E-MotorWerks JuiceBox - an open source 15kW EVSE

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QueenBee said:
Did you mean to share the URL to control this unit? I can't tell if the controls are just really flaky or if I'm not the only one playing with it.
Both are a possibility. It looks like the LEAF is ramping down, since it might be nearly full. In my experience, it takes about 5-7 seconds to see the change reflected on the screen. I blanked out the URL in the screenshot to help avoid multiple concurrent access attempts. Good on you to spot that.
 
emotorwerks said:
QueenBee said:
Did you mean to share the URL to control this unit? I can't tell if the controls are just really flaky or if I'm not the only one playing with it.
Both are a possibility. It looks like the LEAF is ramping down, since it might be nearly full. In my experience, it takes about 5-7 seconds to see the change reflected on the screen. I blanked out the URL in the screenshot to help avoid multiple concurrent access attempts. Good on you to spot that.

It doesn't seem to stay set at what I set it to for very long before it changes back to a different value. I also fixed the grammar on your name since your code eats the single quote I had to get out the real apostrophe :) Making the URL light gray but perfectly readable doesn't count as blanking it out, nor does including your units full ID in the screenshot.
 
QueenBee said:
It doesn't seem to stay set at what I set it to for very long before it changes back to a different value. I also fixed the grammar on your name since your code eats the single quote I had to get out the real apostrophe :) Making the URL light gray but perfectly readable doesn't count as blanking it out, nor does including your units full ID in the screenshot.
Pretty funny, thanks QueenBee! Perhaps Val's LEAF will suffer from a denial of service attack on its remote-controlled EVSE. That would be a first! :-D
 
I have been EAGERLY waiting for a JuiceBox cell app, the first WiFi enabled EVSE app of its kind! RIGHT ON!!! Which phone(s) will be supported first? I have an iPhone 5S, so I VOTE for Apple iOS.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK EMW!
 
Yesterday, I noticed on the EMW "public" website, there is new firmware, V8.10.2. What hardware is this for and what if any new features are being introduced?

Also, how do we report "bugs" with the old firmware? For example, JB LCD display loses time - several minutes - every 24 hours.

Finally, what is the status of the CPUC sub-metering program? According to the EMW website with info about this program, the pilot program start date will be sometime in September/October. Is this accurate? I know of several posters, including myself, on the various EV online forums claiming to have applied for the program, and already set up accounts with OhmConnect. But, nobody here apparently has yet found out if they were accepted. Have all 500 spots been filled in PG&E territory?

Please provide a general status update as most everyone here is waiting to hear if they will be getting sub-metering JuiceBoxes. I'm sure some of us in CA may be waiting to order a regular JB until we hear if we qualified. TIA.
 
dsinned said:
I have been EAGERLY waiting for a JuiceBox cell app, the first WiFi enabled EVSE app of its kind! RIGHT ON!!! Which phone(s) will be supported first? I have an iPhone 5S, so I VOTE for Apple iOS.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK EMW!
+1 Amen! iOS or Android, I got both!
 
My brother ordered a JuiceBox Premium about a week before I did. Looking forward to having it.

I will add mine to PlugShare.
 
dsinned said:
Yesterday, I noticed on the EMW "public" website, there is new firmware, V8.10.2. What hardware is this for and what if any new features are being introduced?

Also, how do we report "bugs" with the old firmware? For example, JB LCD display loses time - several minutes - every 24 hours.

Finally, what is the status of the CPUC sub-metering program? According to the EMW website with info about this program, the pilot program start date will be sometime in September/October. Is this accurate? I know of several posters, including myself, on the various EV online forums claiming to have applied for the program, and already set up accounts with OhmConnect. But, nobody here apparently has yet found out if they were accepted. Have all 500 spots been filled in PG&E territory?

Please provide a general status update as most everyone here is waiting to hear if they will be getting sub-metering JuiceBoxes. I'm sure some of us in CA may be waiting to order a regular JB until we hear if we qualified. TIA.

