013674-DG board failures

Thread Starter

britishrocco

Joined Jul 22, 2015
4
I have a Horizon elite 3.0T treadmill with a 013674-DG motor control board. The treadmill lights up as normal, incline function operates fine, BUT belt motor will not start. send it to get repaired, now is there a way to prevent this failure??
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
I have a Horizon elite 3.0T treadmill with a 013674-DG motor control board. The treadmill lights up as normal, incline function operates fine, BUT belt motor will not start. send it to get repaired, now is there a way to prevent this failure??
Proper lubrication of the belt extends life and reduces strain on the motors and motor controllers - less friction means less current and lower operating temperatures. Check owners manual for proper lubrication methods. If you are lubricating properly and at the right frequency, there is not much that can be done.

No user serviceable parts and no way to redesign without knowing the failure points. Even if we would know the current failure points, we would likely just delay a failure by a few weeks/months because the board has so many pieces that are all designed around the same specification for voltage, current, power and planned lifetime. Just use it and enjoy until it breaks again. Then you have to decide if a new treadmill of the same or different brand model is desired. Note that your weight, walking speed/style and settings on the device add more/less strain to the unit. If you think it is failing too soon, buy one with higher weight ratings. If you use it a lot, you might want to consider one rated as commercial unit instead of a consumer unit.
 

Thread Starter

britishrocco

Joined Jul 22, 2015
4
what I was thinking, is that for now my treadmill is plug in the regular basement outlet, with a power bar, but the outlet breaker also runs the light, wine cellar, a 1956 fridge, and a freezer. would it help if I put a outlet with a dedicated breaker only for the treadmill??
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
what I was thinking, is that for now my treadmill is plug in the regular basement outlet, with a power bar, but the outlet breaker also runs the light, wine cellar, a 1956 fridge, and a freezer. would it help if I put a outlet with a dedicated breaker only for the treadmill??
Are you overloading the branch circuit (popping the breaker)?
If not then no..

Electronics fail.. Treadmills are not "critical" components and there is very little if any high quality/longevity built into them.. They are made to fail so you have to keep spending money.. Welcome to the world..
Without knowing the cause of the failure nor the age of the treadmill or any other "detailed" information we can just guess all day long..
But there are millions of posts on the internet about treadmill failures.. They aren't made to be highly reliable..
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
what I was thinking, is that for now my treadmill is plug in the regular basement outlet, with a power bar, but the outlet breaker also runs the light, wine cellar, a 1956 fridge, and a freezer. would it help if I put a outlet with a dedicated breaker only for the treadmill??
Having other things with inductive (motor) type loads can lead to AC phase and power factor issues. Especially a 1950's refrigerator when it is running (which is likely always running because the seal and insulation have deteriorated.

Also, if you are using a power strip or extension cord, you have to make sure the cord is the same gauge wire or thicker than the wire used in the cord of your treadmill (if that is the only thing plugged into it). If you have all of those things plugged into the power strip, the wire size of the power strip must be sized to accept all of those loads in total. Look for the fine print on the cord itself. It should tell you the AWG wire size. Sometimes it is pressed into the cord and sometimes it is printed. If your cord is getting warm in any way, you can have issues.

NOTE: sometimes office-type power strips are thick with insulation but have a fairly small gauge wire inside. The thick insulation is intended to protect the wire from rolling chairs or people stepping on the cord.
 

Thread Starter

britishrocco

Joined Jul 22, 2015
4
Are you overloading the branch circuit (popping the breaker)?
If not then no..

Electronics fail.. Treadmills are not "critical" components and there is very little if any high quality/longevity built into them.. They are made to fail so you have to keep spending money.. Welcome to the world..
Without knowing the cause of the failure nor the age of the treadmill or any other "detailed" information we can just guess all day long..
But there are millions of posts on the internet about treadmill failures.. They aren't made to be highly reliable..
when the failure happen, the light pulsed and the breaker pop out, then when I reset it the board was gone. I know that they aren't made to to reliable just hope to expand is life a bit.

I've got some wire and a breaker at home I think my best bet will be to have a dedicated circuit for it.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
when the failure happen, the light pulsed and the breaker pop out, then when I reset it the board was gone. I know that they aren't made to to reliable just hope to expand is life a bit.

I've got some wire and a breaker at home I think my best bet will be to have a dedicated circuit for it.
May have just been a short to ground upon failure.. Either in the control board or the motor itself..

Can't really hurt the have a dedicated circuit though.. Assuming its done to code/safe.
Typically treadmill instructions may reference not using an extension cord to attempt to mitigate any excessive voltage drop and as required by safety agencies to avoid stupid consumers using an improper extension cord.
 

IamJatinah

Joined Oct 22, 2014
136
Hi All, FYI on the Horizon 013674-dg (SJED08011DG) motor control board.... This unit was used in many models of treadmills in the wake of a recall of the former control board, so in haste, Johnson Health Tech, the parent to Matrix, Vision, Horizon, Merit, AFG and others, stuck these into treads from 1.75hp thru 3hp for the model years 2002 thru 2004+ while they scrambled to design and build replacements. This is one reason they fail so often, they are being used at the upper end of their capacity. Fitness Remedy in Sun Prairie Wisc repairs most control boards and other electronics for fitness gear. This particular unit will most often rip the HexFET(IRFP260 should be used for replacement) and kickback diode(f30U60 should be used) and lastly check the bridge and input storage capacitors as the live in a harsh electrical environment.
 

Thread Starter

britishrocco

Joined Jul 22, 2015
4
Hi All, FYI on the Horizon 013674-dg (SJED08011DG) motor control board.... This unit was used in many models of treadmills in the wake of a recall of the former control board, so in haste, Johnson Health Tech, the parent to Matrix, Vision, Horizon, Merit, AFG and others, stuck these into treads from 1.75hp thru 3hp for the model years 2002 thru 2004+ while they scrambled to design and build replacements. This is one reason they fail so often, they are being used at the upper end of their capacity. Fitness Remedy in Sun Prairie Wisc repairs most control boards and other electronics for fitness gear. This particular unit will most often rip the HexFET(IRFP260 should be used for replacement) and kickback diode(f30U60 should be used) and lastly check the bridge and input storage capacitors as the live in a harsh electrical environment.
Yeah I know, I send fitness remedy. Couple of emails and they never got back. I bought a new one from the treadmill factory instead.
 
Top