The Stairmaster 4600Cl is excellent cardio workout equipment. It consists of an electronically controlled alternator, computing and visual interface that show the data and control buttons for controlling various parameters of the equipment, for instance, its speed.

There are three major areas where any fault could occur, they, being the electrical, diagnostics and mechanical subsystems.

Electrical Problems

1.Disconnect the battery after removing the middle and top covers of the control board. Find and locate pins 1and 2 and test the voltage drop which should read 6.1V. If the reading is lower, then charge the battery after reconnecting it to the circuit and charge for a day and check the voltage readings again.

2.To check the alternator’s health, disconnect the battery first and then do away with the brown and black connection wires from its terminal, and instead, take a short wire and directly connect to B1 terminal only. Now, step on the machine and check if you are getting maximum resistance failing which you will need to buy a new alternator.

3.For testing the load resistor, disconnect it from the control panel and test it by connecting the leads of a multi-meter to it. The resistance readings should be of the order 2.5 ohms and if not, then, the load resistor needs to be replaced.

Diagnostic Errors

1.The basic diagnostic test is performed by going into the ‘Attract’ mode and punching in [+], followed by 1, 0 and 7 in quick succession and press ‘Enter’ which runs a series of test. If the equipment fails a single test, it means the console has gone bad.

2.Press 0, which should prompt the lights to switch on and off. Similarly, pressing ‘ test the audio wherein, you should be able to hear sample music in an increasing /decreasing order of the volume. For checking the keypads, press 2 and the lights make the shape of the letter ‘L’. Further, press each button to see if the corresponding light turns on, if not, the keypad needs changing.

3.For testing the speed-reading, select a ‘Target’ speed, and begin the exercise. If there is a diagnostic failure, the upward graduation will not show up on the screen.

Mechanical Problems And Solutions

1.When the drive train is malfunctioning, you will hear a grinding noise during the exercise. Sometimes, you may also feel a vibration to indicate the same problem.

2.Once you are able to see the belt fitting, check whether the problem with the wear and tear or ill-fitting. Sometimes, improper fitting causes the vibrations and noises.

3.Move each drive chain as well as the step chains to look for any jerk in movement, which could be because of rusting, damage or plain stiffness. Furthermore, remove the pedal shafts and levelling arms and clean them thoroughly, and lubricate them before putting them back into the treadmill.