+1 I'm also waiting to hear. sent an E mail and was sent to someone else to inquire but have had no response?
 
emotorwerks said:
Both are a possibility. It looks like the LEAF is ramping down, since it might be nearly full. In my experience, it takes about 5-7 seconds to see the change reflected on the screen....snip.....
Hope this isn't too off topic - but with all the excitement seen with the Kia Soul spec's ... should there be any surprises should the juiceBox be used to charge Leaf's competitor? I'm thinking the possibility of 15kW's charging, to a 27kWh - 30kWh battery will be even more important.
.
 
It does not matter how much current the EVSE offers as long as it is enough for the car. In this case you must supply 30A and that is all the car will take. You could have a 40A charger for a RAV4 EV but the car will only draw 30A.

There is two parts to the J1772 specification. If there is enough current offered the car will draw up to its max. I have a 32A OpenEVSE. My leaf draws 27.5A, Pchilds RAV4 EV drew 32A. A Volt would only draw16A. The car takes what it needs up to the max offered. Pchild's EV could draw 40A but it has to go with the 32A offered.
 
I think what Glenn said may need further clarification. I have a RAV4 EV and also charge it at 32A from my JuiceBox, although it is capable of charging the car at 40A. The JB can have its current limiter set by the end user quite easily when it has the LCD and Remote Key Fob options. I have both. Therefore, I set the current limit to 32A. Using the buttons on the key fob, the limit can be changed "on the fly", in 1A increments. However, 32A is the maximum current that can be safely provided from my home's breaker box to the end of the J1772 cable and everything in between (i.e. the infrastructure wiring, AC outlet, input cord, and L2 EVSE). However, I still have the means of charging my RAV4 EV at 40A, by traveling with my JB in the car and plugging in to "50A" 240V AC outlet available at most RV Parks. Hence, the advantage of a "plug-in" EVSE is its PORTABILITY, which means the current rating of the AC outlet, fixed wiring and circuit breaker protection is really just another limiting factor. This is also why a convenient way to adjust the EVSE's internal current limiting - such as with a remote key fob in the case of a JuiceBox - is such an advantageous feature.
 
dsinned said:
I think what Glenn said may need further clarification. I have a RAV4 EV and also charge it at 32A from my JuiceBox, although it is capable of charging the car at 40A. The JB can have its current limiter set by the end user quite easily when it has the LCD and Remote Key Fob options. I have both. Therefore, I set the current limit to 32A. Using the buttons on the key fob, the limit can be changed "on the fly", in 1A increments. However, 32A is the maximum current that can be safely provided from my home's breaker box to the end of the J1772 cable and everything in between (i.e. the infrastructure wiring, AC outlet, input cord, and L2 EVSE). However, I still have the means of charging my RAV4 EV at 40A, by traveling with my JB in the car and plugging in to "50A" 240V AC outlet available at most RV Parks. Hence, the advantage of a "plug-in" EVSE is its PORTABILITY, which means the current rating of the AC outlet, fixed wiring and circuit breaker protection is really just another limiting factor. This is also why a convenient way to adjust the EVSE's internal current limiting - such as with a remote key fob in the case of a JuiceBox - is such an advantageous feature.

Any method of adjusting the pilot to set the max current works. You spent a great deal of money on your JuiceBox and you are proud of it. Any OpenEVSE with a display and select button can also set the current. The stock table goes by 5A steps from 10A to 80A. I edit it from 10A to 50A in 2 A steps. It could have 1A steps but that becomes cumbersome.
 
GlennD said:
Any method of adjusting the pilot to set the max current works. You spent a great deal of money on your JuiceBox and you are proud of it. Any OpenEVSE with a display and select button can also set the current. The stock table goes by 5A steps from 10A to 80A. I edit it from 10A to 50A in 2 A steps. It could have 1A steps but that becomes cumbersome.
Correct! However, I did spend a whole lot more (~$1500) for a Leviton L2 EVSE and before that (~$800) for an SPX L2 EVSE, neither of which were nearly as versatile as my JuiceBox. There was no way whatsoever to adjust/limit current my Leviton and the SPX's "adjuster" was virtually inaccessible. Thus, those EVSEs essentially only had fixed outputs of 32a and 24a respectively, except when charging my VOLT that only allowed 15a max. All three EVSEs were "plug ins", but I still have to give the nod to JuiceBox for being the most portable and easiest to transport.

