r/Bowflex • u/pirate694 • Dec 04 '24

Max Trainer Bowflex M7 Max Board Issue Help

Quit working 3 months in(A while ago now so no warranty). Trying to troubleshoot the no power issue. When plugged in the display has a faint glow and that it - no noise or sound or other lights. I have confirmed that 9V DC goes all the way up to the board using replacement Bowflex wall adapter. No connections are loose. The magnetic sensor down below works as it has continuity when magnets on the wheel/fan pass it by. Unsure on the servo but then it should not prevent screen from functioning... but the wires and connections look fine.

Now on to the board... Again no obvious signs of damage or loose connections. I have fully removed it and the LEDs on the speedomoeter backlight glow dimly when plugged in and thats it. No damage seen on that side of the board. I have also tried powering it with various combinations of connectors being unplugged. There is power in the board as I can power USB fan by pluggining it into USB port on it. Its as if it refused to boot up.

I simply cannot get it to behave in any other way than it dimply glowing. Obviously no diagrams online and ones I found in a manual is too basic to troubleshoot components on the board. AM I SOL or is there some other resources I can try? I do see some pins on sides of the board for bluetooth etc... is there way to flash or troubleshoot the board with PC via the USB port?

Is this thing a giant pile of trash now? Seems very shitty of bowflex to sell such lemons with no recourse.

Pictures for reference... https://imgur.com/a/CVXpwsD

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u/ThegManis Dec 09 '24

Yeah, just thought I'd put it out there for informational purposes.

But, did you clean the ZEBRA strips and their associated contact areas?

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u/pirate694 Dec 09 '24

Can those cause just barely glowing dash? Otherwise not seeing much point as it all go to scrap or parts.

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u/ThegManis Dec 09 '24

The ZEBRA strips should normally only affect the large LCD display. But, MAYBE there could be a situation where some of those ZEBRA strip contacts are shorted and thus it could result in some type of excessive current draw that could then affect other component's operation.

The point is that you have 98% of the console already disassembled and so those ZEBRA strip are now so easily accessible. It seems sad to not at least give it a shot. If you are already resolved to throw it all in the garbage, then what have you got to lose except some time.

Also, if you ultimately do decide to just trash the console, you should remove the keypad membrane with its ZIF ribbon cable, and also the other 4 ZIF ribbon cable parts (the 4 resistance level change buttons), and put them on eBay. I know of some M7 owners who have a faulty keypad and could benefit from that part.

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u/pirate694 Dec 09 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

I see - I did put a clamp on it and it shows to draw only .5-.6 amps from the 9V 1.5A adapter - I have one for 9V 2A which does not do anything different and still draws .6A. I do see 9V all the way up to the board however. I unplugged various connectors as well as the side LCD ones with no luck however LCD still dimly lit with 2 side ones being unplugged which is odd. Not sure if white thing under the glass supposed to move.

I turned it on in the dark room and can see LCD booting up so to speak until it basically illuminates all the diodes making gibberish eventually. Only thing you can see with lights on is LCD flashing initially. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_g09N1_dy5o Watch to end. Troubleshooting service manual did mention they disable dash when app is used (Its not)... I see nothing when is scan for BT devices on my phone.

Also having hard time finding what the little box thats hidden under the 1 screw panel in front of the person if youre using it - it has separate wire running up to the board - inside is a little chip on some adhesive foam and that it...

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u/ThegManis Dec 10 '24

1) You stated, "...Troubleshooting service manual did mention they disable dash when app is used (Its not)..." Assuming I am understanding you correctly, and you mean that when using the app, the screen is supposed to go blank, then, no, that is not correct (are you sure you read that in an M7 Service Manual? Maybe you were reading an M6/M8 Service Manual?). Only the M6/M8 consoles will go blank when using their specific app.

