Treadmill Drives

Combines multiple functions at an economical cost

Gemini’s unified treadmill power and motor speed controller combines Gemini’s state-of-the-art Pulse-Width Modulated (PWM) dc motor controller with the console computer power supply, the elevation motor controls, and interfaces for the computer’s speed sensor, elevation sensor, and speed control signals. 12M04-00182 is designed for 115 Volts ac input and 12M04-00172 for 230 Volts ac input.

The unified control consists of two parts, the motor control itself, and the power control board. With this patented arrangement, it is possible to substitute a wide variety of combinations of the components without the need to design a new printed circuit board for each combination.

The power board provides 12 volts dc to the treadmill console computer. It also provides a pulse signal to the console whose frequency is proportional to the exact operating speed, to allow accurate display of speed, and to allow the console computer to detect when the set speed and the actual speed are not the same.

A logic signal from the console activates one of two relays (or triacs) to cause the elevation motor to raise or lower the angle of the track. A position feedback potentiometer in the elevation motor assembly indicates the actual elevation for display or control of the elevation.

The computer in the console sends a speed command signal to the power board, which in turn sends this signal to the speed controller. This command signal is usually in the form of a pulse width modulated and isolated logic signal.

Because of the complexity of the interconnections, it is important for a customer to coordinate the use of these unified controllers with Gemini’s application engineers to avoid interface problems.