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Help with calibrating Nike+


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Help with calibrating Nike+
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Phoenix
formerly "trav"
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Behind you
 
2006-12-29, 23:47

I have a Nike + and didn't calibrate it correctly when i first started, and now when i go for a run it shows up at the end as about a third of the distance i actually ran. I know because i run on a treadmill at the moment.

So i go to re-calibrate it, by going to settings and calibrating the sensor for walking and running. But each time i get to the end of 400 metres and end the calibration it comes up with something like "The distance travelled does not match the correct distance." Or something similar. I have done it countless times now but nothing works. Can someone help please?

Thanks
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Enki
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
 
2006-12-30, 14:42

I can imagine treadmills would provide some very difficult problems for the inertial sensors. When you run over solid ground the sensor never goes forward-backwards, just forwards-stop-forwards. Knowing the size constraints of the accelerometers they have, every direction change, forward-stop-forward or forward-backward-forward will cause a period of noise that is compensated for in the distance measuring sofware. Compensating for the noise over ground is straightforward, that's what the caliberation period is doing, measuring the number of footfalls and the getting the difference in measured distance, divide it out and apply as the noise correction factor. On the treadmill the backwards part of the foot motion would be corrected against your direction of motion because that't the direction the accelerometer says you were moving. It is correct as far as it tracks your foot, but YOU aren't moving the same direction as your foot. YOU are actually quite stationary.

Even if Nike got that part worked out there is another component of the treadmill running that is impossible for them to compensate for. The mat is always in motion even if your feet are not on it. So as your feet go forwards there is a slight acceleration disconnect between your foot motion and the decoupled constant non-accelerated motion of the mat. Since the treadmill measures the mat motion, not your motion, and is true, the sensor cannot measure the correct distance. The sensor can only measure your foot acceleration connected to a stationary body, which is lower in an absolute sense than a moving foot connected to a moving body. Multiply the small difference over every step you take and it can add up in a hurry.

Even the accelerometers in the human ear deal with the same issues, it is nearly impossible to run on a treadmill without using your eyes because your non-vision aided balance is crap, but you can run for awhile over solid ground before suffering the same problems.
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Phoenix
formerly "trav"
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Behind you
 
2006-12-30, 20:48

Wow, thanks for that. So does that mean no one is running on a treadmill with these things then? I enjoy running on a treadmill so this is a bit of a bummer. I guess it just means i'll have to get out more.

Thanks for the info!
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2006-12-30, 22:17

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix View Post
Wow, thanks for that. So does that mean no one is running on a treadmill with these things then? I enjoy running on a treadmill so this is a bit of a bummer. I guess it just means i'll have to get out more.

Thanks for the info!
I've run on a treadmill when the weather is bad (only twice so far since I got the Nike+) and I've noticed that the sensor measures about 10% more distance and speed than the treadmill.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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Phoenix
formerly "trav"
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Behind you
 
2006-12-30, 23:56

I'm having the opposite result. It's measuring far less than I'm actually running. I get to a kilometer with the treadmill and have only clocked up around 600m on the Nike+.

Is there anyway to completely reset it and start over. I've tried re-calibrating but it comes up with the error from my first post.
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BarracksSi
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2007-01-05, 21:34

I wouldn't bother using it on a treadmill. The machine has its own distance, speed, and calorie counters anyway, right?

Go get some fresh air instead. if it's below freezing outside, just think of it like you're out skiing or training to box against Rocky Balboa. That's what I did when I ran with snow on the ground.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-01-05, 22:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarracksSi View Post
I wouldn't bother using it on a treadmill. The machine has its own distance, speed, and calorie counters anyway, right?

Go get some fresh air instead. if it's below freezing outside, just think of it like you're out skiing or training to box against Rocky Balboa. That's what I did when I ran with snow on the ground.
That's because the Corp has brainwashed you into thinking it's good to freeze! Oh, and you can't die without permission.

I just can't get myself into that running outside at subzero. I had to run a PRT on my ship above decks in the winter, underway and it sucked. Now, I would rather run on a treadmill when it's cold. I have to say though, after starting to use the Nike+ because of this challenge, I'm getting more and more into running/walking again. Who knows, maybe I'll see it like you do soon enough.

Oh and to calibrate for a treadmill, I adjusted the calibration to .5 miles and ran at 6 MPH and it calibrated fine. It wouldn't work for the base level of .25. I also found that this calibration is nothing close to walking/running on the street. Nike+ showed 1.2 miles and it should have shown 1.8 miles. So if you calibrate for a treadmill, don't expect to use that same sensor on the street and get an accurate reading.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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BarracksSi
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2007-01-05, 22:28

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle2472 View Post
That's because the Corp has brainwashed you into thinking it's good to freeze! Oh, and you can't die without permission.
Actually, that was when I was training on my own before boot camp. Now that I'm in, we'll go to the gym or something instead, or if we're outside we'll play football.

We did run a mock PFT once with a 25+ mph crosswind (more of a headwind in the outbound direction, actually), so we drafted each other whenever possible on the outbound leg of 1.5 miles. Funny stuff.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-01-05, 23:35

I joined track my senior year just to get me in shape. It worked, but it was spring track. No freezing for me! I went active 8 July. We had many black flag days.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Phoenix
formerly "trav"
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Behind you
 
2007-01-06, 03:03

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarracksSi View Post
I wouldn't bother using it on a treadmill. The machine has its own distance, speed, and calorie counters anyway, right?

Go get some fresh air instead. if it's below freezing outside, just think of it like you're out skiing or training to box against Rocky Balboa. That's what I did when I ran with snow on the ground.
I would use it outside (it is summer here by the way) but i have just had surgery on my shoulder and i have to stop and do things during the run that would make running outside hard.

I just stopped using the Nike+ for now, but i am just about finished the shoulder stuff so i'll be back on the road soon enough.
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