Vectrix with J1772 Charging port

Yes, that's it. I remember seeing that thread ages ago, but forgot about it for some reason.

Thanks for the link, I'll make some enquiries with martinwinlow.

I took the plunge and bought the prefab adapter from TucsonEV. My box came with just 3 leads and not a covered cable, so I wrapped in self vulcanizing rubber tape then wired it to a weather resistant plug to connect the vectrix.
I am anxious to try it and open up more options to charge while out and about, 120 volt level one plugs are very rare.

Hi All,
I'd just like to state for the record how great martinwinlow's cables are ! This cable (along with my Leaf batteries) has made my Vectrix a true touring bike (just done a 409 mile trip). I can go pretty much anywhere I like in the UK as I now use the EV infrastructure via Martin's excellent cable. You get what you pay for and this cable is high quality, durable and has not ever failed me and I don't expect it ever will. I carry it all the time. BTW - I am not on commission :-)

Here's a couple of pictures in use.

Hi Allen, I want to take my bike to the UK on a ferry to do some touring but I could not find a supplier that provides access to all the public chargepoints as we have here in the Netherlands. It seems that each provider can only provide access to its own chargepoints.
Can you advise me what I should use to have the best coverage in the UK?
Planning to take the ferry to Harwich and ride towards London. And Newcastle for a ride to Isle of Man.

Thanks

Another happy customer of martinwinlow's EVBitz cable.

Here's my Vectrix being charged form my Type 2 socket home charge point using the cable I purchased a few weeks ago.

Hi King Charles. I have sent you a PM - did you get it okay ? Allan

I had a chance to test my J1772 setup the other day, worked great! I feel better knowing I can top off if needed.

Hi King Charles. I have sent you a PM - did you get it okay ? Allan

Hi, yes and thanks again for the advice.
Now it's planning time!

HI BEN, I was getting worried that you had left us since you haven't been around for a while,glad your back.

Reall nice work my friend.

With a NiMH VX-1, opportunity charging seems to be necessity. Using Ben's design as a template, I built one up. Instead of doing a PC board, I simply used a 6 position barrier strip and screwed the resistors and diode on. Then a couple of wire jumpers with crimped fork connectors, crimped spade connectors to the switch and voila... J1772 adapter. As an aside, I got the J1772 connector used from EV West used from a Smart Car. Nice thing everything was already crimped and about 9 inches of cable were provided. Biggest change from Ben's design was that I used a lever safety switch. (Yes, I know, some say you don't need the switch). I like the fact that it's clear that when the cover is down the thing is off.

Went over to the local university and took advantage of their public charging station. Satisfying to flip the switch and have the thing work!

Has anyone used this J-1772 socket to make a charging adapter? I'd like to make or buy one for my VX-1, as we have lots of Chargepoint L-2 stations in my area, but few dedicated 120 volt outlets. I'm thinking of using the 32 amp rated version instead of the 16A unit because for continuous use you'd want at least 20% more circuit capacity, not 1/15th more...

http://www.evchargingcables.com/sae-j1772-type1-ev-socket-32amp-p-25.html

Has anyone used this J-1772 socket to make a charging adapter? I'd like to make or buy one for my VX-1, as we have lots of Chargepoint L-2 stations in my area, but few dedicated 120 volt outlets. I'm thinking of using the 32 amp rated version instead of the 16A unit because for continuous use you'd want at least 20% more circuit capacity, not 1/15th more...

http://www.evchargingcables.com/sae-j1772-type1-ev-socket-32amp-p-25.html

Before proceeding take a look one this: http://shop.vectrixparts.com/chademo-dc-fast-charge-kit.html

Says work in progress, not available. Now if it were, that would make a Leaf Cell Vectrix really usable

Has anyone used this J-1772 socket to make a charging adapter? I'd like to make or buy one for my VX-1, as we have lots of Chargepoint L-2 stations in my area, but few dedicated 120 volt outlets. I'm thinking of using the 32 amp rated version instead of the 16A unit because for continuous use you'd want at least 20% more circuit capacity, not 1/15th more...

http://www.evchargingcables.com/sae-j1772-type1-ev-socket-32amp-p-25.html

Pay attention to the wiring - J1772 is most commonly 208/220/240V rather than 120v.
The original vectrix charger (from memory) had slightly different wiring on the input for 120v input rather than the rest of world 220v input.

