Make your own 120/240V adjustable current (6A, 8A, 10A, etc.) EVSE

[knightmb]

I've been trying to find an EVSE with the J1772 that had options to adjust the current from as low as 6A (the standard minimum) all the way up to 12A in a portable design to keep with the Leaf. The one that comes with my current EV is just way too big (basically a portable L2) from Nissan and while it's cool to have something like that, I was really doing fine with the L1 for backup purposes before. So, since my old L1 went with my old 2013 Leaf, I've been shopping around for a replacement.

Anyway, I found a site (in China of course) that sells all the parts needed to build one quickly (mainly just wiring up, no soldering needed, board is all programmed) and with some easy to print templates, make a simple L1 EVSE that works on 120V AC (or 240V AC technically also supported, single phase) with a simple button that changes the charging current from 6A, 8A, 10A, etc with the simple push of a button, also works on the fly while charging. It also remembers the settings when you unplug and use again later.

Why have a L1 that can be set so low? It is handy when charging from Solar or any outlet where you want to share power and not trip a breaker all the time. The one I wired up also can go as high as 16A (on 120V? yeah, not a great idea, but it supports it!). So anyway, all the time and parts it took to make it, only cost me about $200. Maybe not the cheapest one you can buy, but certainly very flexible for power settings, which is real handy for me to have.

Picture below, all generic looking I know, but it is functional and useful! I think I did a good job on the front part where the text is to show the current levels, power light, fault light, etc.

 

[SageBrush]

Well done!

 

[wmcbrine]

Anyway, I found a site (in China of course) that sells all the parts needed

No link?

 

[knightmb]

Yeah, I just noticed I forgot the link, :?

https://zwet.aliexpress.com/store/2399082?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000007.1.5ab2119cqZCFuc

 

[matson]

I found a site (in China of course) that sells all the parts needed to build one quickly

I struggle to imagine, what did you build from parts (besides wiring-on a NEMA plug)?

I think I did a good job on the front part where the text is to show the current levels, power light, fault light, etc.

Is its indicator and current selection interface panel label not pre-assembled? (It looks like it is stock, it comes that way.)

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H71577b8...lug-Level-2-6A-8A-10A-12A-With-EU.jpg_Q90.jpg




If I were seeking a "low current" adjustable EVSE, then I would get LefanEV LF-PCD032-NEMA6-20. There was a "Used - Like New" one on the River for four months, priced for $160 (plus tax, gratis delivery). It remained available and unwanted for so long, that I was very tempted to buy it. (I refrained.)

LefanEV LF-PCD032-NEMA6-20 looks so similar to Besen/Besenergy BS-PCD030-10-16-T1, that I suspect LefanEV might be a relabeller, and their supplier might be Besen International Group (Nanjing) Trading Co., Ltd. or Nanjing LuAo International Trade Co., Ltd. My only caution against Besen EVSEs is, their J1772-2009 connector has a flimsy latch.

 

[knightmb]

I found a site (in China of course) that sells all the parts needed to build one quickly

I struggle to imagine, what did you build from parts (besides wiring-on a NEMA plug)?

I think I did a good job on the front part where the text is to show the current levels, power light, fault light, etc.

Is its indicator and current selection interface panel label not pre-assembled? (It looks like it is stock, it comes that way.)

Unfortunately, no. Depending on where you are in the world, if they send it to the US, they send it in pieces for customs reasons. Yeah, imagine my surprise when I got it. :lol:
The warning should be *some assembly required* and if I could get some better close of pictures of mine (my phone sucks for close up pictures), you would agree that it looks like I used some parts from Radio Shack to put it together.

 

[knightmb]

I did find a lot of EVSE with changeable current settings, including the one you linked below, but the price was higher than I wanted to pay. So I took a gamble on the Chinese one and it appears to have payed off for me, at least is wasn't difficult to put it together and the instructions were printed in English at least. It's not building circuit bread boards and using an Oscilloscope, but having to put it together makes it a little less convenient than having one already assembled with the right plug for North America outlets and knowing which wire color is which since hot and neutral, ground colors are different in China than the US.

If I were seeking a "low current" adjustable EVSE, then I would get LefanEV LF-PCD032-NEMA6-20. There was a "Used - Like New" one on the River for four months, priced for $160 (plus tax, gratis delivery). It remained available and unwanted for so long, that I was very tempted to buy it. (I refrained.)

LefanEV LF-PCD032-NEMA6-20 looks so similar to Besen/Besenergy BS-PCD030-10-16-T1, that I suspect LefanEV might be a relabeller, and their supplier might be Besen International Group (Nanjing) Trading Co., Ltd. or Nanjing LuAo International Trade Co., Ltd. My only caution against Besen EVSEs is, their J1772-2009 connector has a flimsy latch.

 

[ripple4]

It is handy when charging from Solar or any outlet where you want to share power and not trip a breaker all the time. The one I wired up also can go as high as 16A (on 120V? yeah, not a great idea, but it supports it!). So anyway, all the time and parts it took to make it, only cost me about $200. Maybe not the cheapest one you can buy, but certainly very flexible for power settings, which is real handy for me to have.

If it would help, I made a post about how to automate this same exact evse board with an Arduino microcontroller in a different post. My program, which I link to in the post, is intuitive. It 'looks' at the LEDs to see what amps it is set at, then 'presses' the button to change the charge amps. my program and the simple circuit measures AC current out of the inverter with a cheap YHDC split core current sensor. (https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=28664.) How I use it is when I get home from work at ~4:15, my solar home battery (14kWh) is totally full on most days, so I set it to 11 or 12 amps @240v to maximize solar capture, then roughly every hour I take it down 2 amps. this way my home battery is still full at 8pm, and my 9 bar 24kWh '12 is ~70% filled up. Then I use the cars' charge timer to get to 80% or 100% just before I leave in the morning.

 

[knightmb]

Pretty cool, I'll check it out. Thanks for the links!

 

[Dala]

When I coded up charge current feature (https://github.com/dalathegreat/Nissan-Leaf-ChargeCurrent), I made the lowest setting 1000W. It is possible to further reduce this to e.g. 500W and still have the car charging. Losses will be huge though, the car takes like 250W iirc when powered on, but this is the best solution for when charging from solar and don't want to take more than you should.

Feature in use:
https://youtu.be/u6fHHyJBMu8

 

[denwood]

At 250 watts overhead, I can see why charging at 120V and low rates is less efficient.

 

[knightmb]

At 250 watts overhead, I can see why charging at 120V and low rates is less efficient.

It certainly is, but having one that can be set low if you are visiting a relative for example and all that have are 120V outlets, most of which are usually on a shared circuit. I've encountered this problem enough, that I needed a portable solution when the default 12A Nissan EVSE was too much. :lol: