Tesla Model 3 Power Conversion System

Here is a quick look at the Power Conversion System (PCS). This module is located under the rear seat in the "Penthouse" and functions as the AC to DC on-board charger as well as the DC-DC converter that keeps the 12v system going.

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[Kindo]

Great video, thanks for making these. Just as a note, it can sometimes be really hard in a video to determine scale. Since we never see anything of a known size in the video, its tough to determine scale. Pointing at something, including a quarter or a soda can, can provide a sense of scale to your audience. I look forward to more videos.

[mclineb]

Excellent and informative video, I've subscribed and liked! Can you tell us under which scenarios the DC/DC inverter maintains the 12v system, and likewise under which scenarios it does not? For instance, does it cycle on/off while the car is "off" and not plugged in, or does it maintain the 12v side constantly? Under what "normal" scenario does the 12v battery see the deepest discharges? If the 12V system is tapped to power external loads while the car is "off" will it still be maintained by the dc/dc converter, and would the PCS still be willing to provide up to ~100 amps even with the vehicle off? Would the car detect this as an anomaly and throw an error, or just drive the load as long as traction battery charge remained? I really appreciate your insights, Thanks!

[markkennard]

This is now 6 years old. I wonder how the latest unit looks now in comparison. Tesla are always improving. How long before the M3 and MY go 48v ?

[markusstrobl]

Any chance of a Model S series? Like a tutorial on CAN bus monitoring and diagnosing faults? How to do diagnostics without the Tesla toolbox, for example.

[kjetilpp]

Do you know the max load the DC-DC can take?

[etbadaboum]

Great! Much more soothing camera moves! :)

[peterl]

Is this easy to replace? Tesla has my Model 3 for service and they are waiting for the part to arrive. Took a week to diagnose a “12v battery reduced” issue.

[lordozzer]

i noticed that the board is coated with some thick acrylic coating which is kind of unusual for automotive suppliers and that some parts are siliconed to the board, probably due to failed shakertests in development or to ease handling due to flimsy tht parts. Also the thing must be jam packed inside, due to the fact that they used some odd angles on some THT parts. Also fiducials for placement(pacmans) seem really big, we normally use max 3-4mm. Those can also be Mounting points or markings where certain elements have to go. Also I don't like the brown colouring on the fuses, seems to be thermal stress from soldering the package. Interesting video

[alexjung]

thanks for all these videos do you know how much power you can draw from the 12v converter and what is the voltage of this converter is it really 12v or 14.4v thanx in advance

[eIektrinis]

Thank you!
I am wondering if it is possible to convert it to 3 phase. Looks like the whole AC filtering board would have to be replaced or reworked, as it's clearly visible all phases are connected together.

[HodgePodgeProducts]

Are you sure the strips between the transformers are actually part of the board and not just bolted on top? Seems like it would bridge two separate PCBs.

[prakashkrithika]

I have owned a Model 3 slightly less than 2 years and it suddenly stopped charging. Tesla replaced the PCS under warranty, but said that it would cost $1, 800 for this work if it was outside of warranty. Disappointed that such a key part failed in less than 2 years.

[GuyOuiOui]

Hi Ingineerix, Did you have a look at the bottom of the board, where the FETs are, to see if they are using diodes or FETs for rectification ?
It would be interesting to see whether this charger is hardware-ready to be bidirectionnal (for V2G/V2H/V2L)

[zhengminghou]

Is this OBC and DC-DC two-in-one power modules？ Or it is just the dc-dc converter part which does not charge the traction battery. It only supply the auxiliary power for model 3?

[ASIGOO]

Electrical engineering student here. I always want to learn more about these systems so I hope someone is able to answer a question or two.

What's that black paste on the board near the capacitors? I assume it's epoxy for chip on board, but I have no reason to not ask and be sure.

Why do European models use a 3-phase input? What exactly is a 3-phase input? AC power is already in 3-phase, so why do American models NOT use a 3-phase input?

What's a cold plate?

Thank you for your time to read through this whole comment lol. Classes cover the foundations pretty well but they're lacking in how those foundations are actually applied.

[teslanerdro]

Is it necessary to remove to cooling fluid to replace the PCS ? Thanks and greetings from Germany

[AlexWhittemore]

What is the converter topology with those 3 HF AC transformers in the middle, and do you happen to know that intermediate frequency value or output (pack voltage) range?

[iMVP]

This is a really great video! Thank you very much for taking the time and making the video.
But could you please share the part No. of the Electrolytic Capacitor for the Bus (Those Bulky ones) and the main switching devices? Is it still a Si design or they start to use SiC?
Thank you very much.

[DanFrederiksen]

What power levels are we talking about and can you write parts numbers? mainly the caps and the transistors but also the unusual transformers if they have parts numbers. I also wonder about switching frequencies. It doesn't look like fast resonant topologies although the 12V is very small if it's just the corner. Maybe it's only say 400W or even less.

[zoppp]

Do you know the manufacturer of the input connectors? I am designing an AC charging system and want to use similar weatherproof connectors.