Mods for the Blink EVSE ! (was Fix)

[TomT]

I seriously doubt they care about the old Blink or its documentation any longer...

I'm reluctant to post the whole PDF on line since it contains this generic sort of copyright like language:
"No part of the contents of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without the express written permission of Blink Network"

 

[TimLee]

I'm reluctant to post the whole PDF on line since it contains this generic sort of copyright like language:

"No part of the contents of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without the express written permission of Blink Network"

What # did you call to get?
They sent it to you at no cost.
We just all need to ask.

The dearth of info on Blink has been stunning.
Surprisising that a dead in the water company is finally sending out info and selling repair kits.

Can we all say a day late and a $ short :?

 

[webfootguy]

I have used my google fu in the past to find this document. It might help.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-H9hcTGtvl_azF6Z0c0OGUzc3M

Phil H.

 

[rdhauser]

Good find, WebfootGuy, that's the PDF I got from CS. The PDF was sent to me during the process of emails with blink support about the self test fault. They offered the kit right away with caveats that pointed out how old the system now is and that it's really not supported and that they can't guarantee that the kit would ultimately fix the EVSE. I ordered the kit and in the confirming email, they included this paragraph:

******
You have chosen to repair your current unit. We would like to re-iterate that this repair kit may not fix all the issues you are experiencing with your unit, and we do not offer any returns or refunds on parts. We also recommend that you use a certified electrician to perform the repairs. We suggest Mr. Electric Nationwide; they can be reached at 855-983-0660, or mrelectric.com which will allow you to enter your city/state/zip code to locate a technician in your area.
******

I view that as mostly trying to give them an arguable point about liability so I ignored it.

I asked for the PDF to help me make a judgement about whether or not I could do the fix myself since I felt that the cost of the kit plus an electrician to do it was going to get close enough to the price of a new EVSE that if I didn't feel confident of making the repair myself, I would be better off buying a new one. Moderately interesting point, the warranty on these things seems to range from three years factory parts and labor to one year (plus the option to buy up to 5 years).

 

[91040]

Thank you very much for this document!

I have used my google fu in the past to find this document. It might help.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-H9hcTGtvl_azF6Z0c0OGUzc3M

Phil H.

 

[TomT]

Shortly before Blink was taken over, they came out to my house to look at my 1772 connector which was running slightly warm... They replaced the 1772 assembly and cord, and at the same time did the upgrades mentioned in the kit instructions, plus a few other things proactively. This was at no cost to me. Knock on wood but my Blink had always performed flawlessly and continues to do so...

They offered the kit right away with caveats that pointed out how old the system now is and that it's really not supported and that they can't guarantee that the kit would ultimately fix the EVSE.

 

[TimLee]

I have used my google fu in the past to find this document. It might help.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-H9hcTGtvl_azF6Z0c0OGUzc3M

Phil H.

Thanks.
With this I might get motivated to repair mine.

I think the service contractor did the kit repairs.
They actally found the power cables overheated and replaced the entire unit.
Was around two and half year mark still under warranty.

But then at the four and half year mark it quit booting.
Probably SD Card corrupted when they pushed update to limit amps.

I just haven't found time and motivation to make a new card.
With the manual I might.

I wonder which software version the SD Card in the kit has.
Is it amp derated?
Still same access codes to get to maintenance screen and change it?

 

[DaveEV]

I have used my google fu in the past to find this document. It might help.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-H9hcTGtvl_azF6Z0c0OGUzc3M

I gotta say, that's a well written Service Manual.

 

[TimLee]

I gotta say, that's a well written Service Manual.

Maybe the one thing Blink got right :lol:

 

[rdhauser]

Yes, the PDF inspired me to purchase the kit. I choose to believe that the PDF was done by CarCharging after the Bankruptcy.

By the way, I got the $60 repair kit in the mail yesterday:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/133264823@N02/29003253820/in/dateposted-public/

I felt cheated at first and then realized that the kit and the PDF gave me the confidence (and instructions) to have a better than 50% of fixing the self test fault. I may have to buy an EVSE, but I may not. We'll see. I have to put it in yet, though. Probably within the next two weeks. I'll post back here when I do.