I dabbled with a few customizations to my Leviton (i.e. adding a dual AC V/A display module), but went all out on my JuiceBox. I had no clue how to modify the electronics in the Leviton or SPX, but was able to modify the firmware in my Juicebox. This allowed me to implement a fully customized display capability and some additional upgrades to support enhancements to the existing AC voltage and current measurements as well as adding an internal MCU based temperature monitor.

I have since made various AC input adapters for my JuiceBox, so that its overall portable versatility will be even better.

Was my JuiceBox worth the total cost of ~$700? ABSOLUTELY!!! :mrgreen:
 
dsinned said:
GlennD said:
Any method of adjusting the pilot to set the max current works. You spent a great deal of money on your JuiceBox and you are proud of it. Any OpenEVSE with a display and select button can also set the current. The stock table goes by 5A steps from 10A to 80A. I edit it from 10A to 50A in 2 A steps. It could have 1A steps but that becomes cumbersome.
Correct! However, I did spend a whole lot more (~$1500) for a Leviton L2 EVSE and before that (~$800) for an SPX L2 EVSE, neither of which were nearly as versatile as my JuiceBox. There was no way whatsoever to adjust/limit current my Leviton and the SPX's "adjuster" was virtually inaccessible. Thus, those EVSEs essentially only had fixed outputs of 32a and 24a respectively, except when charging my VOLT that only allowed 15a max. All three EVSEs were "plug ins", but I still have to give the nod to JuiceBox for being the most portable and easiest to transport.

I dabbled with a few customizations to my Leviton (i.e. adding a dual AC V/A display module), but went all out on my JuiceBox. I had no clue how to modify the electronics in the Leviton or SPX, but was able to modify the firmware in my Juicebox. This allowed me to implement a fully customized display capability and some additional upgrades to support enhancements to the existing AC voltage and current measurements as well as adding an internal MCU based temperature monitor.

I have since made various AC input adapters for my JuiceBox, so that its overall portable versatility will be even better.

Was my JuiceBox worth the total cost of ~$700? ABSOLUTELY!!! :mrgreen:

The beauty of open source is that everything is documented and you were able to mod your unit. Most of the EVSEs that I build sell for around half of that. The main thing is that you are happy with your unit!

My first EVSE was a Leviton 16 unit I paid $1000 less the fed 30%. I discovered the OpenEVSE project and recovered my costs for the Leviton.

Over the years it has evolved. I started with a basic board. Then GFCI was added, A display and select button came along, then the advanced power module came about, Nick Sayer added a GFCI routine and current measurement to the display. Goldserve coded in the RTC for his own use and then made it public. The beauty of open source is that many add enhancements.

No group is going to add enhancements to the Leviton or Clipper Creek EVSEs. The manufacturer has to see a possible return for each mod.
 
Hi, all,
Where to get this firmware 8.7.13b? Do we have an open source repository for it somewhere?

I have a 8.7 base board and extra parts from EWM this March and got the premium features installed last week, finally. Everything works under reprogrammed FW v8.7.9 (fig.1). I found a few minor things to fix and might want to work on it when I have time:)

My first MOD :idea: here (fig.2): the exposed USB port and switch that extends the 5V jumper on the FTDI programming card inside the box with an unused 3way switch outside. I can reprogram the board without opening the box any more. Decoupling the risk of exposure to 240V circuitry.
image.jpg

image.jpg

preview

dsinned said:
Valery is the expert here, so you should follow his recommendations, but I believe you will still need the FTDI Programming Cable if all you want is to upload a newer version of the firmware. However, "if" your JuiceBox was built with an older version of F/W, you just can't skip to a newer version unless your hardware (PCB version) is KNOWN TO SUPPORT IT. There are certain dependencies in the hardware, that ONLY the same version of firmware supports properly.

For example, I started out with V8.7.9 firmware with a V8.7 PCB. I have since uploaded to F/W V8.7.13b. The latter has various modifications of my own choosing to support a slightly larger display module, but my modified firmware is still based on V8.7.9 (compatible with the original uLCD) and original V8.7.x PCB. Because my PCB is still the same, later version(s) of firmware (e.g. V8.9.1) would NOT necessarily be compatible with my existing hardware, and for sure it wouldn't be 100% compatible with my new display.

