hi all, i am based in the UK we have a treadmill that is approx 7 years old has had little use, all functions work fine

but to get the treadmill belt to run we need to run on the treadmill for a few seconds to get it going otherwise it comes up with E1 error

any ideas what the fault could be?

 

Sounds like something may be binding initially, can you disconnect the motor from the belt at all and see if it does the same?
You could see if the Manuf is still in bus. and give the support a call to find out the error?
Max.

 

thank you for your reply, unfortunately we have misplaced the manual! and the company has gone bust! it is a Duratec ST-900r motorised treadmill, once we get it going it works fine at all speeds

 

Needs oil. At the bushings and the belt deck.

Google the manufacturer and model number.

Also see...
http://www.expertfitnessuk.co.uk/treadmill-lubricant-175-c.asp
They seem to mention your model and make replacement belts for it. Call them for advice.

 

i've oiled the belt deck with no luck, shall oil at the bushings...

is there any other checks i can carry out? could it be anything else at fault?

 

Remove the motor and check the brushes, check the motor for freedom of movement and test it on an automotive battery for a rough test to see if anything shows up.
Max.

 

i shall have a look and report back, cheers

 

Remove the motor and check the brushes, check the motor for freedom of movement and test it on an automotive battery for a rough test to see if anything shows up.
Max.

Like he say's.
Brushes!

 

I will agree with brushes and the car-battery approach, however I would first take a peek if possible into the motor, at the commutator the brushes ride on, and look for scorching, or carbon burned into the segment undercut spaces with a lot of brush dust....
If yes, the armature needs attention and the motor cleaned out before you put any power to it...

 

They have overcurrent limiting, and the start current is much higher than the operating current.

If there is a mech fault like it needs lube etc (like people have said, or a motor issue) then it won't start, but can run ok after you get it moving.

However it's also possible there is a fault with the overcurrent detect circuit. Usually they use a low ohms resistor or piece of shunt wire soldered into the controller PCB and if there is a bad solder joint there from years of overheating (very common) it has higher ohms and will cause the current shutdown to occur at a very low current level.

 

They have overcurrent limiting, and the start current is much higher than the operating current.

If there is a mech fault like it needs lube etc (like people have said, or a motor issue) then it won't start, but can run ok after you get it moving.

However it's also possible there is a fault with the overcurrent detect circuit. Usually they use a low ohms resistor or piece of shunt wire soldered into the controller PCB and if there is a bad solder joint there from years of overheating (very common) it has higher ohms and will cause the current shutdown to occur at a very low current level.

+1. After eliminating the brushes (step one in almost any DC motor troubleshooting in my book), check this.

I'm not familiar with treadmill drives, but I have seen industrial DC drives exhibit this behavior when then the feedback resistor(s)/wire(s) is(are) compromised.

 

hi guys!

i have checked the brushes there is plenty life left in them! with no damage/scorching whatsoever

the treadmill has hardly been used

no sparks or unusual noises either when the treadmill is set to max speed

To get the treadmill to run i need to set it to 3 kmh and run on the belt in in order to get the motor to run, anything below that 3 kmh it locks out to e1 error

i checked the board with no obvious signs of any failure of a resistor/capacitor/wire

 

It could be in the slow start circuit, T.M. controllers do not allow going into the set rpm immediately, when either first switched on or from a re-start pause etc.
There is a circuit that ramps the speed up slowly when you push the start button,.
It sounds like it could be if it does not run under 3kmh?
Also If it has an optical sensor wheel on the motor, See if there is anything blocking the sensor, dust etc.
Max.

 

Some d c motors require excitation.

Check the schematic . Maybe the exciter is not doing it's thing !

 

minimum set speed is 1km upto 18kmh once the treadmill gets going i can then set it to 1 kmh or any other spreed and it works fine

 

i have managed to source the manual with relation to the E1 error all it says is "no feedback of speed test"

 

i have managed to source the manual with relation to the E1 error all it says is "no feedback of speed test"

Don't you like those cryptic explanations!!
Almost sounds like no feedback from the sensor on the motor, at least initially?
You may be able to source a motor board on ebay?
Max.

 

yeh great help the manual was! i shall look for the sensor on the motor

it will be very difficult to source a board on ebay as the treadmill is rarely advertised

 

speed test could be the optical encoder that was mentioned above. The controller board needs to know the motor is spinning and the belt is moving so there should be a motion controller (usually a wheel when holes in it and an LED light shining through it. You may not see the LED light because it is all assembled into a small unit. You will see a narrow plastic disk that may turn with the motor or near a belt pulley. It will have 3 to 5 wires entering (or a plastic ribbon cable that looks like mylar with 3 or 4 silver circuit lines on it.

Make sure it is not full of lint/dust. They eye cannot see what the eye cannot see.

 

Hi people!

Problem fixed! i cleaned the magnet and the motor pulley where the magent rotates next to the motor the treadmill would work rather than me having to jump start it manually but only if i increased the speed to 6 kmh or above straight away, this was better than how it was originally

i then carried out a self test on the treadmill which i presume resets the treadmill and now the treadmill works as it should, i press start it count downs to 3 2 1 - and then the belt starts to to turn at 1 kmh and so forth!

so not exactly sure what exactly cured the problem, or it may have been a combination of both

i am not sure if i have unearthed another problem or if it is of a cause of concern, i have noticed their is a rhythmic clicking noise from the motor this is only apparent below 5 kmh, however if i walk on the treadmill the noise disappears, once i get off the treadmill the clicking noise reappears, if i increase the speed above 5 kmh whether i am on the treadmill or not the clicking noise disappears

is this normal behavior of a dc motor? there is very little sparking coming from the motor when i crank up the treadmill to the max 18 kmh