Treadmill speed control

[bkenobi]

Ok, so we are way off topic for X10 and HA at this point, but the "gearing" is pretty cool.  there are two belts that connect the motor to the treadmill deck with a pulley inbetween. Each belt is a v-belt and the gearing is performed by adjusting the wheel on the front. The wheel pivots an arm to move the pulley shafts closer/further from the motor. By doing this, it tightens/loosens the drive belt. the pulley has a spring loaded tensioner that keeps a constant lateral belt load. when it gets too tight, it shifts a double cone section towards the deck belt. his adjusts the radius of the pulley on both sides and thus changes the speed. Same basic concept to a CVT in a car or ATV).  Pretty slick way of avoiding complicated gearing and electric speed control.

[HA Dave]

........ it shifts a double cone section towards the deck belt. his adjusts the radius of the pulley on both sides and thus changes the speed.  Pretty slick way of avoiding complicated gearing and electric speed control.

Yeah... also not an easy way to automate it either (that I know of).

[bkenobi]

Awe, that's the quitters approach.  All that's needed is a stepper motor that connects to the pulley pivot shaft after removing the hand wheel.  This motor just gets controlled by a ESP8266 and some kind of motor controller.  Then, I add a skill to echo so the CIA can control how hard my dog runs!   

[HA Dave]

.... All that's needed is a stepper motor ......  Then, I add a skill to echo so the CIA can control how hard my dog runs!   

That sounds like a solid approach. And don't worry about the CIA controlling it. Unless you're Canadian.... the NSA (National Security Agency) controls domestic spying (and dog thread-mills... by default).

But to be openly honest. I really don't think the NSA cares so much about the activities of individuals. I am sure they (the NSA) doe's a kind of population research. Think of it.... as the way people act and/or react. Or....as a human version of a climate change model.

The normal evolution of communication with new things text and social media... means old fashion methods of finding the populations mood (like polling) are no longer timely or even accurate. But modern surveillance algorithms can monitor all phone calls (and MORE) while measuring word use and stress patterns. The NSA is creating better predictive models based on a vast word use collection, and stress pattern algorithm.