anyway - at 220V the Vectrix only draws 7A

Has anyone used this J-1772 socket to make a charging adapter? I'd like to make or buy one for my VX-1, as we have lots of Chargepoint L-2 stations in my area, but few dedicated 120 volt outlets. I'm thinking of using the 32 amp rated version instead of the 16A unit because for continuous use you'd want at least 20% more circuit capacity, not 1/15th more...

http://www.evchargingcables.com/sae-j1772-type1-ev-socket-32amp-p-25.html

Pay attention to the wiring - J1772 is most commonly 208/220/240V rather than 120v.
The original vectrix charger (from memory) had slightly different wiring on the input for 120v input rather than the rest of world 220v input.

anyway - at 220V the Vectrix only draws 7A

As Ben Nelson and I have noted, no problem using J1772 on US spec bikes

I was wondering about the wattage/amperage at 240 volts...so the 16A socket would be fine. Do I have to worry about the Vectrix's plug wiring, or not? Is it two "hot" wires and a ground, with no neutral?

240 volts in the US does not have a neutral only two hots (180 degree phases) and a safety ground. The TC charger on my CuMoCo runs on either with no changes. Here is a photo of the setup. The yellow thing is a dummy safety cover plug since the prongs on the 120 volt receptacle are hot when it is plugged into a J1772 charge point(and vice-versa - there is a cover for the J1772 it too).

Nice setup. So I can buy a J-1772 socket with a few feet of cord on it, and make an adapter socket for the OEM plug by connecting the two Hot feeds from the J-1772 socket to the two non-ground wires in the SAE socket (I'll probably use a 20 amp extension cord plug), with grounds going to grounds as usual, correct? I know about the 2 hot/no neutral setup from car EVSEs. I'd rather just buy the $300 Zero adapter, but even that one would have to have a different plug spliced on, so I may as well save $200.

LeftieBiker....

You should read Ben Nelson's blog. It's pretty much step-by-step. (http://300mpg.org/2015/03/31/the-diy-j1772-charging-adapter/)See EVTV.ME's diagram for wiring here -- http://d38b2t7ko8da9u.cloudfront.net/evtv-word-press/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/J1772-1-300x168.jpg

I built a similar box (almost exact to be honest). My only difference is that I just used a barrier strip (screw terminal strip) from Radio Shack to mount the resistors and diode. If I get a chance I'll pull mine apart for pictures. You can't just hook the hot leads up directly without the signaling so the EVSE starts.

A lot of folks will say 'you don't need the switch'. I'll respectfully disagree. From a safety perspective, I would not want power going to the J1772 jack to the NEMA socket until everything is connected. Additionally, by having the switch, you can ensure that no bad things (arcs and sparks) happen when you pull the J1772 plug from the EVSE to the J1772 jack.

I think (not sure) the Zero Motorcycle's adapter doesn't use a switch. Kind of surprising, since it costs so much. You can buy Tucson EV's adapter box (http://www.tucsonev.com/) for $150. All you have to do is add a 15 or 20 amp NEMA socket(another $10?) to the cord it comes with you and you can plug the Vectrix straight in. The only reason I built my own is that I'm cheap, and wanted to understand how the magic worked. If you just want plug and play, I think this probably the nicest built adapter, and much cheaper than the Zero one.

As for signaling for power levels to the EVSE. You don't need that. The Vectrix pulls the lowest range, so you're never going to need to adjust the output of the EVSE.

PM me if you have any questions.

Scott

Thanks, Scott! I think I'll use the smaller setup with separate switch, so I can easily mount it in the VX-1 center storage area.

"J1772™ Adapter with remote Pilot Box"

"Per the J1772™ standard, the pilot pins are shorter than the power and ground pins. When the plug is pulled from the car's inlet the Pilot signal is interrupted first. Since the EVSE monitors the Pilot pin connection, the EVSE opens its power contacts to prevent arcing across the power pins."

If the above is right, there shouldn't be any sparks with or without the switch ...

Thanks for the link! I might get one of these eventually, though I've found that I can usually find accessible 120V outlets for an emergency top-up in public or private parking garages. The adapter would be nice if one has extra chargers to plug in it in parallel for faster charging (like the Zero has this option).

A lot of folks will say 'you don't need the switch'. I'll respectfully disagree. From a safety perspective, I would not want power going to the J1772 jack to the NEMA socket until everything is connected. Additionally, by having the switch, you can ensure that no bad things (arcs and sparks) happen when you pull the J1772 plug from the EVSE to the J1772 jack.

