Duosida EVSE Just Arrived.

[Marsh]

I am interested in the
...
3. 8M of total cable length. The unit price is $295/pc

If you need to save some money, ask them for a shorter cable. 8M is a lot of copper!

[bhinesley]

I recently purchased an Esubar 240v level2 from Amazon for $299, and Love it. I've measured about a 4x faster charge rate from the 120v standard charger. I have 240v access at work, but not from home. I live in an older home and would need to re-do the entire breaker box (not economically feasible at this time). After doing some research I found that if you have 2 separate 120v outlets on separate sides (a/b) of the breaker box they can be combined to provide 240v output. Then I found this video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uD6UGa ... W7KmC1dYmw

So, after experimenting and testing- I now have the ability to charge level 2 at home and it's basically a portable option as well. I'm using 2 separate outside outlets and it's working perfectly. I plan on burying one of the lines this weekend (the other is at a lamp post) and building a weather proof box.

[jjeff]

I recently purchased an Esubar 240v level2 from Amazon for $299, and Love it. I've measured about a 4x faster charge rate from the 120v standard charger. I have 240v access at work, but not from home. I live in an older home and would need to re-do the entire breaker box (not economically feasible at this time). After doing some research I found that if you have 2 separate 120v outlets on separate sides (a/b) of the breaker box they can be combined to provide 240v output. Then I found this video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uD6UGa ... W7KmC1dYmw

So, after experimenting and testing- I now have the ability to charge level 2 at home and it's basically a portable option as well. I'm using 2 separate outside outlets and it's working perfectly. I plan on burying one of the lines this weekend (the other is at a lamp post) and building a weather proof box.

Yes I do a similar thing at work but I'd really only suggest that if your 120v outlets are dedicated and preferably both your 120v circuits should be off a 240v breaker(not 2 individual 120v breakers). If not and other devices are plugged into those circuits and just one of the 120v circuits blows a breaker you run the risk of everything on the circuit that blows being in series with your EVSE
Now it's possible that the EVSE has protection for just such an event but in theory power could come inside one side of the EVSE and go out the other side and finally through all your devices plugged into the blown circuit to their neutral....
Note the best option for doing what your are doing is to purchase(or make with relays) something like a Quick220 http://www.quick220.com/
which safeguards against such series issues. If I didn't have dedicated circuits and both my 120v circuits being on the same breaker, I'd go that route.

[GlennD]

You will never find a double breaker. That would be a violation. The Quick 220 devices use two opposed circuits each one having its own breaker. 16A is only doable with outlets in good condition and no other loads on the circuits.

If you ran a dedicated 240V circuit it should have a double breaker but the devices are work arounds to get double power from existing circuits. In my case when the panel was replaced the inspector made all of the 3 wire circuits have tied together breakers. My house was wired in the wire shortage days and all of the original wiring has a ground, neutral, black and red wires.

It does not really matter to me since I have a 14-50 outlet with #6 wire and a 50A double breaker. I also have a 30A outlet with a 40A breaker left over from my leaf days. It would work fine with my eGolf but why change plugs.

[jjeff]

Yes but the problem without using something like the Quick220 on 2 non dedicated outlets(that aren't tied together) is if only one of the 2 breakers trip, again you have the possibility of a series circuit with everything on your blown circuit being in series with your EVSE, potentially NOT a good scenario....
In my case at work my outlets aren't dedicated but the 3 breakers feeding the outlets in the room are all tied together, one circuit blows and they all blow. The reason they did this is cost savings, they only had to run 1 neutral wire for 3 hot wires(this is commercial 3 phase power and not residential 2 phase power) and for a long run like they have in commercial buildings that savings of 2 neutral wires adds up works good for me though as then I don't have to worry about the outlets not being dedicated and I don't have the expense of something like the Quick220 which uses relays to safeguard against series loads.
p.s. for those technical people I know residential power isn't 2 phase but it's easiest to think of it as that in this scenario.

[GlennD]

I have a Quick 220 in my work room to check the power up of my OpenEVSE's. It has a 240V fall out at 160V contactor in series with the power. If one line blew the double pole contactor would open. There must be power on both lines so in your scenario it would be safe. Now what is dangerous is the kludge the JumpBox people used to sell. Nothing is there to protect the car in the event that a breaker was to open. In most of the Quick 220V circuits I have seen posted have a 240V controlling relay. Mine certainly does.

[wwhitney]

After doing some research I found that if you have 2 separate 120v outlets on separate sides (a/b) of the breaker box they can be combined to provide 240v output. Then I found this video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uD6UGa ... W7KmC1dYmw

So, after experimenting and testing- I now have the ability to charge level 2 at home and it's basically a portable option as well.

If you built the contraption in that video, it is pretty dangerous. If you plug in your EVSE to the 240V outlet on the box, and then plug in one of the 120V pigtails, you will now have a live 120V male pigtail you can shock yourself with. Also, as jjeff pointed out, it is missing any protection against one 120V circuit tripping while the other 120V circuit stays live.

So please, do yourself and anyone else in your household a favor and get a Quick220 device, or build an equivalently safe version using the proper relays.

Cheers, Wayne

[GlennD]

THAT IS JUST A SLIGHTLY NEATER VERSION OF THE DEVICE THE JUICEBOX PEOPLE USED TO SELL. I agree it is dangerous and a proper Quick 220 should be used.

[QueenBee]

It's too bad the guy in the video didn't test the 5-15 plug when his device was connected. Had he done touched that he could have likely exposed himself to enough current to kill himself.

The other thing I haven't seen mentioned is that this (and the real quick 220) only works on non GFCi receptacles so if you have garage, outdoor, lamp post, etc receptacles that this works on please fix that by replacing the receptacles with GFCI as required by current code!

Also please please stop putting anyone that comes near your contraption at risk and dismantle it. This just isn't safe.

[AntronX]

Here is mine. Got it from the same vendor. I paid $165 shipped, but with 18' cable option. Here are some internal circuit board pictures. I do not see any issues. The plug on other hand... is not so great.. Will post more later.

http://imgur.com/a/HGKak