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Here goes! Hopefully this section can be used for permanent-reference type threads, so newcomers can have a quick & easy way to find out what's what with these things. To a layman they're black magic, like microwave ovens, and there's absolutely no way of knowing if they're getting a good one, or not.
EVSE - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. These are not in fact "chargers", it's the car that has the mains charger built in. They are just a fancy mains switch (the Contactor), plus some added logic (ECU/Controller-module/custom PCB/...) that tells the car how much current it's allowed to take. Add in some safety items, and that's it.
Actually, the dumb EVSEs, at least, are pretty simple things, and they don't come any simpler than the original Rolecs!
Bought mine rated 32A @240V (7kW) back in 2015, and ran it 4 years at gentle 16A rate, as that was all my Ampera took.
Plusses:
1) Cheap to buy, some 2nd hand ones on eBay etc.
2) Very easy to repair and maintain yourself. Rolec ECU can be diy replaced with Viridian ECU for around £80.
3) Uses standard DIN rail to mount standard RCBO, Contactor, and Rolec/Viridian ECU & Earth block. Rest of contents are the Type-2 Socket / Cable, and an LED unit on front cover. Couldn't be simpler.
4) Easy to upgrade to very latest PEN-loss protection and optional DC-leakage protection using Viridian ECU plus a 2nd Contactor. Cost appx £250 for the bits. Diy job, thread linked-to below.
5) Easy to add some "smarts" using remote-control on/off switch. Thread linked-to below.
6) Possible to reprogram the Rolec ECU to make it "smart". Possible to add other logic to make Viridian ECU "smart". If you fancy programming projects, this is one EVSE you can get to grips with easily.
Minuses:
1) RCBOs with Rolec branding are really bad. Ditch these, fit Garo/similar. £25 appx. Diy job, but do make sure properly tightened! Torque screwdriver advised, Garo have slightly higher torque than others I believe. Max is 3 Nm torque.
2) Case needs to be treated carefully. I now make a Rolec WallPod EVSE Charger Case Repair Kit, search on eBay. Link here:
Rolec WallPod EVSE Charger Case Repair Kit
Problems I & others have had:
1) This is the big one. The originalRolec branded RCBOs with blue text on are atrocious. These should be binned at once, and replaced with similar-rated Garo (or other good-quality mfr). Mine lasted 3 years only because it was being run at 1/2 power! But even then it was beginning to fail. Anyone running a Rolec at its full rated power should swap out the RCBO.
And for those with the newer green-text Rolec-branded RCBOs, these are also starting to show failures due to overheating, though in a different location. I would recommend binning those as well, for peace of mind.
2) Some owners have had the (plastic) case crack, or the mounting lugs inside snap, due to overtightening maybe? I have had no problems myself, but case was mounted on a very flat wall, and lives inside gge. If all 6 screws are not unscrewed completely, maybe taking the cover off at an angle snaps the thin pillars. Not the best design of fastening, should be beefier.
3) Ampera decided to short-circuit at car's socket, and blew up the ECU (Control module) in it! Not the Rolec's fault, but there's no short-circuit protection in it whatsoever.
Evidence of Problems:
1) Rolec-branded RCBOs burning out/overheating badly.
2) Case damage
Solutions to problems:
1) Garo RCBO for the 32A 7kW EVSE.
2) Case damage can be repaired. I sell a kit on eBay to make this easy! Here it is:
LINKS to other Solutions and Improvements
Fitting timer to Rolec system
Rolec charge controller pinout
Rolec Dumb Charger upgraded with DC Leakage Protection...
EVSE - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. These are not in fact "chargers", it's the car that has the mains charger built in. They are just a fancy mains switch (the Contactor), plus some added logic (ECU/Controller-module/custom PCB/...) that tells the car how much current it's allowed to take. Add in some safety items, and that's it.
Actually, the dumb EVSEs, at least, are pretty simple things, and they don't come any simpler than the original Rolecs!
Bought mine rated 32A @240V (7kW) back in 2015, and ran it 4 years at gentle 16A rate, as that was all my Ampera took.
Plusses:
1) Cheap to buy, some 2nd hand ones on eBay etc.
2) Very easy to repair and maintain yourself. Rolec ECU can be diy replaced with Viridian ECU for around £80.
3) Uses standard DIN rail to mount standard RCBO, Contactor, and Rolec/Viridian ECU & Earth block. Rest of contents are the Type-2 Socket / Cable, and an LED unit on front cover. Couldn't be simpler.
4) Easy to upgrade to very latest PEN-loss protection and optional DC-leakage protection using Viridian ECU plus a 2nd Contactor. Cost appx £250 for the bits. Diy job, thread linked-to below.
5) Easy to add some "smarts" using remote-control on/off switch. Thread linked-to below.
6) Possible to reprogram the Rolec ECU to make it "smart". Possible to add other logic to make Viridian ECU "smart". If you fancy programming projects, this is one EVSE you can get to grips with easily.
Minuses:
1) RCBOs with Rolec branding are really bad. Ditch these, fit Garo/similar. £25 appx. Diy job, but do make sure properly tightened! Torque screwdriver advised, Garo have slightly higher torque than others I believe. Max is 3 Nm torque.
2) Case needs to be treated carefully. I now make a Rolec WallPod EVSE Charger Case Repair Kit, search on eBay. Link here:
Rolec WallPod EVSE Charger Case Repair Kit
Problems I & others have had:
1) This is the big one. The originalRolec branded RCBOs with blue text on are atrocious. These should be binned at once, and replaced with similar-rated Garo (or other good-quality mfr). Mine lasted 3 years only because it was being run at 1/2 power! But even then it was beginning to fail. Anyone running a Rolec at its full rated power should swap out the RCBO.
And for those with the newer green-text Rolec-branded RCBOs, these are also starting to show failures due to overheating, though in a different location. I would recommend binning those as well, for peace of mind.
2) Some owners have had the (plastic) case crack, or the mounting lugs inside snap, due to overtightening maybe? I have had no problems myself, but case was mounted on a very flat wall, and lives inside gge. If all 6 screws are not unscrewed completely, maybe taking the cover off at an angle snaps the thin pillars. Not the best design of fastening, should be beefier.
3) Ampera decided to short-circuit at car's socket, and blew up the ECU (Control module) in it! Not the Rolec's fault, but there's no short-circuit protection in it whatsoever.
Evidence of Problems:
1) Rolec-branded RCBOs burning out/overheating badly.
2) Case damage
Solutions to problems:
1) Garo RCBO for the 32A 7kW EVSE.
2) Case damage can be repaired. I sell a kit on eBay to make this easy! Here it is:
LINKS to other Solutions and Improvements
Fitting timer to Rolec system
Rolec charge controller pinout
Rolec Dumb Charger upgraded with DC Leakage Protection...