I bought a Blink HQ EVSE on craigslist without testing it. A few months later, I tried to use it. The EVSE's LEDs turn on, but the plug won't latch into the J-1772 receptacle of my 2011 Nissan Leaf. When the plug is inserted all the way into the car's receptacle, it's still about 1/8-inch short of the point where the latch would close. The car doesn't charge or make the proximity beep, probably because the plug won't latch.
On this plug, the latch distance is 17-18 mm, while it's 20-21 mm on all the other J-1772 plugs that I've measured (such as various public J-1772 plugs I've measured). The difference is about 2 mm, about the same as the thickness of what looks like a spacer ring on the J-1772 plug. But on closer inspection, the "spacer ring" isn't a separate part at all-- it's part of the hard Bakelite plastic that makes up the entire plug. I was thinking that the EVSE must be a prototype, with deliberately wrong plug dimensions to prevent anyone from actually using it. But when I contacted the previous owner, he said that he had successfully used it to charge his Fiat 500e. (He says he purchased it from Blink in June 2015, and Blink's records show the same original purchase date, so I'm thinking that he is the EVSE's original owner and didn't modify it.)
Another clue is that the plug won't even latch into the EVSE's own holster-- I can insert the plug into the holster, but it stops about 1/8" short of the point where it would "lock in". It's hard to imagine that Blink originally sold the EVSE this way, but the latching mechanism is tight, with no signs of damage. I sent Blink CS some photos, and they say that the plug looks original, so I doubt that "craigslist scam" is the explanation.
Anyone have any ideas?
On this plug, the latch distance is 17-18 mm, while it's 20-21 mm on all the other J-1772 plugs that I've measured (such as various public J-1772 plugs I've measured). The difference is about 2 mm, about the same as the thickness of what looks like a spacer ring on the J-1772 plug. But on closer inspection, the "spacer ring" isn't a separate part at all-- it's part of the hard Bakelite plastic that makes up the entire plug. I was thinking that the EVSE must be a prototype, with deliberately wrong plug dimensions to prevent anyone from actually using it. But when I contacted the previous owner, he said that he had successfully used it to charge his Fiat 500e. (He says he purchased it from Blink in June 2015, and Blink's records show the same original purchase date, so I'm thinking that he is the EVSE's original owner and didn't modify it.)
Another clue is that the plug won't even latch into the EVSE's own holster-- I can insert the plug into the holster, but it stops about 1/8" short of the point where it would "lock in". It's hard to imagine that Blink originally sold the EVSE this way, but the latching mechanism is tight, with no signs of damage. I sent Blink CS some photos, and they say that the plug looks original, so I doubt that "craigslist scam" is the explanation.
Anyone have any ideas?
