EVSE Upgrade

[Jiminy]

One last thing: If you are looking for a used EVSE on Craigslist I can suggest that you use these key phrases and search the general FOR SALE section to make sure that you catch all possible categories that someone might have listed their EVSE for sale. Use the quotes. If anybody has another effective search string, please post it.

"Nissan Leaf"
"29690"
"3NA0A"

I paid $120 on Craigslist for the used Nissan Leaf EVSE pictured in the post two above this one.

Jim

 

[Don]

Thanks for the time and effort you've put into this - I'm sure it will save people money, time and trouble by allowing DIY'ers to upgrade their own EVSE's

If you decide to do the upgrades for people who don't think they could do their own, let us know what the charge would be. I know I have one OEM Panasonic unit here which has never been upgraded - It's probably only been used a few times

My 'main' EVSE is a home built 'Open EVSE' which I constructed in a weatherproof plastic camera case. I use it only in L2 mode at 12 amps and my original upgraded OEM unit I use only in L1 mode at 12 amps - I originally thought it would be nice to carry in the car to be able to recharge from any outlet 'in the wild' I might run into, but in 5 years it's never made even a single trip away from home :lol:

Don

 

[Jiminy]

Don,

Thanks for the good words. I will ponder offering plug and play power supplies that allow for 240V AC Level 2 charging. I forgot to mention that after the changes are made inside the EVSE case, the unit is still perfectly functional as a Level 1 EVSE. If you put on a 240V plug you would then need a wiring adapter to go from whatever you used on the end of the cord to a 5-15 120V AC receptacle. If you left the 5-15 plug on the end of your EVSE it will still work at 120V as-is. Not sure why you would want to do that but it works nonetheless. And remember, this is not my design. I just copied exactly what EVSEUpgrade did.

Here is my modified Nissan EVSE with a Nema L6-20R to 5-15P adapter:

View attachment 120vadapter.jpg

Jim

 

[ed5000]

Thanks Jim for your nice work here. I just ordered a couple power supplies and I'll let you know how it works out. I'm getting an extra for my brother who recently bought a black 2012 I-miev.

I can't wait until it gets here!

Ed

 

[ed5000]

Okay, I received the power supply and installed it without too much trouble. The "ready" and charging" lights are working however, I'm only getting 1550 watts to the car when plugged into 240vac (6.3 amps per leg) A definite improvement but it would be nicer at 3600 watts. Did I miss something? I removed the varistor too.

 

[Jiminy]

ed5000,

I did confirm what you are seeing, more or less. The Mitsubishi branded EVSE that I modified charges the I-MiEV at 7.2A, the Volt at 8.0A and our Leaf at 7.6A. The Mitsubishi branded EVSE that EVSE Upgrade modified charges each car at 12.3A as seen on my ammeter and also indicated by the flashing charge light (13 flashes). The Mitsubishi branded EVSE that I modified does not output the flash code indicating charging amperage.

The Nissan branded EVSE that I modified charges all three cars at 10.7A, 2 Amps lower than the Nissan branded EVSE that EVSE Upgrade modified. I think this is only due to a firmware difference.

EVSE Upgrade mentions that their modified units are easily programmable for 6-12 Amps I cannot find the procedure on their website. Does anyone here have that documentation handy? Edit: I found the reprogramming link two posts down.

Jim

 

[PV1]

EVSEUpgrade also either re-programs or replaces the circuit in the brick, as the lights behave differently on their newer units.

To adjust the amperage, insert a paperclip into the proximity and pilot pins on the J1772 handle. The red Error light on the brick will start flashing rapidly. Then, simply click the release button the desired number of amps you'd like to charge. Each button press will flash the green light once (10 flashes = 10 amps), up to a max of either 12 or 13, based on voltage. When you've reached the desired amps, remove the paper clip, and count the flashes. If the amps are set to your liking, click the release button once more, then plug the car in. This resets to default after unplugging.

They also mention a way to override the GFCI for emergency generator charging, but I think you have to contact them to enable it to minimize abuse.

 

[Jiminy]

I know they don't replace a circuit. There are no visible changes on the heavily potted boards other than the varistor removal.

I did find the charging Amperage reprogramming guide from EVSE Upgrade: http://evseupgrade.com/evse-programming-g2.pdf

I just tried reprogramming my EVSE Upgrade-modified Mitsubishi EVSE and it worked perfectly. I was able to switch from 6 Amps up to 13 Amps. I also tried 8 Amps for grins. When I tried doing the same procedure to the Mitsubishi EVSE that I modified it just showed that I was charging when I had the jumper inserted. I couldn't program it. No need to reproduce this test. I will look deeper into it. If anybody has any ideas I'm all ears.

Jim

 

[Don]

The original EVSE Upgrade I purchased about 4 years ago wasn't adjustable. I sent it in as an L1 only 8 amp unit and they returned it as a 12 amp L1/L2 unit. Not sure exactly what they do to up the amps to 12, but with the original upgrade it was 12 amps only, L1 and L2 with no adjustment possible. Evidently there must be something more they do other than just replacing the transformer and removing the varistor. When I spoke with them they said that 12 amps was chosen because the wire gauge between the brick and the car would not support using 14 amps which would have allowed the iMiEV to recharge at maximum capacity

Don

 

[Jiminy]

Don,

Does the charging light blink on your EVSE when it is charging? If so, then you should be able to adjust the charging rate as per the pdf guide two posts back. Lemme know if it blinks. I bought mine 3 years ago and it is adjustable.

