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What to do next on the ticket

Symptom → prove-out → freeguide or sample (green links). Not a public forum—use Request for missing codes or Pro Q&A when you need a human on a sticky ticket.

On a live ticket — do this first

  1. Capture evidence — HMI photo + StatusNotification (errorCode and vendor string).
  2. Classify scope — one gun, whole cabinet, or whole site / feeder.
  3. Branch — OCPP Faulted triage for CSMS Faulted; CCS handshake for CableCheck / Preparing; site power when the whole pad dropped.
  4. Look up the string in the fault database — free samples open without an account.
Search fault databaseFree Learn pathFree guidesRequest missing entryPro Q&A

Ticket triage

Common CSMS / pad symptoms → first prove-outs → free guides and samples.

CSMS says Faulted — where do I start?
  1. Photograph the HMI and capture StatusNotification (errorCode + vendorErrorCode / vendor string).
  2. Classify scope: one gun, whole cabinet, or whole site.
  3. Walk OCPP Faulted triage before you open the HV bay.
  4. If the CSMS string is ambiguous, read Reading StatusNotification.
Station looks Ready locally but Cloud / CSMS is red.

Treat this as soft-offline until proven otherwise: backhaul and identity before power-stage RMA.

  1. Confirm local Ready / Available while CSMS shows offline or Heartbeat gaps.
  2. Check DNS → TLS → CSMS URL / chargeBox identity → SIM/APN → RSSI with the door closed.
  3. Samples: OCPP-F02, NET-C01, MDM-RSSI.
  4. Map: OCPP Faulted triage · hub: Sierra Wireless.
Session dies at CableCheck / isolation — cable or cabinet?
  1. Swap a known-good cable on the same connector; retest.
  2. If the good cable passes, own the cable/gun path—not the power stage.
  3. Stage map: CCS handshake basics · sample: CCS-H03 · primer: CCS session stages.
  4. Never “clear” isolation by holding reset—see safety / LOTO.
CableCheck OK, then dies at PreCharge or CurrentDemand.
  1. Confirm CableCheck actually passed (IR / stage logs), then name the next failing stage.
  2. PreCharge mismatch → CCS-H04; power delivery stop at CurrentDemand → CCS-H05.
  3. Walk CCS session stages and CCS handshake basics before a module bank RMA.
Stuck in Preparing / connector won’t latch.
  1. Confirm the gun is fully seated; clear ice/debris at the latch before condemning the actuator.
  2. If CSMS never leaves Preparing, pull SECC / StatusNotification—not just the HMI icon.
  3. CCS path: CCS handshake, CCS-H08 (CP stuck), CCS-H07 (PP).
  4. CHAdeMO lock: CHA-H02.
All chargers dropped at once — is it the EVSE?
  1. If every stall failed in the same minute, suspect feeder / LMS / utility before multi-OEM module failure.
  2. Measure voltage under load at the cabinet or pad, not only no-load.
  3. Guides: site power quality · site power vs charger fault.
  4. Peak trip sample: SWG-TRIP; LMS curtail sample: LOAD-02.
FreeVend works but cards / RFID fail.
  1. If FreeVend / free charge works, do not start in the power bay.
  2. Split: PED / terminal timeout vs RFID vs CSMS Authorize vs fleet allowlist.
  3. Public payment: metering & payment · PAY-TO · Ingenico hub.
  4. Fleet driver/VIN auth: CMS-AUTH.
High-power derate / flow alarms after a cable or coolant swap.
  1. After any cable or loop service: correct fluid, fill/bleed, no open quick-connects—before sensor theater.
  2. Note whether one stall or sibling stalls derated (shared coolant plant).
  3. Guide: liquid cooling loops.
  4. Shared-loop hubs: Tritium, Alpitronic.
NACS vs adapter — why does it matter on the ticket?
  1. Write down native NACS vs CCS + adapter before troubleshooting.
  2. Adapter thermal and handshake faults often look like “cabinet isolation” until you prove the adapter path.
  3. NACS field notes · CCS handshake.
Wallbox / AC L2 GFCI keeps tripping in the rain.
  1. Dry the enclosure path; inspect cable entry seals and drip loops.
  2. Prove PE / bonding before swapping the wallbox board.
  3. Sample: WB-PP-GFCI · primer: EVSE levels and tickets · hub: Wallbox.
  4. Protective trips need a cause— safety / LOTO.
Can I clear isolation / GFCI by holding reset?

No. Protective trips need a cause—not a longer button press.

Find the trip path (isolation, GFCI/RCD, interlock), fix or escalate, then reset per OEM. Primer: safety / LOTO boundary.

Depot & site stack

When the problem is BESS, switchgear, LMS, or fleet CMS—not the gun.

SuspendedEVSE / soft 0 A — dead gun or LMS?
  1. If siblings still charge under a shared budget, own LMS / policy / CTs before the gun.
  2. Sample: LOAD-02 (LMS heartbeat failsafe).
  3. Primer: site power vs charger fault · cluster hub: Siemens.
Depot BESS undervoltage — charger or battery plant?
  1. Measure voltage at the EVSE under load during the ramp—not only at the BESS HMI.
  2. If UV hits many stalls together, own plant / PCS / SOC floor before module RMA.
  3. Free sample: BESS-UV · hub: Fluence / BESS.
Switchgear / feeder trip took the pad down.
  1. Confirm whether the feeder / main tripped or only EVSE breakers.
  2. Correlate trip time with simultaneous session ramp.
  3. Sample: SWG-TRIP · site power quality · Eaton hub.
Fleet auth fails but the hardware looks Ready.
  1. Confirm Authorize / StartTransaction failure vs true Faulted.
  2. Check driver/VIN allowlist, connector ID mapping, and offline fallback in the CMS.
  3. Sample: CMS-AUTH · hub: Ampcontrol.

Brands & lookup

OEM field hubs and how to search the fault database.

How do I look up a code or symptom in the database?
  1. Go to the fault database and paste the exact HMI / OCPP string.
  2. If nothing hits, try a short symptom word (isolation, Heartbeat, GFCI, lock) and the OEM name.
  3. Green / free rows open without login—start there to learn the format.
  4. Still missing? Request an entry with model + scrubbed HMI photo.
Where do I look up OEM quirks (ChargePoint, ABB, Tritium, …)?

Brand hubs explain cabinet vs dispenser ownership and the tickets that waste truck rolls.

Tier A: ChargePoint, ABB, Tritium, Kempower, BTC Power

Mid-tier / AC: Alpitronic, Siemens, Autel, Delta, Power Electronics, Wallbox

Depot / stack: Fluence, Eaton, Ampcontrol, Ingenico, Sierra Wireless · All brands

Using the Directory

Requests, Pro Q&A, safety boundary, and what this product is not.

My OEM code is not in the database.
  1. Request an entry — include OEM string, model/family, and a scrubbed HMI photo when possible.
  2. Note scope: one gun vs cabinet vs site.
  3. Meanwhile: Learn path, free guides, and protocol samples in the database.
I need a human answer on a live ticket.
  1. Free path first: this FAQ → Learn → guides → free samples.
  2. Sticky live ticket: Pro/Team direct Q&A.
  3. Need the full corpus: founding / pricing.
Is this an OEM support replacement?

No. Field-verified reference for qualified techs—not OEM endorsement or a substitute for AHJ / OEM requirements. Disclaimer.

How do I learn the product itself?
  1. How to use The EVSE Directory
  2. Full curriculum: Learn
  3. Then: guides · database

Still stuck?

Walk the free path first, then escalate: Learn → guides → database samples → request a missing code → Pro Q&A on founding / Pro.

Start LearnFounding pricing