hybridbear
Well-known member
The store I called indicated that they do not have a bulk wire rack. I specifically asked about a bulk wire rack. Menards also stated that they do not have a bulk wire rack.michael said:
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Snowman
Active member
I've never been in a HD that didn't have one. That is where I bought my wire. Could be they are different in MN than they are in New England.
hybridbear
Well-known member
I also may have spoken to an employee who didn't know what he was talking about. I'll call a different Home Depot this afternoon and ask.Snowman said:
hybridbear
Well-known member
I called a different Home Depot tonight who said the wire costs $1.25/foot.
triangles
Well-known member
No HD's I've been to in NW Ohio have the bulk wire rack. They do have wire available in pre-cut lengths. If I only need a couple feet I usually go to Lowes as all the Lowes around here do have bulk wire.
hybridbear
Well-known member
I bought the wire at a local hardware store. It cost about $1.75 with tax. Now that I have it, how do I wire the plugs?
hybridbear
Well-known member
Any advice on how to wire the plugs? Which prong goes to which prong?
WattsUp
Well-known member
Without knowing which wires and which prongs you're referring to, kinda hard to say.hybridbear said:
In general, with A/C wiring for 240V, there will be two "hot" wires. Which of the two hot prongs you connect the two wires to doesn't really matter. The neutral wire, however, MUST be connected to the neutral prong.
If none of this is making sense to you, hire an electrician. Seriously. Don't play around. 240V (and even 120V) can cause serious damage, and even KILL you, if you don't know what you're doing.
triangles
Well-known member
Hybridbear take a look at this wiki You will see which pins are what. In the diagram it shows which ones are hot, neutral and ground. Also your new connector should come with documentation of what prong is what. I believe you said you are going from NEMA 6-20 to NEMA 14-30 & 14-50. The NEMA 6-20 is a 240V connection that does not use a neutral. You will have two hots and ground. The NEMA 14-30/50 have one additional prong which is for a neutral wire. You can leave this neutral prong out since you don't use it. The neutral prong is what is different between 14-30 and 14-50. Since you leave this prong out you can plug into either receptacle with your 14-30/50 plug. It does not matter which hot wire connects to which hot prong. So you will have 3 wires on your adapter. 2 hots and 1 ground. If you remove the neutral prong on your 14-30/50 plug and then make sure you have the ground from the 6-20 connected to the ground prong on the 14-30/50 connector you will be left with 2 hot wires and two hot prongs on the 14-30/50 plug. Hook the hot wires up to the two remaining prongs. It doesn't matter which hot wire goes to a particular hot prong. It's easier to explain and understand looking at the graphic in the wiki link above. Another way I can state it is remove the neutral prong from the 14-30/50 plug, then hook up the wire from the ground prong of the 6-20 to the ground prong of your 14-30/50 plug. Then hook the two remaining wires up to the to the two remaining prongs.
Make sure you understand that it is wired correctly! While unlikely, you could hurt/kill yourself if you do it wrong. However most likely you would just fry some equipment and maybe start a fire if you wire it wrong. Also feel free to PM me or respond here if you need further clarification. Hope this helps.
Make sure you understand that it is wired correctly! While unlikely, you could hurt/kill yourself if you do it wrong. However most likely you would just fry some equipment and maybe start a fire if you wire it wrong. Also feel free to PM me or respond here if you need further clarification. Hope this helps.
hybridbear
Well-known member
Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for, particularly the part about how the two hot wires don't matter from receptacle to plug. My cable has one green wire & two black ones IIRC. My concern was knowing which black wire goes to which spot in each, but since the two hot wires are interchangeable I am not worried. The NEMA 14-50/14-30 plug came with the neutral prong in the box but not installed in the plug. I will leave it in the box since I don't need it.triangles said:
jmueller065
Well-known member
With the 14-50 plug you'll be able to charge at campgrounds using the 50A plug..very handy.
hybridbear
Well-known member
That is our plan. We hope to test it out in June with the Fusion Energi.jmueller065 said:
triangles
Well-known member
You're welcome Hybridbear.
I will be testing mine out this summer too since there are no charge stations in the middle of nowhere along my intended travel route, but there are campgrounds with 240V 50A plugs!
