View Full Version : Who knew?? Don't forget to check your battery operated exercise machines.

02-27-2003, 01:38 PM
I guess I didn't, or if I knew before, I had forgotten that the computer for my elliptical trainer uses batteries :rolleyes:

The computer hasn't worked for months, I've been timing myself with a kitchen timer. I'm such an idiot. Today, it finally occurred to me that it <b>must</b> use batteries. So I started searching for where they might be and I found them. This machine is only two years old and the batteries have <b>never</b> been replaced.

There they were dead and all corroded :rolleyes: Luckily, it was just the batteries themselves that were corroded, not the terminals. I lucked out. No damage to the battery case <i>this time</i>.

Be sure and check your batteries if your machine uses them. :teeth:


02-27-2003, 02:30 PM
That's funny!
This is stupid! The tread on my treadmill went off track, so to speak. (I've already had it repaired twice before this!) So I called the company and tried to schedule a service call. The very pleasant lady on the other end said it's really easy to fix yourself, and it will save you 150 dollars. The part was only $45 for heavens sake. She said instructions are enclosed with the part.

Well, I'm pretty handy and figured I can do this! I get it all apart and slide the new part in, and that's as far as I got. Called for support. "Just loosen the nut that attatches to the spring," they say, " and it will help get the part back in place." The nut came off completely! I now need to compress the spring to get this thing back together. In the mean time we've had 2 basement floods, and parts have come up missing! This was 18 months ago which is why we joined a gym.

What was I thinking!?! Why did I ever think I could fix that thing?
It's one thing to forget about batteries, but quite another to think you can save $150, by doing it yourself. I figure this cost me a gym membership plus I may as well just throw the darned thing away and a new one will surely set us back 2500+!

DH and I are going to try to bring her back to life this weekend. Since our gym is closed now and our new "Y" doesn't open until July, were going to try this first. For $2500, I'd rather use their (the "Y's") equipment, and let them pay for sevice calls. (2500@500 per year for a membership= 5 years of "Not my problem" By then, I can lose enough weight to get a Maintenance machine, and not shell out thousands!

Boys and girls, don't try this at home! Call a service person! ;)

Keep the Faith!

02-27-2003, 02:31 PM
So.....does having new batteries mean you will enjoy using the elliptical machine now? (don't throw anything at me for teasing you!)

And hey, you are not an idiot! I don't think it would have occurred to me to change any batteries. Was there a manual with this thing? ;)

Will the computer do anything besides time you? Does it tell you how many calories you've burned or anything neat like that?

Edited to add: Tracy, thanks alot for the laugh! Your funny (to me, maybe not to you!) story helped me burn a few more calories. :)

02-27-2003, 02:53 PM
I would <b>never</b> try to repair anything myself. I'm just terrible at stuff like that. Sounds like something my husband would try, though. Thanks for the chuckle, Tracy.

Hey, TigH, I think I do enjoy using it just a little bit more. It measures time, distance, my pulse, speed and it has different programs for going fatburning, uphill, downhill, up <b>and</b> downhill, stuff like that.

It only cost like $300 about two years ago so it was a good deal. I don't know why it isn't as much fun without the little computer thingy working.

I just wish it kept a record of cumulative distance, don't know why it doesn't.


02-27-2003, 05:49 PM
Hey Kath...you should always check the battery in all your appliances ;) You are lucky that it didn't ruin the terminals..that happened to a friend of mine :(