Treadmills and car batteries?

[Ed62]

The question I have is about using car batteries with a treadmill. One of our neighbors had a treadmill they were getting rid of, so I took the trailer over to their house, and picked it up. It had a problem.

After checking it out to the best of my ability, it seems there is a problem with a circuit board (it has two). I could get voltage readings just so far up the line, then I lost it. It has a 90V - 10 amp DC motor. It is designed to operate from 0 - 90 volts DC. I hooked up a 12 volt marine battery, and it operated the tread mill, but way too slowly. So I hooked up my rather small lawn tractor battery in series with it. Now it will run fast enough, but I might want to slow it down slightly. It will be used by the dog during the winter months for exercise.

The question I have is about using car batteries. If I hook up two car batteries in series, with a dimmer switch, I should be able to control the speed of the treadmill. Is there a reason I shouldn't use car batteries? If I run the treadmill 45 minutes per day, how often do you think I would need to charge the batteries? Will running the batteries down repeatedly before charging decrease the life of the batteries? Any other suggestions? Remember, it's only use will be for the dog.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

dimmer switches won't work with car batteries like you plan to use.

a 90v 10amp motor lightly loaded at 24V will probably draw in the range of 1-4 amps.
seeing as how car batteries are typically in the 60 A-H range, you could probably run it for 15-45 hours.

Car batteries are designed for starting, they will not work well with repeated discharging. Deep cycle batteries are preferred for that.

[Daryl]

Maybe keep a trickle charger on the batteries. You could also use the pto off the tractor to run the treadmill.

[Ed62]

dimmer switches won't work with car batteries like you plan to use.

a 90v 10amp motor lightly loaded at 24V will probably draw in the range of 1-4 amps.
seeing as how car batteries are typically in the 60 A-H range, you could probably run it for 15-45 hours.

Car batteries are designed for starting, they will not work well with repeated discharging. Deep cycle batteries are preferred for that.

Thanks for the reply. That info will come in handy.

You could also use the pto off the tractor to run the treadmill.

For some reason I don't think LOML would allow the tractor to be sitting next to the pool table. The trickle charger is something I didn't think about. Thanks.

Ed

[crokett]

Ed, is there a reason you couldn't use an AC/DC converter and just skip the batteries? My dad has one that has a cigarette lighter style receptacle on it. He plugs it into 120V AC and it outputs 12V DC.

[Ed62]

I'll need at least 24 volts. I've looked around, but can't find anything like that. It seems most are DC to AC. The ones AC to DC seem to only go to 12 volts. Maybe you could find one with a higher output, but it probably wouldn't be cost effective.

Ed

[vaking]

Getting this thing to go high speed should be easy - take a regular AC line and send it through a diod (single phase rectifier without any filtering, so no capacitors attached. This should produce an output that will resemble 80-90 V DC. The problem is - you have no control of speed with this feed. However, if you use something like a router speed control and then send it through a diod - that might even work with speed control. Very crude though.
Loring can probably confirm.

[crokett]

Ed, I have a great idea. Get yourself an old stationary bike. Hook the pedals on the bike up to the belt on the treadmill. You pedal, the belt turns, the dog gets his exercise and so do you.

[Ed62]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll wait for Loring's input on it.

David, although your suggestion might work, I think I'll pass. Thanks for losing sleep over it though.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

VAKING's idea has some merit. I would certainly suggest you have some idea of what you are doing before attempting it.

[Mr__Bill]

Ed, I have a question, when I walk our dog he does more than just exercise. I am wondering just how you clean up the treadmill after your dog does more than just exercise?

I am also thinking that the stationary bike powering the treadmill is a good idea. After all, not just the dog needs exercise


Bill, who hates to walk the dog in the rain.

[Ed62]

OK. Thanks again for the input, Loring.

Ed

[Ed62]

I am wondering just how you clean up the treadmill after your dog does more than just exercise?

My dog is good. She waits till we get home, or she takes care of it before exercising.

Ed

[Mr__Bill]

My dog is good. She waits till we get home, or she takes care of it before exercising.

Ed

However did you train the dog to do that? On rainy days the only reason we walk the dog is so he will not have an accident somewhere in the house.


Now I am thinking you need another treadmill that has a working DC motor and then hook up your drill press motor to it to generate DC power with a stepping pulley you can have some speed control too.

Bill, who believes if you haven't' made it over complicated your not done designing it.