices a few months ago and laughed at how little is inside, nothing like the old AVCON models. This thing is really worth about $200-250 retail at best with the highest cost being the copper in the cable.
 
It will be interesting when we get a chance to compare the innards of the AV with the innards of the Leviton (and other) units... Clipper Creek this ain't!
 
The light blue in the cable to the e-hose appears to be the strain-relief cutoff, pulling out of a spade connector on the left side of the relay.

The "device" at the upper left (circled in red in one picture) MIGHT be the 240v AC to +/-12v DC power supply, but I cannot see the DC wires (if any).

The Toroidal core is to detect the unbalanced 240v current flow, and possibly Ground-current, as the GFI sensing element.

It looks like the controling "circuit board" might be under the relay, perhaps to make it difficult to access? Perhaps it includes a thermal sensor for the relay?

The twisted red and black pairs from the cover are probably the Start and Stop switches.
 
Mounting Bolts:
Above and below the relay, more or less in line with the left side of the relay, I see two dark-color, large-head bolt heads. Most likely those are the two mounting bolts, positioned to keep the EVSE mounted even when the e-hose is pulled enough to pull entirely out of the EVSE.

Notice that the blue Control Pilot wire is much shorter than the "big three" wires in the e-hose. Thus, the loss of the CP connection will cause the relay to open, leaving the "yanked" e-hose without any (dangerous) power.

After the e-hose is "yanked" out:
The AV rep told me that restoring (or replacing?) the special "plug" that holds the e-hose cord as it exits the box - requires a service call (or return).
 
One wonders how much a "replacement" (perhaps stolen?) e-hose will sell for on ebay?

More commonly perhaps, the cords might just be sold for the scrap copper.

Perhaps the standards committee just believes that everybody is honest and that there are no vandals?
 
garygid said:
Mounting Bolts:
Above and below the relay, more or less in line with the left side of the relay, I see two dark-color, large-head bolt heads. Most likely those are the two mounting bolts, positioned to keep the EVSE mounted even when the e-hose is pulled enough to pull entirely out of the EVSE.

Notice that the blue Control Pilot wire is much shorter than the "big three" wires in the e-hose. Thus, the loss of the CP connection will cause the relay to open, leaving the "yanked" e-hose without any (dangerous) power.

After the e-hose is "yanked" out:
The AV rep told me that restoring (or replacing?) the special "plug" that holds the e-hose cord as it exits the box - requires a service call (or return).

The pilot wire is NOT the safety mechanism, the safety is built into the HV lines which all have spade ends that unplug under strain rendering them disconnected. No dangerous electricity would be exposed since there would be unplugged wires, besides, even if every wire connector were torn off it would shut the unit down REGARDLESS because that is and "unplug". In addition it's almost impossible to get hurt form one since the GFI will trip before anything like that will occur. You could take a all metal axe and stand in a pool of water and chop the cord while charging and nothing is going to happen to you.
 
The CP wire is short, all the other three are long.
I think that the CP will "open" first, causing the relay to open.

I also think that it is not very likely that the GFI will detect,
and react to, "unplugging" the J1772 from the car.
 
gudy said:
wow ... and they want me to believe that this is worth $720 ?
It has little to do with the value of the parts in the EVSE and more to do with the value of the car it is connected to. Another example: those $20 - $50 cables Best Buy sells for hooking up home theater equipment cost a couple dollars to make, if that.
 
Is there also a circuit board behind the relay, possibly the Main Control for the EVSE?

The photos SEEM to show a lot of small wires going to/from that area.
What are they connecting to?

The circuit board in the lid might just provide mounting for, and
connection to, the LEDs and switches on the lid.
 
Gary,

My bet is that the large toroid in the top, left of center, is simply a noise filter (EMI/RFI) as is the small toroid as the cable exits the box to the car connector. Notice that the ground rail is split - and that the heavy ground line also winds thru the toroid and bridges the ground rail.

The smaller black object in the top to the right of center(with the "30" visible) is likely an inductive current sensor. It has a small gauge blue twisted pair coming off and running thru the harness to the front cover. There's a second inductive current sensor on the white wire a bit to the right - it's red twisted pair also runs to the front cover. That suggests the circuit board and 'brains of the operation' are on a board under the cover.

It appears that the light blue wire (with the label starting with "P") carries the pilot signal - and that also runs to the main harness to the cover. It appears that there's no 'break-away' terminal block in this device - the four wires appear to have standard 1/4" spade connectors that will pull apart eventually - but not until the wires pull thru the strain relief, the small toroid, and the white tie-wrap and eat up the wire loop first.

Man - not only will the Pacific Rim clones hit the streets soon, but I wonder how quickly these will appear in DIY form in High-School science fair displays!
 
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