How Motorised Treadmills Work
Written by Paul Healey (treadmill designer and expert on treadmills) Oct/2005
Introduction
The treadmill is one most popular piece of gym and home fitness equipment and is usually in fact you would be hard pressed to top find a gym or fitness centre with out one.
They come in all shapes and sizes but are generally all of the same type of the construction. But vary in size and features and component quality depending on the there use and application, But generally speaking the more use that a treadmill is expected to have the higher quality the components and heavier the build quality.
The Design and Construction
- The Treadmill comprises of 7 main components
- The Frame
- The Running Deck
- The running Belt
- The Motor
- The Motor controller
- The incline Motor
- The console and Control Computer
The Console and Control System
The Frame
The Running
Deck
The Running Belt
The Motor, The Motor Controller, Incline Motor
The Frame
The frame for which all the components is generally of steel construction the design varies depending on fashion, special applications and whether the treadmill is a folding type or not.
The Running Deck
This is generally a wooden board with 2 rollers mounted at each end (which carries the belt) the board is mainly of fibre board construction and mounted on rubber mounts to cushion the running action.
The running Belt
The belt is generally made of a soft rubber compound or similar synthetic material and loops around the running deck and mounted on steel rollers and tensioned at one end or the other
The motor
90% of all treadmills run on a DC electric motor as this is technically easy to control and economical to produce. The power output is measured in horse power (Hp)and shown as a Peak or Continuous values the Hp will vary for a home treadmill from 2 Hp for a home treadmill to 5 Hp for a commercial treadmill. Larger commercial treadmills are run by AC motors but this is rare an dan expensive option.
The motor is connected to the running belt rollers by means for a small belt.
The Motor controller
This circuit board the converts the AC mains electric supply in to a DC supply for the motor to run on. This is done by means of invertors and other devices, There are also other generally other components that ensure the speed adjustments are stable and reliable to prevent accidents. The motor controller is controlled by the computer in the console.
The console
The console generally provides to 2 main functions
1/ Allows the user to control the speed and other functions of the treadmill.
2/ Feedbacks to the user useful information about the exercise program ie speed or elapsed time.
The console is a simply computer interface for the user to control the treadmill.
The user generally selects the desired speed and work out time on by the means of buttons on the console; Some treadmills also have preset programs and evan entertainment systems to amuse the user. The feedback to the user is generally via LCD display that would indicate speed, distance, time, calories, incline watts Pulse rate receiver or hand grips. There are also some safety devices that stop the treadmill in an emergency.
The Incline Motor
Most treadmills have a incline system this allows the user to replicate running up a hill and is achieved by raising or lowering on end of the treadmill on is usually done by means of a high torque motor connected to a screw mechanism. This controlled by the user and the console computer.
Final Comments
The modern treadmills is a reliable safe exercise machine and provides a convenient alternative to road running, it advantages include its safety, ease of use as there is no complicated movements to learn and should provide many years of enjoyment.