Jim, agreed that one of the two *power* wires can carry Neutral. I was responding to OP who stated that the third wire could carry ground AND neutral power and I know for a fact that is wrong, because I have designed the JuiceBox-2 GFCI detect for ground leakage, in order to meet the J1772 standard. Cor.
On Sat, Feb 14, 2026, 10:01 PM Jim Walls via EV <[email protected]> wrote: > Cor, you don't miss very often, but J1772 can also carry 120 volts with > one of the "hot" wires as the 120V hot and the other "hot" wire as the > neutral. You are correct however that the Ground wire is ground only. > OK, I have only charged my Lightning on 120 volts a couple times, but it > does work just fine. > > Jim Walls > > > On Sat 02/14/2026 06:19, Cor van de Water via EV wrote: > > No, J1772 does not have a "neutral" power connection. It is purely Earth, > > the only power you can draw without immediately triggering GFCI is 208 or > > 240V phase+phase. > > Cor. > > > > On Sat, Feb 14, 2026, 8:09 AM DOOLEY PHILIP G JR via EV < > [email protected]> > > wrote: > > > >> My point about the J1772 connector was completely misunderstood. > What I > >> tried to say is that the same type of pin in the J1772 was used for > power > >> and earth, unlike what is normal in NEMA 4 pin connectors where the > earth > >> pin is very different. This is to support that it should be fine to use > >> the center pin of a 3 pin NEMA 10-50 for earth when it is not needed for > >> neutral which is true for most 240V loads like charging an EV or > running a > >> welder. The US J1772 does not have a neutral because it is not needed. > >> Always using a 4 pin NEMA connector for 3 wires helps to "idiot proof" > the > >> connections but costs more and is less durable. > >> Everyone should remember that your house with its 120/240V loads is > >> connected to the grid by 3 wires to save money and improve lightning > >> protection. Phone/data lines and cable TV have to put up with > significant > >> common mode voltages as a result. In remote farms this voltage can kill > >> the animals. Last I looked the code still allowed a 3 wire 120/240V > >> connection to a shed if you put in a ground rod. This causes problems > with > >> Ethernet and cable TV putting excess current on the shield. My ground > rods > >> measure 500 to 1000 ohms because of ledge so I plan to always use 4 wire > >> connections to my sheds. > >> Phil > >> On Friday, February 13, 2026 at 06:19:26 PM EST, Cor van de Water > via > >> EV <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > >> The J1772 is sometimes used by RV'ers to llug in, but requires a > >> transformer (can be auto-transformer, meaning only 1 winding with center > >> tap) to create a "Neutral" as long as it only connects to the 2 hots and > >> keeps the new neutral separate from the ground wire. > >> > >> The proximity pin is not used in the cable in America, because the > cable is > >> permanently attached to the EVSE. > >> So, in the US the only use of Proximity is to confirm secure plug in, > >> before the vehicle is allowed to draw charge. As soon as you push the > latch > >> on the handle, the resistance in the handle changes and the car stops > >> charging. > >> In Europe the proximity carries a resistor in the cable you plug into > the > >> EVSE that tells what current the cable can support and the EVSE adjusts > its > >> advertised current via the Pilot signal to the minimum of cable and its > own > >> limitation. > >> The car still reads the Proximity on the car side for the same function > as > >> in the USA. > >> use of the car side Proximity signal by the EVSE is optional. > >> Cor. > >> > >> On Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 8:32 PM (-Phil-) via EV <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >>> I'm not aware of any EV or EVSE using the J1772 type 1 ground for > >> neutral. > >>> This violates the standard, and would (should) instantly trip the > ground > >>> fault detection in the EVSE and any upstream GFCIs. > >>> > >>> On the type 1 (US) connector there are only 5 pins; one ground > connected > >>> only to the vehicle chassis and serving as reference for the 2 small > >>> proximity pilot (PP) and control pilot (CP) pins, and the 2 AC current > >>> carrying pins. One of these will be neutral if using level 1 (120v). > >> The > >>> PP tells the EV a cable is connected and also the status of the > >> mechanical > >>> latch, and the CP tells the EV the supplied amperage and allows the EV > to > >>> enable AC power. > >>> > >>> On the EU spec type 2, they add an actual neutral and 1 more AC pin to > >>> enable 3-phase with neutral. > >>> > >>> The combo spec adds 2 large DC only pins at the bottom for DCFC. > >>> > >>> Grounds by intended design are never supposed to carry current, they > are > >>> only used for fault handling, and to provide a return for leakage and > >>> high-frequency RF. > >>> > >>> On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 10:23 AM EV List Lackey via EV < > >> [email protected]> > >>> wrote: > >>> > >>>> On 13 Feb 2026 at 7:15, DOOLEY PHILIP G JR via EV wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> using a neutral pin for earth might be a misuse, but the J1772 > >>> connector > >>>>> does this. > >>>> My first thought reading this was a bit of ignorant skepticism - why > >>> would > >>>> J1772 need a neutral pin? > >>>> > >>>> I've never used a J1772 personally, so I looked at the description > >> here. > >>>> http://evdl.org/docs/j1772description.pdf > >>>> > >>>> On the first diagram on page 2, titled J1772 Interface, I noticed 2 > >> extra > >>>> pins, not shown as in use in the diagram on the first page. > >>>> > >>>> Page 3 has a full pinout for the connector. It does indeed illustrate > >> 3 > >>>> large (presumably high current) pins. It describes them as mains, > >> mains, > >>>> and ground/neutral. > >>>> > >>>> Combining ground and neutral that way is reminiscent of the bad old > >> days > >>>> of > >>>> US 3-pin 30 amp clothes dryer and 50 amp electric range connectors. > >> It's > >>>> very surprising that the J1772 designers thought that way. > >>>> > >>>> One more puzzle - > >>>> > >>>> In addition to the smaller pilot pin, there's a second smaller pin > >>>> described > >>>> as no connection. > >>>> > >>>> Now I wonder what that "no connection" pin might have been reserved > for > >>> in > >>>> the original J1772 specification. Does anyone know the history? > >>>> > >>>> David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey > >>>> > >>>> To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my > >>>> offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt > >>>> > >>>> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > >>>> > >>>> First they came for the journalists. We don't know what > >>>> happened after that. > >>>> > >>>> -- Unknown > >>>> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Address messages to [email protected] > >>>> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >>>> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >>>> > >>>> > >>> -------------- next part -------------- > >>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > >>> URL: < > >>> > >> > http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20260213/3b86c693/attachment.htm > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Address messages to [email protected] > >>> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >>> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >>> > >>> > >> -------------- next part -------------- > >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > >> URL: < > >> > http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20260213/87d7d8f5/attachment.htm > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Address messages to [email protected] > >> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >> > >> > >> -------------- next part -------------- > >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > >> URL: < > >> > http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20260214/b597afcc/attachment.htm > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Address messages to [email protected] > >> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >> > >> > > -------------- next part -------------- > > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > > URL: < > http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20260214/23ec5fba/attachment.htm > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Address messages to [email protected] > > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > > > > > -- > 73 > ------------------------------------- > Jim Walls - K6CCC > [email protected] > 626-482-0927 > AMSAT Member 32537 - WSWSS Member 395 > > _______________________________________________ > Address messages to [email protected] > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20260215/d7782905/attachment.htm> _______________________________________________ Address messages to [email protected] No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