"Per the J1772™ standard, the pilot pins are shorter than the power and ground pins. When the plug is pulled from the car's inlet the Pilot signal is interrupted first. Since the EVSE monitors the Pilot pin connection, the EVSE opens its power contacts to prevent arcing across the power pins."

If the above is right, there shouldn't be any sparks with or without the switch ...

Thanks for the link! I might get one of these eventually, though I've found that I can usually find accessible 120V outlets for an emergency top-up in public or private parking garages. The adapter would be nice if one has extra chargers to plug in it in parallel for faster charging (like the Zero has this option).

How's the sellers' remorse going? Do you regret your swap yet?

I do miss the fairings and the storage a lot, and the comfy seat too. But, I could never get quite comfortable with the riding position on the Vectrix - I'm just too tall - and my neck and lower back would hurt after even relatively short rides. The SR is a much better riding position for me (I did not like the DS/DSR riding position either - too upright).

How's the sellers' remorse going? Do you regret your swap yet?

I do miss the fairings and the storage a lot, and the comfy seat too. But, I could never get quite comfortable with the riding position on the Vectrix - I'm just too tall - and my neck and lower back would hurt after even relatively short rides. The SR is a much better riding position for me (I did not like the DS/DSR riding position either - too upright).

And while I kind of miss the SR's power and agility, I prefer being able to safely ride a bike to having it parked. I also like having money in the bank again, and no anxiety about how I'm going to get my ride repaired . This deal should serve as a basis for other similar trades. It worked because we each got the full value we assigned to our bikes, adjusted a bit in my case because of Kocho's willingness to do all the hauling.

The VX-1 seems to have been designed by a committee, though. The seating position is damned Odd, and the noises it makes could have been avoided. If it doesn't break, though, I'll stay happy with the deal as well - especially if I can get a J-1772 adapter installed. I'll probably replace my Suzuki 450 with a light 650 or 750cc shaft-drive ICE bike, though, so I can ride hard and long in hot weather.

I do miss the fairings and the storage a lot, and the comfy seat too. But, I could never get quite comfortable with the riding position on the Vectrix - I'm just too tall - and my neck and lower back would hurt after even relatively short rides. The SR is a much better riding position for me (I did not like the DS/DSR riding position either - too upright).

And while I kind of miss the SR's power and agility, I prefer being able to safely ride a bike to having it parked. I also like having money in the bank again, and no anxiety about how I'm going to get my ride repaired . This deal should serve as a basis for other similar trades. It worked because we each got the full value we assigned to our bikes, adjusted a bit in my case because of Kocho's willingness to do all the hauling.

The VX-1 seems to have been designed by a committee, though. The seating position is damned Odd, and the noises it makes could have been avoided. If it doesn't break, though, I'll stay happy with the deal as well - especially if I can get a J-1772 adapter installed. I'll probably replace my Suzuki 450 with a light 650 or 750cc shaft-drive ICE bike, though, so I can ride hard and long in hot weather.

I think you got the better part of the deal, but clearly Kocho wanted to move on. I've ridden motorbikes for over 40 years and spent most of those scoffing at scooters. Now I'd never want to be without a scooter because they're just so convenient! (and electric is even better)

I think both Lefty and I came out equally satisfied from our swap, so I would not say one of us got a better deal than the other. In terms of $$$ I think it was a fair exchange. And we both wanted something different to ride and both got it :)

Granted, Leftie should not have been sold his faulty SR by the dealer in the first place. And he took a financial hit for re-selling it - one always takes a hit when buying new and selling used. But the sale/exchange between him and me I think was very fair to both of us. A virtually identical SR (except without error codes) and located within 100 miles from where Leftie lives sold the previous evening on eBay for almost exactly the same price that I ended-up paying with the exchange for my Vectrix for what I could have sold it locally. So the sale was at "market prices" for both sides.

I am still waiting on my local Zero dealer to schedule me for the repair. A case is opened, they are waiting for some firmware update to be sent to them by Zero any moment now. But I have a warranty, so I can wait a bit more to get it fixed. The Vectrix has no problems and Leftie rides it now, but has no warranty. Vectrix might be cheaper to fix in the future than Zero. Etc. Trade-offs we both knew about and accepted...

Oh, and I just installed a wind screen on the SR, which hopefully will get me some protection form the wind. And I plan to add top and/or side cases, which would get me some storage. I'll slowly make it into a very fast Vectrix :)

I think you got the better part of the deal, but clearly Kocho wanted to move on. I've ridden motorbikes for over 40 years and spent most of those scoffing at scooters. Now I'd never want to be without a scooter because they're just so convenient! (and electric is even better)