Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Roadster ChargePortRing Colors

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I am trying to solve a mystery. I do have a theory, but without revealing it ... let me start by asking as follows:

Does anyone know how the different colors are produced in the LED Ring around the Chargeport of the Roadster ?

Are there separate LEDs for each color ? ( White, blue, amber, green, red. ) Or are some of the colors produced by "blending" ?

I would prefer actual knowledge, not speculation, please. And I will explain the mystery in short order ...
 
Thanks, guys. I am not so much worried about "flickering". But yes, those are the colors I am aware of, and the "speed" of "blinking" (not flickering) is controlled by the firmware. Some colors blink, but not all :) which brings up a (mystery-related) question: which color(s) can blink ? (And what does it mean when it does so ?)

Still looking for an answer to the original question (how are different colors produced ? ) ...
 
OK I took a closer look. The blue LEDs are in a different location around the ring than the white ones, so those are definitely separate. The amber colour has red/green fringing so that looks like a blend to me. My theory is separate red, green, blue and white LEDs with amber being a red/green blend.

- - - Updated - - -

Some colors blink, but not all :) which brings up a (mystery-related) question: which color(s) can blink ? (And what does it mean when it does so ?)

I've only seen blue and amber blink. Flashing blue means the charger is negotiating a pilot signal. Pulsing amber indicates the speed of charging.

The amber is in the same location as the blue so I think they're using a tri-colour LED along with a white one:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/component-leds/rl5-rgb-diffused-tricolor-led/776/
 
OK I took a closer look. The blue LEDs are in a different location around the ring than the white ones, so those are definitely separate. The amber colour has red/green fringing so that looks like a blend to me. My theory is separate red, green, blue and white LEDs with amber being a red/green blend.

- - - Updated - - -


I've only seen blue and amber blink. Flashing blue means the charger is negotiating a pilot signal. Pulsing amber indicates the speed of charging.

The amber is in the same location as the blue so I think they're using a tri-colour LED along with a white one:

RL5-RGB-D Diffused TriColor LED | Component LEDs | Super Bright LEDs
EXCELLENT info ! Thank you djp.

Question for the Canadian Roadster 2.0: is the blue always blinking, or only in winter ? Reason: I believe it should be solid blue (while handshaking with EVSE; pilot signal, etc), and blue blinking only while battery is being heated prior to the (blinking amber) charging phase (US Roadster 1.5).

When you say "The amber is in the same location as the blue" ... what do you mean by "location" ? I am curious how you determined the information you report ... I must be blind or inept at seeing what you see :confused: A photo might help ?
 
Sure, here are some shots of the charge ring.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1371556640.774856.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1371556660.108492.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1371556678.075635.jpg


You'll notice there are dark gaps between the LEDs. If you flick the lock switch on and off the positions of the lights change between blue and white. You can see the movement in the reflection on the charge adapter or by looking up at the top edge of the ring.

My car lives in a garage so I've never needed to pre-heat the battery, but it would make sense that flashing blue means "waiting to charge." For me it only blinks when handshaking with the ESVE.
 
Sure, here are some shots of the charge ring.

... <photos> ...

You'll notice there are dark gaps between the LEDs. If you flick the lock switch on and off the positions of the lights change between blue and white. You can see the movement in the reflection on the charge adapter or by looking up at the top edge of the ring.

My car lives in a garage so I've never needed to pre-heat the battery, but it would make sense that flashing blue means "waiting to charge." For me it only blinks when handshaking with the ESVE.

STUPENDOUS photographs ! Wow. :love: Had not noticed that before. THANKS !

As to the mystery: I'd like to confirm a couple of things, but will reveal later today :smile:
 
The Mystery and Theory Revealed

So you're saying the blue doesn't flash during the handshake on 1.5 Roadsters? Interesting.
Not on the US 1.5 versions that I have seen. Unsure about US 2.0/2.5 ... someone else should chime in ...


*** The Mystery of the Blinking Red ***

Ok ! Here goes: I have reports for a 1.5 Roadster (now out-of-warranty) ...

As of Saturday evening every attempt to charge results in BLINKING RED !

Naturally my first reaction was there's something wrong with the charging system, as a solid Red would normally indicate. And that condition has been experienced on that Roadster on occasion (but very rarely) in the past.

However, a cursory analysis of the logs (using VMSParser) and continued monitoring of the charging process (which, btw, does *NOT* abort or generate any type of error on the VDS), plus driving cycles in between, and additional charging on 120V (vs. HPC) seems to indicate no problems, other than a continued BLINKING RED.

My theory: the expected blinking amber has " gone missing " due to the green color " gone fishin' " without any other issue in the PEM or EVSE.

And, yes, with careful monitoring, the green displayed for a short time at the completion of charging (when reaching a "full" STD or Range mode) is reported to be "AWOL" :wink:
 
Last edited:
Strange, that does sound like you have a bad connection to the green channel. Does the red pulsing slow down as you approach a full charge? It definitely ties in with the missing green when the charge finishes, and would confirm that amber is a blend of red & green.
 
Strange, that does sound like you have a bad connection to the green channel. Does the red pulsing slow down as you approach a full charge? It definitely ties in with the missing green when the charge finishes, and would confirm that amber is a blend of red & green.
Yes, the blinking (red) behaves like the normally expected blinking amber.