AT-1: I broke the clip on my AT-series pedometer. Can it be repaired?
Clips on the AT-series pedometer can be replaced. Purchase a clip repair kit
here. The kit contains a replacement clip, 2 hinge pins and instructions.
AT-2: My AT-series pedometer's display is blank. What might be the problem and can it be fixed?
The most likely cause is a dead battery. Replace the battery. The AT-series pedometer uses an LR-43 type photo/electronic battery. For instructions on how to change the battery in your AT-series pedometer, please email
NEW-LIFESTYLES.
If a new battery doesn’t solve the problem, you may have broken the LCD (liquid crystal diode). In that case you’ll need to purchase a new pedometer. (Note: Broken LCD’s may also present as a black displays or a displays with irregular segments.)
AT-3: How do I replace the battery in my AT-series pedometer?
For instructions on how to change the battery please email
NEW-LIFESTYLES. AT-series pedometer uses an LR-43 type battery.
AT-4: How long can I expect the AT-series pedometer’s hairspring mechanism to maintain its accuracy?
The AT-series pedometer is considered the "best of the hairspring" (lower cost) pedometers. It will maintain its accuracy up to 1 million steps.
AT-5: Help! I got my pedometer/accelerometer wet--went swimming with it on, sent it through the washing machine, or dropped it in the toilet! What can I do?
Although none of our pedometers or accelerometers are waterproof or water-resistant sometimes one can survive an accidental drowning or trip through the washing machine. First, remove the case cover or battery cover. Remove and properly dispose of the battery. Leave the cover off and let your step counter’s innards dry completely. Don’t use a hairdryer as excessive heat may damage the electronics. After the inside is dry install a new battery. If the display shows numbers, you were lucky this time! If not, you’ll need to purchase a new step counter, as water damage is not covered by the warranty.
AT-6: The hinge pins that hold my AT-series pedometer together are protruding or missing.
If your AT-series pedometer’s hinge pins are sliding out of their slots, push them back in with a pen or the end of a big paper clip.
If you need AT-series pedometer hinge pins, you may order them
here.
AT-7: I broke my AT-series pedometer's case. Can it be fixed?
If you broke the case cover, a new case cover can be ordered at
here.
If you broke the clip, refer to Troubleshooting Point SW-1.
If you broke any other part of the case including the area around the hinge pins, you’ll need to purchase a new pedometer.
AT-8: The "door" on my AT-series pedometer won’t stay closed.
If the clasp is broken, you will need to purchase a new pedometer.
If the "door" won’t stay closed because a hinge pin is missing, you may order hinge pins
here.
AT-9: How do I measure my stride length? (Applies only to those step counters with a distance feature.)
If you have already determined your stride length and you need instructions on how to enter it into your pedometer, please go to your respective pedometer's page and review its User's Guide.
How to Determine Your Stride Length
When walking, your stride length is the distance from the toe of your front foot to the toe of your back foot (or the heel of the front foot to the heel of the back foot). Before you can program stride length into your pedometer, you must determine your stride length. To do this, you must walk or run a given (measured) distance while counting the number of steps it takes to travel that distance. (Your goal here is simply to find your average stride length.)
There are several ways to measure your stride length. We've listed those here.
1. Lap-Around-Track Method
This is the most accurate method, but it’s not as convenient.
Note: You can measure a distance using your car, but it won’t be as accurate. You also can use a treadmill if it’s calibrated accurately (which isn’t always the case).
1. Go to a college or high school track.
2. Find out the distance of the track. (Most outdoor tracks are 400 meters, although some indoor tracks are 200 meters.)
3. Walk around the inside lane once, counting the number of steps you take. (Or, let your pedometer do the counting for you!)
4. Convert from meters to feet, if necessary. Note: A 400-meter track is 1312 feet. A 200-meter track is 656 feet.
5. Divide the length of the track (in feet) by the number of steps you took.
6. Round to the nearest .25 increment. The answer is your stride length.
Example: Terry took 520 steps around a 400-meter track. The track equals 1312 feet.
1312 feet ÷ 520 steps = 2.52
Terry’s stride length = 2.5
2. The 10-Steps Method
This method yields quick, fairly accurate results.
1. Mark a starting point on the ground.
2. With the fronts of your shoes at the starting point, stand with your feet together.
3. Take 10 steps and stop.
4. Mark your stopping point on the ground (the point at the fronts of your shoes).
5. Measure the distance traveled (in feet).
6. Divide the number of feet you traveled by 10 (the number of steps you took).
7. Round to the nearest .25 increment. The answer is your stride length.
3. Approximating
This method is the easiest, but least accurate:
Females
1. Multiply .413 by your height in inches.
2. Divide by 12.
3. Round to the nearest .25 increment. The result is an estimate of your step (stride) length.
Males
1. Multiply .415 by your height in inches.
2. Divide by 12.
3. Round to the nearest .25 increment. The result is an estimate of your step (stride) length.
AT-10: I received my AT-series pedometer, and I don't think it is counting accurately.
First and foremost, realize that NEW-LIFESTYLES sells only research validated measurement devices. If you would like to learn more about step counter validations, please email
NEW-LIFESTYLES, and we will send you a list of validation studies.
Second, it is important to understand how step counters work. Step counters—whether pedometers or accelerometers—respond to vertical acceleration—up and down motion. When worn at the waist, that’s vertical acceleration of the body’s movement. They, however, can pick up "false steps" when you hit a bump while riding in a car, they can pick up "false steps" when you remove them from your dresser and place them on your waistband, and they can pick up "false steps" when you use the restroom. That’s the nature of the beast! There is no gnome inside counting your steps. They will also miss some of your lighter steps. Those may be steps taken at speeds less than 2 miles per hour (about 54 meters per minute) or they may be steps taken in soft sand or they may be steps taken while scuffing your feet. A certain sensitivity threshold must be reached for the step counter to register a step. Again, there is no step counting gnome inside the device!
If after reviewing the two previous paragraphs, you still think there is a problem with your step counter’s accuracy, then the issue may have to do with placement or it may have to do with how you are testing your step counter’s accuracy.
Teresa’s Three Rules of Placement
1. Your step counter must be held in a vertical (upright) plane. This is especially true of step counters with suspended lever arm mechanisms or what I call pedometers—the devices that go "click-click" when you wear them. Some step counters with strain gauge mechanisms (silent counters) like the NEW-LIFESTYLES accelerometers are more forgiving in terms of vertical positioning. They can get tilted in a diagonal plane—pushed out of vertical by a protruding tummy—and can still count accurately. To learn more about this feature please email
NEW-LIFESTYLES and request our HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST STEP COUNTER brochure.
2. Your step counter must be level—not tilted side-to-side. Therefore, putting it on the slant of a pocket will render it incapable of counting steps accurately.
3. Your step counter must be held firmly—one with your body. Therefore, if you wear it on a flimsy waistband, there is a good chance that it will not count your steps accurately.
Testing Your Step Counter’s Accuracy
The 20 Step Test (within 5% considered acceptable)
Take this simple test to find out whether you’ve found a good placement on your body for your pedometer:
1. Wearing your pedometer as explained previously, press RESET.
2. Walk 20 steps.
3. Without taking the pedometer off, open the door and check the number of steps it registered.
4. If it doesn’t read 19 to 21 steps, move the pedometer to a different spot on your waistband and repeat until you find the most accurate position.
If after testing your AT-series pedometer three times, it does not count properly, review our return (if you've had your device for fewer than 30 days) or warranty (if you've had your device for more than 30 days but less than 1 year) policy by clicking the word "Return" in the bottom navigation bar.
