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[DonTom]

Has anybody here used the above mention hack?  I would like to know what it does and if it would be useful for what I want to do. And that is to be able to charge without using the OBC and  with the key removed. I want to be able to enable and disable (by unplugging the OBC)  the extra 1.3 KW OBC charge as required.

Does the above switch  simply close the contactor (even when key is removed) or does it do more or something else?

The reason I am asking is because I purchased a couple of 3.3 KW Econs today, all programmed up for my Zero SR.  There could be times where I need to leave with the key and cannot charge at the 7.9 KW because many J Stns have a 6.6 KW (or less) limit.  I have my two 3.3  Elcons wired to the motor controller via Anderson Connectors.

I realize there are other ways to solve this problem, such  as the ChargePoint I used here today. It says it  can do "6.6 KW per port", so all I would need is to use both ports, using two J adapters (I do own four of them, but I have three in Reno right now). That's the very best way when possible. But I want some flexibility of my charge rate, so I can always charge as much as possible without "busting" as they say in Blackjack.

BTW, at the above mentioned J-station (my Plugshare linkg above). I did try the full 7.9 KWs to see what would happen. The chargepoint was working and even showed that I was charge a 7.X KW. It worked great for about two minutes at that rate  and went dead. It self re-set, so no harm done. I simply unplugged and re-plugged back  in at 6.6 KW (I disconnected the OBC and left the key on).

I will use my two old 2.5 KW chargers on my DS, and charge it at 6.3 KW from now on. No real issue there, but I am getting very close to 1C on that bike.

So what does the above switch actually do? I want to make sure I understand what it does before I add it to my Zero SR. Anybody here using it?

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

I just now got done doing the above modification, temporary, using clip leads before I do some hard wiring of the switch. It works PERFECTLTY for what I want. I am charging my bike right now at 6.5 KW as shown on the Zero app without using the OBC, key is out.  BTW, it also says I have a new FW update ready, but my chargers must be disconnected for the update.

Here is what the above modification does and how to use it.

At first nothing happens because there is no voltage (I checked the red lead for voltage before I started (key was out).

With the added switch closed, you turn on the key, contactor then closes. Then turn the bike off and the contactor stays closed with a display, even if NOT charging. So then the key can be removed and the bike can then be charged WITHOUT the OBC, when chargers are connected to the motor controller battery contacts.

BTW, the charger plug must be connected back in the charger for the bike to run.

So now I can charge my Zero SR at any of the following rates (as required):

1.3 KW
3.3 KW
4.6 KW
6.6 KW
7.9 KW

BTW, instead of melted wires as shown in the photo (the plug shown is at the rear of the charger, I don't think anybody mentioned that) I cut the wires and will use screw-in European Connectors.

Or now that the wires are cut, I could decide on solder and heat shrink tubing.  After I find a switch and a good location to mount it I will decide.

Thanks go to Shadow for posting the above hack/modification!

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

I can now charge my Zero SR at as much as ~10 KW when at home as I can also add in a couple of DeltaQs.

I have my switch completed, bike ready to ride and now can  charge with or without the OBC.

Switch location is shown below. It was a rather large switch I found and needed the clearance and there is plenty of room at that location.

Also below is bottom of the charger where I did most of the work.

Now nothing left to do on the bike except for riding and charging.

-Don- Auburn, CA

[Shadow]

I can now charge my Zero SR at as much as ~10 KW when at home as I can also add in a couple of DeltaQs.

I have my switch completed, bike ready to ride and now can  charge with or without the OBC.

Switch location is shown below. It was a rather large switch I found and needed the clearance and there is plenty of room at that location...

What happens when that switch is closed while riding? Does the bike stay in run mode with contactor closed?

[DonTom]

What happens when that switch is closed while riding? Does the bike stay in run mode with contactor closed?

The bike will still run with the key on (but not when key is off),  but all I did was a short test in the garage. I have not tried to flip the added switch while actually ridding, but I assume it will not know the difference. Contactor stays closed with the added switch closed, regradless if key is on or off (and removed).  The display stays on, but is not lit up. If there is light, I can see how long it will take to charge on the display. While those  numbers are close for practical reasons, it will take MUCH longer to get to 100% as my chargers are only a couple of hundred watts (very low current) above 114 VDC (~95% SOC) and will be fast to 95% SOC but very slow (over night) to get that last 5% without the OBC running. But I can always run the OBC after the 95% anyway. Works very well for my needs.

I have decided to do the same mod in my DS. There are a few J1772 stns that can only do 5.5 KW, so I want to be able to do 5 KW without the OBC running with my two old Elcon 2.5 KW chargers.

