TT-30 (campgrounds and RV parks) to Gen 2 Mobile Connector for 24A 120V charging

[Rocky_H]

My first time with tt30 adapter I had to set the amps to 16. It may be the Tesla mobile charger senses 120v and cancels the charge if over 16a @ 120v.

I'm going to ask a question that may reveal what a long-timer I am.
What model year is this particular car you had that wouldn't go over 16A?

I used to be on the really really old forum that was on the tesla.com website before that whole thing got deleted, and I moved over here. There was a thread where people discovered that somewhere buried deep in the internal charger of the 2012 and 2013 cars it had some kind of hard encoded limit that if it detected a 120V source, it would not ever allow charging above 16A, so the TT-30 connections couldn't use their full power. This was built in somewhere unchangeable, so software updates to the car were never able to correct this amp limitation. My car is a March 2014 one, and by that time, they had moved to a newer version of the internal chargers that got rid of that limitation on 120V and so can use whatever amp limit the external adapter is telling the car.

So if you have an old 2012 or 2013 car, it's just going to be stuck at 16A max from 120V sources. But if you have a newer car, then this is some other issue.

 

[DP26]

2023. There is always the chance it is me. I will know more in a few days. I used Tessie to see what the car reported. It reported L2, 1 phase, 117v.

The charging stopped within the car software. The breaker did not reset.

Of course, it was late when I tried it, so I reserve the right to correct myself . I will endeavor to document the hardware used and the results. It will likely be Friday.

 

[DP26]

Stop was likely in the mobile charger or car software.

 

[Rocky_H]

The charging stopped within the car software.

So it did run for a while at 24A, but then stopped? Or did it say 16A, and it wouldn't let you turn it up any higher than that?

 

[dhrivnak]

Either one will work. Your choice! Note that many campgrounds will also have NEMA 14-50 which is a much faster charge.

Actually that is NOT my experience for most state parks. KOAs yes but not parks. So it depends on where you are going.

 

[DP26]

So it did run for a while at 24A, but then stopped? Or did it say 16A, and it wouldn't let you turn it up any higher than that?

I started with 24. I can’t remember if it charged a bit or did not start at all. Once I reset to 15, it worked as expected, even bumping to 16 after an hour or so.

 

[DP26]

The ac works adapter for tt30 and a gen 2 mobile charger works as designed. 24 amps @ 110-122v (whatever the circuit is feeding). So my problem was the ev dog one type, which the ease is likely smart enough to limit amps to 16, as if it was a plain 20a outlet.

 

[brkaus]

the ev dog one type

?

 

[DP26]

Ev dog bone type. The special tt30 to 14-50 adapter type (as opposed to the RV type).

Meaning the chipped adapter which plugs into the gen 2 charger is working. An ev adapter which allows the Tesla 14-50 connector may not. I will retry the other type later.

Dog bone is likely more of an rv term.

This image is from Tessie app using the ac works direct into the gen 2 charger. I get 114-119v depending time of day. I am a bit fussy, so I monitor v on this line as part of my rv connection. For the rv, for example, I typically use an auto former when away from home as many campgrounds have less than ideal available power.

 

[RayK]

Dog bone adapter:

Dog bone chew:

 

[brkaus]

Interesting. If the TT-30 to 14-50 is properly wired for Tesla I would expect it to allow 24a (or more). If it is incorrectly wired (with the 120v hot wired to both 240v hots like it would for an RV), I would expect it to do nothing.

Maybe the car is doing something with the knowledge that the adaptor is rated for 40a (32a I guess if it's the gen2 UMC) and it gets 120v.

Humm.

 

[3sr+buyer]

TT-30P to 14-50R needs the car to be set to 24A or less. Otherwise, the car and mobile connector will default to 32A. This is too high for a circuit with a TT-30R.

Better to use TT-30P to 14-30R so that a mobile connector plugged into it with the 14-30P will default to 24A.

 

[DP26]

I retried the plain dog bone. Set to 16a. No problem. Set to 24a. Seems to work fine too. Did not try to set it higher as the circuit is a true 120v/30a. Also the hot tub is on and the swim spa is heating. We are already pushing our service panel to the absolute reasonable max. The direct adapter is what I am keeping as it chip sets the car charger properly, and means one less piece to travel with.

with timing the swim spa and tub cycles, allowing full use for the car won’t be an issue. For my needs, there was no reason to setup a split with the electric dryer. For most days, it will actually be 5-15 to the rv just to keep the LFP at 100%. I can get free L2 nearby and have a nice meal.

Whenever we get to the front of the solar line, we’ll upgrade the panel and I’ll run a new 14-50 for the car.

 

[error]

This an old thread but it is the only one google gave me..

i too, im looking for a cheap solution to charge on a campground that only has tt-30..
the campground is located in myrtle sc, I did check with them and the only camp spots they have with 50 amp hookup are all booked next summer already.. thanks to the rich retired people who live on campground lol

young casual campers like myself and my wife are stuck with left over sites that only have tt-30 and 15 amp outlets. And to make things wost, you still have to make the reservation a year ahead even on tt-30 sites.. which i just did…
And those site aren't cheap, like almost $500 for barely 6 nights.. cheaper than hotels $300/night in the same area.. but still..

