Tesla Tap versus a Lectron Tesla to J1772 (48A) Adapter

[Mach-Lee]

I also bought the new Lectron adapter. One difference compared to the TeslaTap may be the presence of a bypass circuit. As far as I can tell, the Lectron is completely passive and is a straight-through connection from the Tesla connector. The TeslaTap supposedly has a bypass circuit that allows greater compatibility with all EV's by fooling the EVSE into J1772 state B (vehicle connected) before you plug in your car. I can't find specifics on this bypass circuit, but it could be very simple, perhaps just a resistor or zener diode between the control pilot and ground pins? If another EE has a TeslaTap and wants to let me know what that component/value is, I'd be curious.

In order to use a Tesla charger to charge a non-Tesla EV, we have to get the EVSE to switch into J1772 mode. On most Tesla wall connectors, it will try to use SWCAN protocol (J2411) to talk to first, but if that fails it will switch to J1772 mode after about 8-10 seconds. Only Teslas support SWCAN for charging, so a non-Tesla has to wait for the switch to J1772 before it can charge. This is why there is a delay using these adapters before charging starts.

Since the Lectron adapters work fine, it appears the Mach-E does not need the bypass circuit to charge successfully on a Tesla connector. Some EV's like the IONIQ 5/EV6 get confused from the initial SWCAN signals and spit out a charger error, so they would benefit from the bypass circuit. The bypass circuit is why the TeslaTap says to wait 30 seconds before plugging in, to allow the J1772 fallback to occur. Interestingly the Lectron adapter instructions also say to wait 30 seconds, but since it's completely passive I think waiting is superfluous. The Tesla EVSE would have no clue the passive Lectron is connected, so I think someone just copied this instruction from the TeslaTap, or perhaps Lectron used bypass circuits in previous models?

The access control setting on the latest Gen 3 Tesla Wall Connector may be formidable, since they can disable J1772 completely, but the TeslaTap/Lectron adapters should work on any Gen 1 or 2 wall connector after the J1772 fallback occurs. The Gen 2 did have a dip switch to put it into J1772 mode permanently, which would speed up the process. However once Telsa access control becomes more widespread, we will have more limited use of Tesla chargers and may not be able to rely on them in the future.

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[tuminatr]

So I have a 50a Tesla Tap it's worked flawlessly. I bought it to expand where I can charge and have used it in some 80a Tesla chargers. I openly don't know what generation Tesla chargers are but it has consistently provided 48a and never gotten hot.

 

[WyldStallyn]

I think if your adapter is rated for 48 Amps it should be OK. I would still worry about why it gets warm, but as long as it does not melt when you put 48 Amps through it, a warm device is fine. In fact, warm wire conducts more current than cold wire. If you look at current ratings, they go up in correlation with temperature.

I purchased a 50 Amp Tesla Tap. I have only used it once, and I did not notice any "warming" when I disconnected it. I think the charge rate was probably at 48 Amps, because it was a higher power Tesla L2 station.

In reality, I didn't take any time to really check for "warmth", I just used it and went on. So maybe my adapter also was warm. Whatever. The point is, if yours is rated for 48 Amps, it is probably fine for use in the MME that will never draw more than 48 Amps.

Live long and prosper!

I wasn’t really following this thread but happened to see this comment. Resistance of wire actually increases with temperature.

The current rating charts have the temperature rating of the wire insulation. As the wire insulation rating goes up the current rating goes up. If Lectron has rated the adapter to 48A it could be that they use the same AWG wire but with plastic components which can withstand a higher temperature and therefore there is more noticeable increase in temperature from ambient.

 

[joebruin77]

Just came across this post after I just posted a new thread asking about whether I should get the Teslatap Mini or the Lectro 48-amp capable adapter.

For those of you who have used the Lectron, are you pleased with it? The Lectron is about $110 cheaper. Other than being a couple inches smaller, I don't yet see advantages of the Teslatap over the Lectron to justify the difference in price. I am inclined to get the Lectron unless I am missing something about the Teslatap.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[Bill S]

Just came across this post after I just posted a new thread asking about whether I should get the Teslatap Mini or the Lectro 48-amp capable adapter.

For those of you who have used the Lectron, are you pleased with it? The Lectron is about $110 cheaper. Other than being a couple inches smaller, I don't yet see advantages of the Teslatap over the Lectron to justify the difference in price. I am inclined to get the Lectron unless I am missing something about the Teslatap.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome.
Thanks,
Joe

I chose this one because it is easy to store. 48 amp.

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