 

[davewill]

In case it's not clear, the "kit" does seem to fix the problem. I had mine fixed as described in TSB 42 during it's warranty period, and I've never had another fault (been 3 or so years since the fix.) I later had to replace my cable and plug when it went bad, and had them set my unit back to 30a. I've often wondered how long it will last, but it shows no signs of quitting. I do occasionally inspect for signs of heating, but so far, knock on wood, it's been OK.

I have a utility grade meter attached to the Blink that just turned 20 MWh, and I used the Blink for a couple of years before I got the meter !

 

[rdhauser]

Thank you, Dave, that gives me (even) more confidence. I suppose when the CS folks say that "they can't really guarantee that he kit will fix the problem" they're being extra cautious - and perhaps moving the caller more toward ordering a new unit.

 

[seva]

the fix posted in 2011works fine (to turn the Blink charger into a dumb charger). mine was NOT exhibiting Self Test Fault. it was simply NOT engaging and charging. the car (my Volt, used to have a Leaf on lease) would say "Can not start charging" although it saw it was plugged in. the Blink unit did not see the cable plugged in, and it seemed to always have a scheduled charge time set up even though i always set it up with "Charge Immediately". only a few times was i able to get the charger to turn on. after i pulled the two plugs in that original 2011 posting, it worked fine! BLINK (carcharging) had pathetic tech support. they would list what they could sell me (repair kit, new HQ), would not answer any questions, and worse yet, didn't even tell me what the "repair kit" was.

 

[Jchancalifornia]

The post in April 2011, from Ingineer, on how to turn your Blink into a 'dumb' charger worked great.

My car failed to charge, after a recent power outage. Unplugging the EVS power plug didn't correct the issue. The touch-screen would only flash when plugging in the power, then would go dark. I removed both the top and bottom blue wires to the Linux board. My car now charges, with the EVS charger in 'dumb' mode.

Thanks to the OP, Ingineer!

 

[gonefishin]

I have used my google fu in the past to find this document. It might help.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-H9hcTGtvl_azF6Z0c0OGUzc3M

Phil H.

Thanks for this link to the PDF. In case that link ever goes bad you can search for "we-30CIRE residential service manual" - I was able to find another copy on the internet at http://www.rdrop.com/pipermail/oeva-list/2016-April/010195.html. I tried the steps in this manual but I'm not optimistic the problem is fixed.

Let me summarize my adventures in the last 2 years with the Self-Test faults. I tried moving the CTs... went away... came back. I tried lobotomizing it... went away... came back. I then put the smart electronics back... went away... came back. I then left the cover off and was finally able to catch it in the act and was able to get it to work again after fiddling with the CT and the switch attached to the side of the contactor. I noticed that mine was throwing the fault before the contactor closed, so it had nothing to do with an RF surge, and therefore has nothing to do with whether the CT & Ferrite is slid to one side or the other. The RF surge only happens after the contactor closes.

First I replaced that switch next to the contactor, but I was disappointed to find the brand new one also didn't have a spring - it just relies upon the contactor, and as I feared it did not resolve the problem. I then focused on the CT and a couple of times I was able to press the display to clear the fault, move the CTs around, and get it to charge. In the past I had never been able to get it to charge without power cycling so I thought this was progress. Now after checking back on this thread and reading the PDF I think I understand the problem better. I think the CTs are definitely the problem, and everytime someone fiddles with their cable it temporarily solves the problem.

