Electric Motor, Circuit Breaker Help PLEASE!

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Tislane

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Treadmills use 3 phase motors, but run off single phase power. The “control board has a built in vfd. That motor can run off 120 or 240 volt single phase with a VFD. What power your treadmill needs 120 or 240 is the question, and the motor can’t tell you that. Look up the manual for that treadmill, and call precor or the people you bought it from.
 

Firpo

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Yup, I don’t think anything is fishy about the motor and it’s 60hz so not for Europe. Also as mentioned it is common to use VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) to convert single phase to three phase I’m trying to remember, it’s been a few years since I worked with them, I don’t think you can wire 120V single phase to the line side and get 240V three phase on the load side. I could be completely wrong on this and things could have changed in the last 5 years. Just something to verify. Give a picture of the plug OR find the NEMA code ie 5-15R, 5-20R, etc…
 

turkeyrun

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Call company and tell them to come get it. 3 techs and not working, pick it up and bring a replacement. The techs obviously don't know what they are doing.

The Leeson motor is US service, 60 Hz, but the treadmill could be Euro 50 Hz. Need schematic to know.

I would tell the company to deal with it.
 
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trekrok

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I didn't realize some treadmills have 3 phase motors, but makes sense. You'd want full torque even at low rpms. My bet/guess is the VFD is bad. Wouldn't surprise me if the VFD was integrated into one big control module panel. But, under warranty so should be on them. Good luck.
 

Ahall

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A tread mill has to run at a variety of speeds. That means some kind of variable speed drive.
Old school was a mechanical belt and cone pully system or a DC motor with a voltage controller.


Printed circuit boards have changed all of that. 3 phase motors are inexpensive and its easy to vary speed using modern electronics.

That motor is 3 phase, and that makes sense. Somewhere in the system there is a circuit board that converts your single phase AC signal to DC and then chops up the DC signal into a simulated 3 phase signal. The really cool part is the board can also output the simulated 3 phase AC signal at any frequency you want. The change in frequency is what changes the speed of the motor - your basic variable frequency drive (VFD). You may also have a transformer that bumps the voltage up prior to the VFD.

This type of system is common today. I have seen it on variable speed pool pumps, in some air conditioners, and on many stationary tools.

If 3 techs can get it right, something is bad wrong or the techs are incompetent. If its under warranty, neither are your problem. Get a replacement machine.
 
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kd5rjz

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Yup, I don’t think anything is fishy about the motor and it’s 60hz so not for Europe. Also as mentioned it is common to use VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) to convert single phase to three phase I’m trying to remember, it’s been a few years since I worked with them, I don’t think you can wire 120V single phase to the line side and get 240V three phase on the load side. I could be completely wrong on this and things could have changed in the last 5 years. Just something to verify. Give a picture of the plug OR find the NEMA code ie 5-15R, 5-20R, etc…
This is definitely powered by an inverter in the machine. 50/60hz nameplate specification doesn't really matter when the input power is being rectified.
 

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