Solving Troublesome Noisy Treadmill Motor

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around diagnosing excessive noise from a treadmill motor, specifically a 180V permanent magnet DC brushed motor controlled by PWM. Participants explore potential causes of the noise, including mechanical issues, electrical signals, and maintenance practices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster (OP) suggests that the noise may be related to the PWM signal, as the pitch remains constant and mechanical issues have been ruled out.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of lubricating the treadmill belt to reduce motor load, based on their maintenance experience.
  • Another participant proposes adjusting the springs on the motor brushes as a troubleshooting step, noting that PWM-controlled motors can vibrate and that worn brushes may have less seating force.
  • A participant provides spectral analysis data indicating that some noise frequencies may be linked to PWM switching, while others could suggest mechanical issues such as a slipping belt or dirty rollers.
  • There is a suggestion to use a scope trace of voltage and current to the motor for further diagnosis, highlighting the challenges of remote troubleshooting.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses regarding the source of the noise, but no consensus is reached on the definitive cause. Multiple competing views and approaches to troubleshooting remain evident throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the motor's condition and the effectiveness of proposed solutions are not fully explored, and the discussion does not resolve the uncertainties regarding the noise's origin.

Guineafowl
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TL;DR
Someone has posted this fault on a woodworking forum I’m on. The motor makes a humming noise when electrically, but not mechanically driven.
Link to thread: https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/very-noisy-motor.125693/#post-1398215

The treadmill is powered by UK standard 1ph 240V AC. The motor is a 180V, permanent magnet, DC brushed type and speed control is by PWM. There is an audio file in the thread; to me, the pitch of the sound stays relatively constant, suggesting the excessive noise is related to the PWM signal.

OP has ruled out mechanical problems such as motor bearings, and the treadmill belt/roller system.

Changing the motor solved the problem, but only for six months. As far as I can see, this is either a pattern failure of motors of a similar age, or a problem with the driver board, perhaps inducing noise from distorted PWM. I’ve done my best with remote diagnosis, but would welcome opinions on this.
 
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I once helped maintain treadmills at a fitness center. I found it was very important to keep the belt lubicated to reduce the motors load.
 
Based on an elaborate probability/cost algorithm, my next troubleshooting step (it's free) would be to stretch the springs on the brushes (or shim them, if that's possible). PWM-controlled motors vibrate. Spring-loaded brushes have less seating force as the brushes wear.
 
Here is a spectral analysis of the noise at 10sec and 33sec after startup.

The upper graph in each display is a Spectrogram with Time on the X-axis and Frequency on the Y-axis. Color/Brightness shows amplitude (loudness).

The lower graph in each display shows Frequency on the X-axis and Amplitude on Y.

The first one, at 9.9sec, shows some signals around 5kHz and 17kHz which are probably from the PWM switching, although there is a small possibility those could be a bad bearing... or even LED or fluorescent room lighting. Most of the energy is in the 300-1500Hz band, which would be mechanical.
..
Treadmill at 10sec.png

..
The second display, at the 32.9sec mark, shows much energy over the whole spectrum with a broad peak around 1kHz. I suspect this is from the large belt slipping on something as mentioned by @dlgoff. This is also supported by the amplitude increasing with speed.
The upper graph shows (spectrogram) shows pulses in the 3-4kHz bands repeating at just under 1sec intervals. That may be one (or both) of the large rollers that the belt rides on. Check that the belt is not too tight and the rollers are clean.
Treadmill at 33sec.png

..

Please let us know what you find.

Cheers,
Tom
 
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Many thanks for the replies. I have passed them on and will update.
 
A scope trace of the V and I to the motor may be very telling.
 
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Windadct said:
A scope trace of the V and I to the motor may be very telling.
I did ask the OP if he knew of anyone who could come and scope the motor drive, but no luck. The frustrations of remote diagnosis...