The PDF link explains in TSB-42 that before charging, a signal is sent down 2 wires of the CT, and read on the other 2. If the signal isn't within expected values, it throws the Self-Test fault. It sure would have been nice to call it a CT fault instead... but we finally learn the truth. Their fix is to :

- Test the "self-weld switch" by resistance which is the funny box stuck to the contactor, a "Cutler Hammer C320KG1 Contactor Auxilliary Contact". I already replaced mine without effect.
- Cut the two main CT leads and test resistance is under <50 ohms, mine was 44 so it's OK. If the CT resistance was >50ohms, replace it.
- Replace the butt splices. I didn't have the ferrule or tool it requires so I used the smallest wire nut I could find... most won't work. I tried to open the old butt splices and look but they appear to have been glued??!! The connections seemed solid but the glue could be interfering with them. I tested the splices with my meter and couldn't make it fail so I'm quite skeptical this will solve the problem. That's what I've done so far and will have to let it test for a month to see if it comes back
- Check the CT motherboard connector pins that they aren't falling out. I checked mine - no issues.

So based on my experiments I do feel the problem is with the CT. Their suggestions of the butt splices & motherboard connector make sense, but I see no evidence that's my problem. The last step I could take it to replace the CT. I believe OpenEVSE sells a 4 wire CT w/self-test which should work https://store.openevse.com/products/gfci-current-transformer for $30.

If none of this works, I was planning on using the OpenEVSE kit to replace the "brains" of the Blink charger. I believe this kit for $105 (LED only ) to $150 (color LCD) https://store.openevse.com/products/openevse-international-combo-openevse-v3 can be used to replace everything inside the Blink charger box reusing the 240V AC connection, J1772 connector, and CH contactor. I've read the instructions and it seems pretty straightforward except mounting the LCD to the cabinet which will be challenge since they only give you a few inches of cable for their tiny box. Their $250 kit https://store.openevse.com/products/openevse-30a-charge-station-combo replaces the blink box and contactor as well. I've seen hints that other people have done this but couldn't find any firsthand reports.

 

[rdhauser]

Gone Fishin'

Thanks for taking the time to post your efforts. It was very helpful.

 

[rdhauser]

Today, an electrician I know came by to look at the Blink EVSE and the repair "kit" for the self test fault. We unplugged, took off the covers and began to look at the PDF service manual to orient ourselves. When I pointed out the CT unit, said that I thought the twist ties and the sticky back mounts were to pull the wires away and stabilize the CT unit. He pushed the CT to the right and asked that we test it just to see what that did. The unit worked normally. He asked for some cotton balls and placed them between the CT unit and whatever it was that it was resting against before he moved it (sorry, I can't remember the name of it) and we put back the cover. We'll see how long that lasts. He said that if it continues to self test fault, we could go ahead and follow the replacements in the kit.

 

[gonefishin]

Any movement of the CT wires is likely to get it working again temporarily. I have two data points to suggest that the problem is with the CT splices and it's been 98% reliable since my repair of the splices.

1) If I disconnect one of the CT leads I get the exact symptoms I've been seeing - before the contactor engages the system goes into self-test fault but touching the screen temporarily clears it.
2) In the last month (probably 50 charges) I've never seen it fault. I was told there was a fault once but I'm not sure if it was the same fault. I'm disappointed it happened at all, but 98% is good enough for me as a permanent fix.

If it comes back for you (and I bet it will) just cut the splices out and reconnect the wires with solder or something that accepts extremely find (20ga) wires like a telephone cable splice. The wires coming from the CPU are so fine that it's really frustrating trying to strip them without losing the few conductors, and even my tiniest wire nuts are really too big.They look like this link, but you can buy them at Home Depot in a small package

https://www.amazon.com/iExcell-Phon...113489&sr=8-16&keywords=telephone+wire+splice

 

[tedhts]

Hi All,

I have a lobotomized Blink charger. Did we ever put together a github repository or create any replacement software to control this charger? That would be a fun project. I’m a computer engineer.

 

[davewill]

Hi All,

I have a lobotomized Blink charger. Did we ever put together a github repository or create any replacement software to control this charger? That would be a fun project. I’m a computer engineer.

User "whoami" started to do so in a project he called "Wink". He even posted a video of his efforts back on page 2, but vanished without ever sharing any of his code.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3279&p=81975#p81975

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ1_1TpDWsg