Lloyd's TS-70 to J1772 conversion

[tomsax]

Has anybody converted one of the older Tesla HPC, like the one pictured here High Power Wall Connector | Charging Solutions | Tesla Motors to J1772.

I haven't converted one of the original Tesla HPCs, but it should be easy to do. Using the same ITT-Canon 75A cable (available from Avnet), you'd just need to either add the proper Anderson connectors to the new cable, or remove the Anderson connectors from the HPC and wire the cable directly into the contactor.

 

[Sparrow]

Thanks for the info. Now I need to decide whether it is worth doing considering that the HPC's GFCI seems to be a little too sensitive to charge at least one 2.5 Roadster. I've never had a problem with my 1.5, but I'm wondering if it would have the same issue with other vehicles like my S when it comes.

 

[tomsax]

I've heard from multiple sources that there will be an adapter that will allow Model S owners to charge from a Tesla-plug HPC. I've also heard there might be something eventually to allow Roadster owners to charge from an HPWC 2.0.

The Model S has isolated onboard chargers which means it should not have the ground fault issues that the 2.x Roadsters have.

However, there's a big problem with the orignal Tesla HPCs (not the later Clipper Creek units): if the car is plugged in and the station loses power, when the power comes back on the HPC will go into an error mode and not be able to charge. This means if you lose power, even briefly, your car won't charge again until you unplug and reboot the station. This could be inconvenient on an overnight charge.

Even worse, if you leave your Roadster for an extended period (months) and depend on an original Tesla HPC to keep the battery pack charged, this bug could result in your Roadster being bricked. This is only an issue for the first 200 or so v1.5 (2008 model year) owners.

If you decide to replace your early HPC, please consider donating it for an appropriate public charging location. I already have a couple waiting for appropriate homes and would gladly take another.

 

[dadaleus]

Okay resident experts (I mean you Tom, LLoyd, Scott and others): I'm looking to update my old Roadster HPC to J1772 now that I'm getting an S. I am currently talking to a couple public places where I want to charge about letting me donate it to them if they will host it.

In looking for J1772 cables I found this one on eBay for $175 which seems pretty good for a 75amp cable w J1772 connector:
SAE J1772 UL Listed 75 amp EVSE Connector with 20 foot cable | eBay

Any idea how much trouble I'm going to swapping the Roadster cable out for this? Anything to watch out for before I buy this? I'm hoping the internal wire colors are something I can make heads or tails of (ideally match the colors in the Roadster cable--is that too much to hope for?).

Something I should have an electrician do? Something I shouldn't even attempt not being an electrical hobbyist myself?

- - - Updated - - -

Hmm... the listing says 8-gauge. But from Googling around seems 8-gauge isn't nearly enough for 70 amps of A/C. Is it split between two wires making it okay or something? Basically, is it same to use such a wire for a 70 amp HPC?

 

[Lloyd]

It's pretty easy, the only thing to watch is the color of the pilot signal. It varies by manufacturer. I outlined how to ohm through to make sure that you have the correct one. If you don't feel comfortable, print out the postings from the beginning of this thread and call a qualified electrician.

Looking at the photos in the e-bay listing above. It is the same cable that I bought and the wire colors should be exactly the same as my posting.

If you run into trouble you can pm me and we can talk.

It's the right cable. They use different wire I believe, more expensive and flexible.

 

[hcsharp]

Hmm... the listing says 8-gauge. But from Googling around seems 8-gauge isn't nearly enough for 70 amps of A/C. Is it split between two wires making it okay or something? Basically, is it same to use such a wire for a 70 amp HPC?

If the picture is the same thing he's selling, then it has 2 conductors of 6 AWG and the ground is only 8. The p/n is correct.

 

[tomsax]

No surprise, but I agree with Lloyd and hcsharp. You can get the that cable, which is the one you want, from Avnet for $328, which is why that cable on eBay sold so quickly.

 

[dadaleus]

Thanks a lot guys!