Jim

 

[ed5000]

Thanks Jim and everyone. It sounds like I did everything right. This will make a much better evse to carry around in the car.

 

[Don]

Don,

Does the charging light blink on your EVSE when it is charging? If so, then you should be able to adjust the charging rate as per the pdf guide two posts back. Lemme know if it blinks. I bought mine 3 years ago and it is adjustable.

No it doesn't - The light stays on solid. I remember when they first introduced the adjustable feature (March or April of 2013 I think) - That's when I started this thread telling everyone what a wonderful upgrade this is now that they offer adjustable current

My point is . . . . even with the original non-adjustable upgrade, there's something more to doing this than just removing the varistor and changing the transformer - Don't know what that is - An EPROM reflash? - but until we find out, there's not much use to run out and modify your EVSE if you aren't going to end up with 12 amps

Don

 

[thomash85715]

Apologizing for taking so long to find the right sub-forum. I just joined and have had my 12 silver ES for only five days.
My factory unmodified EVSE seems to run at 8A on L1 120VAC. The only time it flashed its green LED was when I plugged it into a poorly grounded outlet. Once that was fixed, it is now just solid green or orange at start up. It never flashes any number of times; just solid on when energized. So has anyone successfully paper-clipped an early non-flashing EVSE and gotten it to flash 12 times in a 15A 120VAC outlet? That is my holy grail question for the moment. Thank you.

 

[wmcbrine]

So has anyone successfully paper-clipped an early non-flashing EVSE and gotten it to flash 12 times in a 15A 120VAC outlet?

I don't believe that's a feature of the unmodified units.

 

[jray3]

Anybody using a Duosida EVSE or the ZenCar EVSE?
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-Duosida/dp/B018A6QK7C
http://www.e-zencar.net/product/evse-32a/

Both are universal 120/240 voltage input, and the ZenCar unit has many selectable amperage ranges. They're Chinese built, non UL-listed as far as I can see, and quite cheap for 16A L2 ($165 shipped). Here's a long thread on 'em. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=22692&start=60

Reason is, now that I have four functional EVs I'm looking at all alternatives for keeping the fleet at individually programmable states of charge. In reality, I'll probly settle on one L2 and three L1 EVSE on different circuits, but intelligent sharing of a single L2 circuit is also appealing. I'd hoped to accomplish this with the EMW JuicePlug(s) as backer #146, but have been waiting on delivery for over a year now......

Another option is a Seattle firm called MainPine, which is a big name in Fax Modems that is diversifying into DIN rail-mounted EVSE controllers that can be programmed for sharing/prioritizing current among many EVs (up to a dozen cars per circuit, IIRC). Picture a single L2 EVSE box with many cables and a smartphone app that provides different charging options at much lower cost than commercial-duty EVSE. More info on that option as I get it...

 

[thomash85715]

A guy in Gilbert AZ on ebay is offering the duosida for $200 though I can't tell if has them or is backordering or what. I put a question to him asking if it is user programmable for various amps on 120vac. Not answered yet.
One thing I don't get though...is a US early i-miev limited to 8 amp charge by some setting in the EVSE it came with or is it something in its onboard charger commanding the EVSE to stay at 8? I believe I have seen statements on here and elsewhere the canadian cars charge at 12A from 120vac sockets. Which box is that happening in? Point is that if it is programmed into our USA chargers, then a duosida is not going to do anything but charge at 8A on a USA car. What am I missing here?

 

[jray3]

The charger will pull whatever the EVSE says it can give, up to16 Amps max whether 120 or 240 VAC. My main EVSE is the Bosch Power Express (originally by SPX), which was the first EVSE with universal 120/240 input and adjustable amperage limits between 6 and 32 amps. Unfortunately it's as big as a shoebox, heavy, and not waterproof. I used it in the wilds during 2012 road trips, but not much since, given our decent infrastructure here in Western Washington.

 

[PV1]

The EVSE that came with 2012 US i-MiEVs is an 8 amp, non-programmable unit. As with all EVs, any current limiting below the charger's max power is controlled by the EVSE. The i-MiEV's stock EVSE will only charge a Tesla at 120 volts, 8 amps, for example.

Newer i-MiEVs ship with an 8/12 amp EVSE that is capable of charging the car faster.

Many of us had our 8 amp units upgraded to support 120/240 volt charging at up to 13 amps. A company called EVSEUpgrade performs these upgrades. Their units with the blinking lights are capable of being paper-clipped and have the current adjusted. I had one of my EVSE cables upgraded to do this and I use it as my main means of charging.

 

[kiev]

Thanks for the good words. I will ponder offering plug and play power supplies that allow for 240V AC Level 2 charging. I forgot to mention that after the changes are made inside the EVSE case, the unit is still perfectly functional as a Level 1 EVSE. If you put on a 240V plug you would then need a wiring adapter to go from whatever you used on the end of the cord to a 5-15 120V AC receptacle. If you left the 5-15 plug on the end of your EVSE it will still work at 120V as-is. Not sure why you would want to do that but it works nonetheless. And remember, this is not my design. I just copied exactly what EVSEUpgrade did.

Here is my modified Nissan EVSE with a Nema L6-20R to 5-15P adapter:

120vadapter.jpg

Jim

Did you look inside the plug to see if they added two varistors across the lines to ground? If EVSEupgrade removed the internal MOV, then one or 2 would be needed somewhere in the AC input line to perform the same function.

 

[Don]

They install a molded twistlock plug on the brick so I'm pretty sure there's been nothing added inside the plug and looking at his photos, I don't see where they added them internally either

Don