With the added switch my DS can charge at the following rates:

1.3, 2.5, 3.8, 5.0 & 6.3KW. If I don't do the modification to my DS, I won't be able to do the 5KW with the key out.

Thanks again for that info! I really like that modification. Easy to do and can be handy at times.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

I now also have this modification completed and now working on my DS, so I can now charge it at 1.3, 2.5, 3.8, 5.0 & 6.3KW. I don't want to go any higher on this bike as it is very close to the  1C limit at 6.3KW.

BTW, the gray wire in the photo is really gray-red. It can look like another red wire depending on the angle. The red stripe is quite thick and can look like a red wire.

The entire thing takes about two hours but that includes making changes to my horn mounting in my case.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

I was watching my Zero DS charge up near the end today.  I Started out at the full 6.3 KW at  65% SOC.

At 93% SOC one of the 2.5 KW chargers deactivates. At 95% SOC the other 2.5 KW charger deactivates. From 95% on, it is charging with only the OBC (not counting the ~150W residual from the two 2.5 KW chargers).

It won't be often that I need to touch the added switch on this bike to reduce the charge rate, but it's now there if I do.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[kasmtk]

Nice work
Where is the plug for the charger-enable hack?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DonTom]

Nice work
Where is the plug for the charger-enable hack?

It's the connector at the rear of the on board charger, very bottom of bike. Bottom pan must be removed to see it.

See upper photo in reply number 32 above. It's right below the motor.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

What happens when that switch is closed while riding? Does the bike stay in run mode with contactor closed?

I now have a more complete answer after an 18 mile ride on my DS to my other house here in Cold Springs Valley.

While riding, if the switch is activated,  NO difference at all.  I can ride it all day like that and not notice.

However, if I open the switch and then stop, close the switch, turn the key off, the bike will NOT run at all when I turn the key back on.

IOW, it is not possible to ride off with the switch activated (closed) after a charge.  And if the switch gets closed while riding, nothing changes at all, it rides normally.

-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[Shadow]

...it is not possible to ride off with the switch activated (closed) after a charge.  And if the switch gets closed while riding, nothing changes at all, it rides normally...

Interesting. Good to know it is safe to ride with if closed unintentionally.

[Blotman]

Hey Shadow, I want to thank you for this post topic. It really helped me out and got my 2015 Zero SR back on the road.

My onboard charger died back in November. The outlet I plugged it into tripped, and the charger must not have liked that. This is actually my SECOND stock charger. The first one also fried but was under warranty at the time. I heard a new one would be over a grand out of pocket before labor. I considered the DeltaQ option but at 900w it sounded absolutely weak for $600. I really wanted to go with Diginow or EVtricity for their fast charging solutions but apparently they're both out of the game.

This forum topic provided a viable and less expensive alternative. I opted for the TC HK-J 3300 (still trying to figure out if Elcon designed the unit or if they just rebrand it). I ordered from EV Components just as you did, providing the same exact numbers you provided since they appear to corroborate with zeromanual.com (THANKS TO YOU GUYS AS WELL!) for my 12.5 kWh bike. The timeline was longer for me though as I placed the order on November 19th and received the unit on January 9th. Guessing covid plus holidays will do that. The unit costed $475 USD and shipping was $89. Michael from EV Components was pretty responsive, and I'm pretty sure it's the same Michael from EV Assemble.

So the unit comes with a standard NEMA 5-15 plug input, an Anderson SB50 output, and the pig tail is configured to the 12v+ and enable pins (CAN BUS sockets are there but I'm not using them). I ghetto attached a switch to the pigtail.


I didn't want to cut off any connectors yet, so I crimped an SB50 to SBS75X-BRN adapter with some 6 awg wires.


And of course since my stock charger is no longer on the bike, I had to do the connector hack to allow charging with the key is off. I pried the male connector off the the busted charger and yanked two pins as well. Attached them to the slots for the red and gray wires and ghetto soldered a switch to them.


The accessory port being out of the way takes a bit more effort to reach than the C13 port, but getting it plugged in is not too bad.


All in all, it works. It's a couple extra steps though as I need to switch the charge hack on before keying the bike off. In either case, I absolutely appreciate the enthusiasm the EV bike community has as I'd be completely clueless without the information you guys have compiled.

[Crissa]

I would think that the breaker tripping would more likely be a symptom of the device failing that the breaker killing the device.  I don't think the charger cares if the power is suddenly interrupted.  We literally do that all the time when we pull the plug.

-Crissa

[Blotman]

Yeah I would think the charger would withstand it. The circuit was going to trip anyway. The breaker is at only 10 or 15 amps and I forgot about the fridge being plugged into it. Not super sure if any of this is the reason, but not going to lose too much sleep over it.

[Crissa]

That couldn't have damaged the charger.

-Crissa