In case you're wondering why it doesn't matter, here's my best attempt at an explanation. Each "hot" wire on a 240V plug is actually only 120V. As this is alternating current, the voltage flips from positive to negative very fast in a cyclical manner. Think of a sine wave. The trick to getting 240V out of this is that one "hot" is 180 degrees out of phase from the other. Ie. while one hot wire is at +120V the other is at -120V with the difference between them being 240V. Since the voltage is alternating and you are using the voltage between the two "hots" it doesn't matter in what order you connect the two hot wires.
I will be testing mine out this summer too since there are no charge stations in the middle of nowhere along my intended travel route, but there are campgrounds with 240V 50A plugs!
In case you're wondering why it doesn't matter, here's my best attempt at an explanation. Each "hot" wire on a 240V plug is actually only 120V. As this is alternating current, the voltage flips from positive to negative very fast in a cyclical manner. Think of a sine wave. The trick to getting 240V out of this is that one "hot" is 180 degrees out of phase from the other. Ie. while one hot wire is at +120V the other is at -120V with the difference between them being 240V. Since the voltage is alternating and you are using the voltage between the two "hots" it doesn't matter in what order you connect the two hot wires.
hybridbear
Well-known member
Here is a pic of the finished product. The ground is the center plug of the 14-50, right?triangles said:
Sorry about the large pic, Photobucket on the iPhone doesn't give me any other option like I can do the thumbnail link on the browser version.
WattsUp
Well-known member
Erm, looks functional, except the outer wiring jacket (black) is supposed to be enclosed inside the plug shell, and actually held in place (for stress-relief) by the screw-together clamp just inside the opening.hybridbear said:
In your photo, one can see the "internal" unjacketed wires (green and white) hanging out exposed and unprotected just where they enter the large shell. The situation also seems true at the smaller end (the cylindrical shell); you can just make out the unjacketed wires there too. The unprotected wires may eventually become weak and frayed (from over-kinking and other stresses) and possibly short together, which could be very dangerous.
I must say, this is not really the way it is supposed to be. The outer jacket is always supposed to be clamped inside the shell. I highly recommend you make that improvement.
hybridbear
Well-known member
Ok thanks. I can modify it then to shorten up the wires so that the black insulation is inside the plugs. On the 6-20 end I wasn't sure it would fit through the opening but I'll find a way to make it work. On the 14-50 end I meant to do that, I just miscalculated when striping the wire. Thanks for the feedbackWattsUp said:
sefs
Well-known member
hybridbear said:Ok thanks. I can modify it then to shorten up the wires so that the black insulation is inside the plugs. On the 6-20 end I wasn't sure it would fit through the opening but I'll find a way to make it work. On the 14-50 end I meant to do that, I just miscalculated when striping the wire. Thanks for the feedbackWattsUp said:
Did you want a 14-50? Because that is not a 14-50, that is a 10-50.
NEMA 14-50P
NEMA 10-50P
hybridbear
Well-known member
Oh snap!! Thanks for pointing that out. I looked at the box and it was mislabeled. The boxes at Menards aren't sealed in any way and I guess somehow the plug got switched. I guess it's back to Menards for me...sefs said:
Thanks so much for catching that. It would've stunk to arrive at the campground & be stuck using the 120V charger because I had the wrong plug.
sefs
Well-known member
hybridbear said:
No problem!
triangles
Well-known member
Hybridbear,
FYI this is my 14-50/14-30 plug. Its a 14-50plug with out the neutral prong. I left it out since it's not used and it allows me to use the same plug for a 14-50 RV hookup or 14-30 dryer outlet. The neutral prong is what is different between the two. I like that it has the handle on the back for easier unplugging. It's a Camco 55255 50 AMP PowerGrip Replacement Plug available on amazon.com for about $15 shipped.
FYI this is my 14-50/14-30 plug. Its a 14-50plug with out the neutral prong. I left it out since it's not used and it allows me to use the same plug for a 14-50 RV hookup or 14-30 dryer outlet. The neutral prong is what is different between the two. I like that it has the handle on the back for easier unplugging. It's a Camco 55255 50 AMP PowerGrip Replacement Plug available on amazon.com for about $15 shipped.