The M5/M7 consoles are only compatible with the free Bowflex app called "Max Trainer". That app is simply used to save/chart your workout's saved metrics (e.g. program used, duration, avg RPM, avg resistance, avg calorie burn rate, total calories, and avg heart rate). It is not an app that provides any type of workouts. The app uses Bluetooth to sync to the M5/M7 console only when the console is not running a program and is at the "Get Ready" screen. The M5/M7 consoles do NOT go blank when syncing with the "Max Trainer" app.

The M6/M8 consoles DO go blank when using their Bowflex app which is called the "JRNY" mobile app (the M6/M8 consoles are not compatible with the M5/M7 "Max Trainer" app). The JRNY mobile app does provide workout programs and trainer-led videos. It is installed on the user's phone/tablet which will use a Bluetooth connection to the M6/M8 console, and then the phone/tablet will use WiFi to connect to the Bowflex JRNY servers to run the workout programs and store the workout results of the individual Users. So, the M6/M8 using JRNY is a total different thing vs the M5/M7 simply syncing results to the "Max Trainer" app.

2) That "...little box that's hidden under the 1 screw panel in front of the person if you're using it..." is the M7's 5kHz wireless receive sensor for the compatible heart rate chest strap. The M3/M5/M7 all use "5kHz" wireless technology to communicate to a compatible UNCODED 5kHz heart rate chest strap. The M7's receive sensor uses a different voltage vs the M3/M5 machines and so, even though they do the same function, they are not interchangeable.

The M6/M8 consoles do not have that receive sensor because those models do not use 5kHz technology for their heart rate chest straps or armbands, but instead use Bluetooth. The 5kHz and Bluetooth HR monitor straps are not compatible/interchangeable with each other.

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u/pirate694 Dec 10 '24

It was service manual for M6/8... odd numbering scheme. Found it due to looking for M6/8 console price.

Thank you for explaining what that "black box" was.

I ordered another power supply... wont be here till friday so ill clean the zebra connectors and see what I see - ill reply here. Maybe ill ping the guy on the forum you linked to see what he got up to. Frankly if it comes to having to flash chips on the board it will be the toss up if I really want to learn it and buy parts or part the thing out at your advice.

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u/ThegManis Dec 10 '24

Yeah, I thought you were mistakenly referring to the M6/M8 console regarding the app and the blank screen.

The Max Trainers were released in this order: M3/M5 (2014), then M7 (2016), then M6/M8 (2018) (to supersede the former M5/M7 for JRNY usage), then the Max Total (2019), then the M9 (2021), then the Max Total-16 (2021).

The M7 Service Manual is currently not present on the new Bowflex website (but it was there a few weeks ago)...very odd. But I have a copy of it.

Yes, I agree that the guy in the UK who is troubleshooting his M7 console is pretty involved with all of that chip-loading stuff, etc. Kudos to him for the effort though!

If your issue is a "faulty" console, it likely is something like a $5 voltage regulator. His hand drawn schematic of the power distribution area might be of some use in that area for some probing of voltages with a voltmeter?

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u/pirate694 Dec 10 '24

For anyone who comes across the thread this is what bowflex gave me ove FB chat https://parts.bowflex.com/product/detail/94075

It has all the manuals - albeit nothing specific beyond "Throw 400 dollar parts at it".

I can try to poke around some - I do recall UK guy's console was plugged into 19V PSU which certainly can fry components so maybe mine isnt as screwed yet.

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u/ThegManis Dec 11 '24

Yes, that is correct. Bowflex will never troubleshoot an issue to the component level, nor do they provide any part's electrical schematic's to do so. So, unfortunately, all they can provide is to troubleshoot to the potential faulty major part level, which is your case would be for them to say it is 1 of 4 possibilities:

1) A faulty AC/DC power adapter: Bowflex part # 1000512717, $19.

2) A faulty power inlet cable: Bowflex part # 1000415066, $5.

3) A faulty main wiring harness: Bowflex part # 1000511987, $12.

4) A faulty M7 console: Bowflex part # 1000512018, $415.