GX16-3 – which cable which pin?

[Dodgez]

I've got my hands on a free (fast-)charger (67.2V/5A) for my new KS16S. Only problem is the output (DC) plug is a C13 instead of a GX16-3. So I spent a coupIe cents on a GX16-3 (female) to replace the C13 with it. Next I cut off the useless C13 and got 2 cables (one colored blue and the other one brown). The blue one connected to the C13-pin labelled L, the brown one to the pin labelled N.

Now I'm not sure about which cable connects to which pin of the GX16-3. My best guess is No 1 --> L (blue one), No 3 --> N (brown one). Would be great if someone could tell me if I'm right or about to fry my EUC? THX

[EUniCycles.eu]

Photo from original charger for KS. 1+, 3-, 2 not connected

[Dodgez]

Thanks a lot!

[Keith]

On 13/12/2017 at 9:41 AM, Dodgez said:

Now I'm not sure about which cable connects to which pin of the GX16-3. My best guess is No 1 --> L (blue one), No 3 --> N (brown one). Would be great if someone could tell me if I'm right or about to fry my EUC? THX

I’M sure everything is OK, but the safety officer gene in me is saying: “hold on a minute this just ain’t right!”

The C13 is a mains plug so it would make good sense it’s terminals are marked “L” live and “N” neutral, but why on earth would the cable be blue and brown they are the colours for live and neutral? Surely it ought to be black and red, unless they have repurposed the cable as well as plug?  I’ve never known a DC output - ever - to be supplied through a mains type plug, to do so is downright dangerous. However, there is always a first I guess?

Worst than that Live is always brown and blue Neutral so your cable is actually wired up backwards as well!

The other guess, you might be assuming, is that Live is necessarily positive, I do not think you can be absolute sure about that, certainly not when the cable colours are wrong anyway!

Take the extra time and put a meter carefully across those blue and brown wires with the charger powered on before you wire them into the GX16-3. Do it very carefully - assume mains may be present. Just to reassure me, if nothing else, make sure it is 67.2V and make sure which wire is actually the positive please ?.

BTW, with what I’ve said above, my view on that charger is that “free” is about as much as I would have paid for it. What is it actually intended to power? I’m not at all sure I’d trust my wheel to it!

[Dodgez]

I can't even speculate why the colour of the cables are blue and brown since I dont't know where the charger came from originally. I'm no EE and just cut off the plug and took a look where which cable was going. Here's a picture of the C13 and the letters to which the two cables where connected.

The blue one went to "L" and the brown one to "N". I interpreted "L" as live and "N" as neutral and that led me to believe that the blue one must be connected to the GX16 No.1 pin and the brown one to No 3. But your statement got me thinking. You're probably right. I'll take a meter to identify the positive wire.

Thank your for your support!

[IPS Malta]

The colours blue and brown or red and black in some countries are meant for AC 220/110 reversing colours won't make any difference except for safety. L meant for live should be the cable connected to the switches to cut off the electricity while the N Neutral is meant to absorb back the electricity of a closed circuit. The E Earth in yellow-green or just yellow is for electricity leakage that trips the circuit breaker just in case an appliance becomes dangerous to touch (hoping the safety circuit breaker works properly) Different countries provide electricity differently. Once one knowledgeable guy told me they pass the neutral (blue or black) similar to earth, but I might have misunderstood something due to some language barriers and still can't figure out how this could happen. This should be found from the power outlet to the charging brick only, beyond the charging brick it's a different story.

Never the less the high voltage AC should NEVER be used to charge the EUC directly, though I know some E-bikes in China use a similar cattle plug (C13) to Charge the bike (always through the Charger i.e. DC stepped down voltage). Use a voltmeter to verify what electricity is coming out from the charger is the only best bet as @Keith suggested, if it's in DC probably the brown is +ve and blue -ve but don't take my word with this. If you're adapting a fast charger, make sure that the charging cables can handle the current too inside the EUC. You can compare the temperature of charging normally and then a fast charging. If the cables get warm quickly, probably they are not meant to handle such currents.

I am not licensed to work on electrical systems so the above is only to what I know, and I might be wrong also.