Treadmill NordicTrack Elite 4000

[Alan Webb]

Hello, can you please help me with treadmill problem?

My treadmill has started running around 1mph slower than what it should read. For example, if I want to run on the treadmill at 6 mph, I have to set it to read on the display 7mph. The speed sensor is working ok, it simply isn’t going at the right speed anymore.
There is adjustment potentiometer “pot” to turn to set an increase in speed but it is at its highest point and is still 1 mph too slow.
My treadmill is NordicTrack Elite 4000 model. It is as if the motor board is starting to fail or break down. I can still use treadmill but like I said, I have to set it 1 mph faster than what I want it to run at,
I know the exact speed it is actually running at because I use a TreadTracker device from RunSocial via my iPad and this is very accurate for speed reference and calibration.
There is no obvious reason why this has started happening, it just has for some reason. I suspect the motor card is on its way out and beginning to fail me. Is this problem someone else has experienced and deallt with? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (I live in the UK, so this is a UK model and is out of warranty by six months or more.)

 

[kellys_eye]

Sure the Treadtracker is working ok? It's not slipping? It hasn't got a worn wheel or some crud around it etc?

The only other thing that can change the speed is the feedback sensor on the treadmill itself. The drive motor might have a slotted opto-coupled disk to report its speed back to the controlling circuitry and if a slot (or more) is crudded up it reads wrong.

 

[Alan Webb]

Sure the Treadtracker is working ok? It's not slipping? It hasn't got a worn wheel or some crud around it etc?

The only other thing that can change the speed is the feedback sensor on the treadmill itself. The drive motor might have a slotted opto-coupled disk to report its speed back to the controlling circuitry and if a slot (or more) is crudded up it reads wrong.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes, I`m sure the TreadTracker is working fine. When you use a treadmill as regular as I do, you notice 1 mph is a big difference. Jogging at 5mph is walking at 4mph. It`s definitely not right.
I`m interested in your diagnosis about the speed sensor (what tells it what speed it is doing,) I would have wrongly thought that was only a "read only" device and not had any input into what determines what speed it should be running at. Interesting! Thank you.

 

[Alan Webb]

Sure the Treadtracker is working ok? It's not slipping? It hasn't got a worn wheel or some crud around it etc?

The only other thing that can change the speed is the feedback sensor on the treadmill itself. The drive motor might have a slotted opto-coupled disk to report its speed back to the controlling circuitry and if a slot (or more) is crudded up it reads wrong.

Thank you! I followed your advice. I removed covers from treadmill, realigned sensor and cleaned around rotating rim that sensor picks up on and that cured my problem. Very much appreciated and a great lesson learnt. Cheers

 

[kellys_eye]

and a great lesson learnt.

...you mean 'learned'......

 

[Alan Webb]

...you mean 'learned'......

"These are alternative forms of the past tense and past participle of the verb learn. Both are acceptable, but learned is often used in both British English and American English, while learnt is much more common in British English than in American English." ..... being UK based

 

[kellys_eye]

I know you're correct on this (the Google reference you quote) but this is one English word (amongst many I suppose) that doesn't 'feel' right to me.

I'm tempted to contact Suzy (Dent) to get her opinion on why I feel this way about it - it's probably coz I'm an old fuddy duddy!

 

[Alan Webb]

I know you're correct on this (the Google reference you quote) but this is one English word (amongst many I suppose) that doesn't 'feel' right to me.

I'm tempted to contact Suzy (Dent) to get her opinion on why I feel this way about it - it's probably coz I'm an old fuddy duddy!

I`m age 56 and being old school, it does not fit right with me either. However, I accept it is what it is and sometimes there are two ways of doing something and neither way (or either way) is wrong,
Besides all that, you are a genius for fixing my treadmill. Thank you.