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Can I use the 50A deluxe kit with 120V
OpenEVSE Support
Tony,
The contactor included in the 50A kit requires 208-240v 120v is not enough to close the contacts.
If you used a relay on 12v to activate the contactor you still need to get 208 - 240v to the main contactor.
The 50A kit is L2 onlt (208 - 240v)
The 30A lit is L1 or L2.
You could always build a 30A kit now and if you need more later the 50A contactor is only $12, pretty inexpensive upgrade.
Chris
Christoper, I did a check on the Contractor, and think I found the same one on Amazon. It list the input as 24V. Would it be possible to use a relay to activate the contactor, using the 12V from the open EVSE, then activate a relay connecting 120V to activate the contactor? I would like to have a 120 12A 15A 20A and 240 12A 15A 20A 40A and 50A incase I get a Leaf later, which will need the 40A 240 to charge at max rate.
OpenEVSE Support
Not really, if you were to use a 1:2 transformer for 120 => 240 when you plugged into 240 it would try to make 480.
You could swap the 40A relay with 30A relays, which are powered by 12v DC from the power supply. This will allow 240 charging at 24A and 120v charging as well.
That's what I was worried about. I'm not familiar with anything but automotive relays, are there
120V->240V contactors I could use?
If I did find one and replace the one in my kit, would everything "just work"?
OpenEVSE Support
The 50A contactor operates at 208 to 240v.
120v volts is not enough to close and hold the contactor.
I just realized that I didn't say how I hooked up the 14-50 cable. I used only hot1, hot2, and ground, leaving the cable's neutral wire unused.
Kelly Byrd
I've just put together a 50A deluxe kit with a NEMA 14-50 AC plug and I'm using it happily for the last two days. I was hoping to take this with me occasionally and use it with a 14-50 to 5-15 adapter. That 5-15 would be 120V, of course. Would this work? I don't know if the 40A contactor in this kit will operate on 120V.