On Wed, 2 Mar 2011 22:26:21 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Just curious about treadmill motors.

Most treadmill motors I've seen are brushed.
Is it likely that newer ones are brushless, and if so, are the electronics
that make the motor brushless internal or external to the motor, and how
would I tell? I'd hate to find out a motor is brushless, and that I threw
away the goddamm electronics.....

Couldn't treadmills use AC permenant magnet motors? Aren't they a little
simpler than the DC?

It seems that the older DC treadmill motors, altho rated lower in power than
modern treadmill motors, pack a lot more punch to them. No surprise.


So far I've not seen a brushless DC treadmill motor, but I have not
looked at any really new high end units.
For a permanent magnet AC motor you are talking a synchronous or
stepper motor I assume - the drive circuit is more complex .