Electrical engineer Shahriar Shahramian has introduced a damaged high-end train bike again from the lifeless — by constructing a model new management board and corresponding software program.
“The mind of the bike resides inside a customized Android desk on the entrance console of the unit,” Shahramian explains of the deceased NordicTrack S15i train bike, which is mechanically sound however whose electronics smarts have bit the mud. “[This] Android PC is totally non-responsive. It attracts little or no present and appears like its reminiscence chip is both lifeless or corrupted. With out entry to the programming instruments and the software program there’s little or no probability of truly fixing it. The software program & {hardware} of the bike are usually not publicly accessible and a substitute unit prices upwards of $1,000.”
The answer: ripping out the deceased pill and constructing one thing less complicated however useful, within the type of a customized management board which is ready to interface with the bike and management its resistance stage in addition to monitor revolutions per minute (RPM) so as to calculate energy burned throughout train and the ability output generated by the consumer’s pedaling.
“All we need to do,” Shahramian explains, “is to regulate a DC motor so as to set the resistance [and] we additionally need to management an LCD display screen so we are able to show our statistics, and naturally measure the RPM — so, when it comes to modules, I’ll use a Metro Mini [328], which is an Arduino-compatible module you could purchase from Adafruit, after which there’s additionally an Adafruit 3.5″ TFT show which you’ll immediately management from the Metro Mini. I am additionally going to make use of a DRV8871, it is a chip from Texas Devices permitting you to regulate a DC motor in each instructions.”
The brand new interface is less complicated than the unique, however gives all the important thing data and resistance management. (📷: The Sign Path)
With every thing built-in into the bike and taking the place of the previously-installed however now-useless electronics, Shahramian’s bike is as soon as once more operational — albeit with a couple of options, like guided workout routines, audio playback, and simulated elevation adjustment disabled. “Though a lot less complicated than the unique {hardware},” he admits, “the brand new system is enough to make use of the bike and obtain a passable train routine.”
Extra data is on the market on Shahramian’s YouTube channel.
