Short and sweet J-1772 to Roadster adapter - lockable

[hcsharp]

Jory,

I tried brass at first. Some of you who got early versions or prototypes have brass. Then I switched to stainless. The brass actually had more galling than the stainless. Not sure why. Are you sure the car side with the machined slots is stainless? There's also another difference - my guide pins are a couple thousands larger diameter because it is difficult to find pin stock (any material) in the size used on the Tesla connector. Generally a larger guide pin will have less friction and it feels a little more solid in the car but there is very little difference.

i noticed that on the tesla HPC connector, the 3 registration pins that slide in the helical grooves on the car-side receptacle are some yellow metal - i am guessing brass - whereas HCSHARP's adapter uses what appear to be steel guide pins.

given that the receptacle connector on the car appears to be machined (non-magnetic) stainless, i can imagine some galling could occur with the relatively similar materials/hardness.

i have my adapter apart at the moment so maybe i should replace those pins with brass and see if it makes a difference.

[hcsharp]

What kind of lube would you suggest? Graphite? Silicone? White Lithium? Molly EP? What?

The internal parts are lubricated with a lithium based high-dielectric grease that is not supposed to run when hot. Some of the Tesla service centers are putting lithium grease on the outside of the car-side plug and in the machined grooves. Not sure if this is a good idea or not since it attracts dust. You can also apply a very thin coat of noalox to the inside of the electrical sleeves using a Q-tip or similar. It also gets easier to remove with time.

[jory]

Jory,

I tried brass at first. Some of you who got early versions or prototypes have brass. Then I switched to stainless. The brass actually had more galling than the stainless. Not sure why. Are you sure the car side with the machined slots is stainless? There's also another difference - my guide pins are a couple thousands larger diameter because it is difficult to find pin stock (any material) in the size used on the Tesla connector. Generally a larger guide pin will have less friction and it feels a little more solid in the car but there is very little difference.

i am not certain the receptacle is stainless but it seemed ferrous and a magnet did not stick to it so i was guessing non-magnetic stainless. i was pretty certain it was not aluminum. maybe it is a hard aluminum alloy? what was your thinking on car-side receptacle material?

here a picture of my HCSHARP adapter with black anodized housing and with the J1772 tabs machined off.

[hcsharp]

Nice job!

i am not certain the receptacle is stainless but it seemed ferrous and a magnet did not stick to it so i was guessing non-magnetic stainless. i was pretty certain it was not aluminum. maybe it is a hard aluminum alloy? what was your thinking on car-side receptacle material?

My guess was an aluminum alloy but I might be wrong.

My machinist has been advocating machining the corners off and anodizing right from the start. I'm working on the next batch right now and I'll be anodizing some of them black for an upgrade price. I'll keep the corners though. Helps prevent it from rolling around in the trunk!

I'm curious Jory, did they make you take the pins out before anodizing? When I looked into this recently they told me I would have to anodize it before pressing the guide pins because they don't want anything but aluminum in the bath. They said ss would contaminate it. Having to set up after anodizing to machine it an extra time for the pins adds to the price of anodizing.

here a picture of my HCSHARP adapter with black anodized housing and with the J1772 tabs machined off.

[jory]

Nice job!

My guess was an aluminum alloy but I might be wrong.

My machinist has been advocating machining the corners off and anodizing right from the start. I'm working on the next batch right now and I'll be anodizing some of them black for an upgrade price. I'll keep the corners though. Helps prevent it from rolling around in the trunk!

I'm curious Jory, did they make you take the pins out before anodizing? When I looked into this recently they told me I would have to anodize it before pressing the guide pins because they don't want anything but aluminum in the bath. They said ss would contaminate it. Having to set up after anodizing to machine it an extra time for the pins adds to the price of anodizing.

thanks! all kidding aside, i am just building on your already impressive design/craftsmanship.

i did some more checking/poking/scraping and am fairly certain the car-side receptacle is non-magnetic stainless.

yes, i had to remove the steel guide pins before anodizing. they went back in without additional machining. so maybe just machine it raw as you do now then repress the pins in after anodizing? (so another step but not another machining step at least.)

alternatively, machine the pins on their own including the radius on one end (on the NC mill) then insert just once after anodizing (i assume right now you are inserting the pins into the housing then doing a pass on the OD to make it flush.)

in terms of rolling around in the trunk, i coincidentally tonight tried putting the adapter in the trunk sort of blocked in by the velcro tool kit and despite some aggressive driving on my part it stayed put. (see image below.)

as another idea, i am thinking of getting (or making) another one of the brackets like the one that holds in the tire repair spray kit can and mounting it on the passenger side of the trunklid mirroring the existing bracket. looks pretty perfect to hold the adapter (i would want to add some slightly better padding -- probably felt -- to protect the adapter finish)

either way, i strongly advocate machining off the corners to give the adapter a more "finished" look.

thanks again for the great adapter! much better than tesla's big cable.

[DrTaras]

I'm working on the next batch right now

Still happy to be a next batch beta tester; mark me down as an ignorant end-consumer!

[hjr]

Jory - maybe put the adapter into a camera lens case and velcro that to the carpet. It will protect the adapter and keep it from moving around.

HCSharp - nice work.... I have only used my HPC (if you need a charge in Milford CT please stop by anytime...) and I charge frequently at the tesla store in NY if I go to NY or NJ for a day. I am getting concerned that there will not ever be more tesla connector chargers out in the wild, so I might buy your connector to have just in case.

The growing number of "hackers" out there is gettinge expensive! I now have OVMS, Mesh Top, and my favorite the Elemental Shower Cap. I look forward to adding the adapter to my collection.

[hcsharp]

...
The growing number of "hackers" out there is gettinge expensive! I now have OVMS, Mesh Top, and my favorite the Elemental Shower Cap. I look forward to adding the adapter to my collection.

LOL we've only just started! I have more ideas coming so stay tuned!

(just don't hold your breath... I haven't quit my day job.)

[dsm363]

I wish I hadn't bought the Tesla J1772 adapter as yours is much more slick. Maybe I can sell it as others have. Anyway, nice work.

[7racer]

Still happy to be a next batch beta tester; mark me down as an ignorant end-consumer!

also add me to the list! Also, if you need a project...I would love to see one of those radar detector mounts for the rear view camera made!