Sometimes, new versions of F/W can be made "compatible" with respect to older H/W, but eMW's verification "testing" probably was only done with the latest hardware, so mismatching versions of H/W and F/W would generally not be advisable.
 
Nice job dbg! Your uLCD mod is how eMW conceived doing it as well. Unfortunately, making a rectangular cutout in the back of the enclosure is surely a lot of extra work. My approach was to replace the front cover plate with plexiglass and make the uLCD viewable from inside the front of the enclosure. I can't say it was any less work, but it maintains the integrity of the enclosure since I did not have to make any cutouts.

V8.7.13b of the firmware was a version of my own making to support a different 3D Systems 1.7" uOLED display. I've shared it with eMW and commented the source code where revisions were made. However, as to your question about a "repository", unfortunately, I don't believe one yet exists.

JuiceBox firmware is up to V8.10.2 now, but I do not know what changed since V8.9. V8.9 changed the new V8.9 PCB hardware, which incorporated a low wattage, resistive "heater" to guard against freezing climates, and a zero drift OpAmp to resolve GFCI calibration difficulties. Also, the PCB was upgraded to use 1% resistors for higher precision voltage and current measurements.

Good luck with any future modifications to your JuiceBox Basic.
 
dsinned said:
Nice job dbg! Your uLCD mod is how eMW conceived doing it as well. Unfortunately, making a rectangular cutout in the back of the enclosure is surely a lot of extra work. My approach was to replace the cover plate with plexiglass and make the uLCD viewable inside the enclosure while viewing it from the front. I can't say it was any less work, but maintain the integrity of the enclosure somewhat better since I did not have to make any cutouts.

V8.9.13b of the firmware was a version of my own making to support a different 3D Systems 1.7" uOLED display. I've shared it with eMW and commented the source code where revisions were made. However, to your point of a "repository", unfortunately, I don't believe one yet exists.

JuiceBox firmware is up to V8.10.2 now, but I do not know what has changed. I do know about V8.9 of the PCB hardware, which incorporated a low wattage, resistive "heater" to guard against freezing climates, and a zero drift OpAmp to resolved GFCI calibration difficulties. The PCBA also was upgraded to use 1% resistors for higher precision voltage and current measurements.

Good luck with any future modifications to your JuiceBox Basic.
Thanks for all information!
Currently I might stay AS IS.
Down the road, I am thinking to make this Juicebox controllable via wifi/internet.
 
I just bought a juicebox premium and would very much like to be able to write scripts to control it via wifi. Do you have any tips on how to get started with this? I'm an experienced software engineer so you can get technical in your explanations.

Thanks,
Carl
 
Ok guys. I have finally gotten around to trying to fix my abnormal state issue as I first posted about here on page 23 and 24 of this thread. I am trying to follow Val's (and other's) help.

I have everything connected and am in Arduino. I found the line Val told me to change. I changed it. Then what do I do? I assume I need to save it or upload it somehow. So I click on Verify or Upload. It starts checking everything and comes up with an error on line 359 which is nothing I changed. I copied and pasted the error here-
This report would have more information with
"Show verbose output during compilation"
enabled in File > Preferences.
Arduino: 1.0.6 (Windows 7), Board: "Arduino Uno"
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9.ino:70:30: error: EEPROM_VMcharger.h: No such file or directory
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9.ino: In function 'void setup()':
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:359: error: 'EEPROM_readAnything' was not declared in this scope
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:410: error: 'EEPROM_writeAnything' was not declared in this scope
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9.ino: In function 'void loop()':
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:531: error: 'EEPROM_writeAnything' was not declared in this scope
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:619: error: 'EEPROM_readAnything' was not declared in this scope
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9.ino: In function 'void ctrlMenu()':
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:1027: error: 'EEPROM_writeAnything' was not declared in this scope
EMW_EVSE_firmware_V8_7_9:1100: error: 'EEPROM_writeAnything' was not declared in this scope

Is this because I have some sort of error in my folder set up? Please forgive me, I am not too familiar with changing code. I can diagnose and work on cars all day mechanically though. :)

Help please?
Thanks!
Ryan
 
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