Amazon.com
this is the adapteri just ordered from amazon for my next year camping session..

my question, what do you think of it?

reviews on this adapter don't seem all great.. but it is the cheapest at the moment.

some reviewers wrote that 24 amp will melt it. what shall i set the amp at If using this adapter? Down to 21 amp?

we tried using the 15 amp (125v) outlet while camping once.. and it was definitely not enough with the AC and the portable freezer running.
the car was not even charging at all. in fact, battery was actually dropping.. so definitely 12 amp was not providing enough juice.
my guess would be that 16amp would probably be barely enough to maintain the charge with the AC and freezer. I say 20 amp is really the minimum..

this year we camped on a site that had the 50 amp outlet. Yep, that was great.. 50 amp (32 amp on the mobile charger) was giving plenty enough juice to blast the AC at whatever temp and run the portable freezer and even browse the internet… while charging the car from 50% to 100% over the night. I say all camp sites should install the 50 amp outlet and get rid of those silly tt-30.

As for the adapter i would really like the more expensive tesla adapter, or something certified.. i dont want any burning or melting issue while im travelling.. if it melt i can always disconnect the tesla adapter from the charging unit.. the official tesla 50 amp adapter is cheaper and easier to find.. but to avoid any issue should i drop down to 20 amp? Or just buy a better quality one and leave it at 24 amp?
better quality tt30 adapter are like $100. Kinda expensive for a one time use.


and my last question do we need a tt-30 surge protection adapter? Or the mobile charger (last gen) comes with one built in?

 

[Cosmacelf]

I would return that adapter and buy something like this: TT-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3/Y Gen 2

It is a proper Mobile Connector adapter which means it has thermal sensor protection in the plug which means you should be able run it at 24A/120V without worry. Your other adapter needs a Tesla nema 14-50 adapter and you’d have to manually dial down the amps to 24A.

 

[Marsh25]

I work for an RV dealer that also has two Teslas in it's tow vehicle fleet, so I'm pretty familliar with this topic. I don't know where these companies selling "EV TT30 - 14-50" adapters are talking about. Every single one of those that anyone has ever posted a link to is always I easily recogonizable common brand of RV adapter with a sticker on it and jacked up price.

We have a third party tesla mobile charger plug that doesn't work. Grabbing a random TT30-14-50 adapter out of the bin in the showroom works every time. Stop giving your money to people that are slapping "EV" stickers on cheap junk and posting it on a fly-by-night website. Just buy an RV adapter and be done with it.

 

[YEG EV]

I would return that adapter and buy something like this: TT-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3/Y Gen 2

It is a proper Mobile Connector adapter which means it has thermal sensor protection in the plug which means you should be able run it at 24A/120V without worry. Your other adapter needs a Tesla nema 14-50 adapter and you’d have to manually dial down the amps to 24A.

I second the recommendation for the TT-30 adapter for the mobile connector. I purchased one back in May for use while camping this summer. It worked great and I had no issues with it. It was really nice to start the day off with a full charge. I would also recommend looking into a RV surge protector, the one that I picked up can tell you if the plug is wired correctly.

 

[DP26]

Get the actual adapter built for the mobile charger. Even from a third party. The one I use is good enough to cut off if using a questionable outlet and or questionable extension cord (same as the Tesla branded adapters). Small price to protect your Tesla.

 

[error]

I work for an RV dealer that also has two Teslas in it's tow vehicle fleet, so I'm pretty familliar with this topic. I don't know where these companies selling "EV TT30 - 14-50" adapters are talking about. Every single one of those that anyone has ever posted a link to is always I easily recogonizable common brand of RV adapter with a sticker on it and jacked up price.

We have a third party tesla mobile charger plug that doesn't work. Grabbing a random TT30-14-50 adapter out of the bin in the showroom works every time. Stop giving your money to people that are slapping "EV" stickers on cheap junk and posting it on a fly-by-night website. Just buy an RV adapter and be done with it.

Tt 30 rv adapter to 50 amp will not work with EV.. hot and neutral aren't the same

you will need to modify the rv adapter for the mobile charger to work…. And tesla don't make any tt-30 adapter for their mobile charger.

we are left with 3 choices..

1-buy a $10 non ev rv adapter and switch the hot wires inside.. (unsafe and wont be water proof)
2-buy a $40 adapter like the one i linked in my previous post .. reviews mention something about melting at 24amp
3-buy the $100 tt-30 adapter specifically made for the mobile charger gen2. But reviews are not all great either.. apparently they fail and don't last.

so you,re suggesting me to keep the one i got or go with the expensive $100 tesla tt-30 adapter designed for the gen 2?

Since im buying a year ahead i won't be able to test before next year., thus ii won't be able return if they fail on me..

 

[error]

Get the actual adapter built for the mobile charger. Even from a third party. The one I use is good enough to cut off if using a questionable outlet and or questionable extension cord (same as the Tesla branded adapters). Small price to protect your Tesla.

I only order from amazon…

they have that adapter meant to work with the mobile, but $100.. and reviews arent great.. apparently they stop working after few charges.

should i trust the reviews?