EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => Repair => Topic started by: Yardstick on August 28, 2017, 09:31:30 pm
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I wonder if someone could help me with this. I have a treadmill that worked great before I moved and now doesn't want to function correctly. :-// I suspect the lower console touchpad controls are the problem. The start and stop buttons are on that keypad and they don't function now. Neither do the speed or incline buttons. The touchpad is one of those with a sticker over the top of a copper grid. It's not a blister button as it doesn't have that tactile feel. The treadmill had to come apart for the move. That's pretty straightforward. A few bolts and one multi-pin connector is all it takes. I checked the cable for nicks and didn't find any. I think the problem may have happened when I transported the console in the back of my truck in the hot AZ sun. It was only back there for ~15-20 minutes, but I wonder if that was enough to cook it somehow. Is there a way to test that kind of button/keypad with a multimeter? That's my only piece of test equipment. I know that touchpad is not available if I need a new one, but the rest of the treadmill is fine. If it can't be fixed, could I replicate the signals using physical buttons and replace the whole keypad that way?
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I had a fold up treadmill which had a magnetic switch tucked away within the belted section operated when it was assembled properly, handles in the fully upright position.
Once upon moving a magnet was lost, took ages to realise this switch was there and once found just glued a new magnet in place to keep the switch operated.
It might be worth a check!
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Thank you for the tip. I'll have to keep that one in mind. I got it working again, but I'm a little concerned about how long it will last. There was a bit of a bump in the lower button area that controls speed, incline and start/stop functions. I thought the bump might be causing some unintentional contact on multiple buttons and giving an erroneous control input. I heated the area to see if I could flatten it back out but that didn't do anything. I ended up peeling the front sticker off and exposing the copper button layout underneath, which was also basically a sticker. I figured it was worth a shot to peel that up and flatten out the bump. That seems to have fixed the problem. It must have just got so hot sitting in the sun that the adhesive got soft and the parts didn't all expand the same so the sticker wrinkled when it all cooled down again. I would still be interested in finding a way to replace that touch control with a series of momentary buttons. I was also thinking about ways to replace the whole control panel with an Arduino or similar system. It would remove the preset programs, but I could make new ones. :D Maybe that'll be the next step if the controls fail permanently.
Edit to add: So much for that fix! The intermittent fault came back. I can pick a walking speed and start the treadmill, but the 4 mph button doesn't seem to work and others are intermittent. More concerning is that the stop buttons don't work. I can still pull the magnetic safety key to make it stop, but I'd rather have all the buttons working.