Buzzer

Introduction:
A buzzer is a mechanical, electromechanical, magnetic, electromagnetic, electro-acoustic or
piezoelectric audio signaling device. A piezo electric buzzer can be driven by an oscillating
electronic circuit or other audio signal source. A click, beep or ring can indicate that a button has
been pressed

Piezo buzzer is an electronic device commonly used to produce sound. Light weight, simple
construction and low price make it usable in various applications like car/truck reversing
indicator, computers, call bells etc. Piezo buzzer is based on the inverse principle of piezo
electricity discovered in 1880 by Jacques and Pierre Curie. It is the phenomena of generating
electricity when mechanical pressure is applied to certain materials and the vice versa is also
true. Such materials are called piezo electric materials. Piezo electric materials are either
naturally available or manmade. Piezoceramic is class of manmade material, which poses piezo
electric effect and is widely used to make disc, the heart of piezo buzzer. When subjected to an
alternating electric field they stretch or compress, in accordance with the frequency of the signal
thereby producing sound.

Fig: Piezo Buzzer

The above image shows a very commonly used piezo buzzer also called piezo
transducer operating at DC voltage. Encapsulated in a cylindrical plastic coating, it has a hole on
the top face for sound to propagate. A yellow metallic disc which plays an important role in the
producing sound can be seen through the hole.

Types of Buzzers:

There are several different kinds of buzzers. At Future Electronics we stock many of the most
common types categorized by Type, Sound Level, Frequency, Rated Voltage, Dimension and
Packaging Type. The parametric filters on our website can help refine your search results
depending on the required specifications.

The most common sizes for Sound Level are 80 dB, 85 dB, 90 dB and 95 dB. We also carry
buzzers with Sound Level up to 105 dB. There are several types available including Electro-
Acoustic, Electromagnetic, Electro mechanic, Magnetic and Piezo, among others.

Piezo buzzer is the handy sound generator used in the electronic circuits to give audio indication.
It is widely used as a alarm generator in electronic devices. It is available in various types and
size to suit the requirements. A piezo buzzer has a Piezo disc and an oscillator inside. When the
buzzer is powered, the oscillator generates a frequency around 2-4 kHz and the piezo element
vibrates accordingly to produce the sound. An ordinary Piezo buzzer works between 3-12 Volts
Dc.

Piezo element is a circular shaped metal plate with a thin coating of Piezo material. The Piezo
material used is Lead Zirconate Titanate. This material exhibits both direct and indirect
Piezoelectric property. Indirect Piezoelectric property is the vibration of the Piezoelectric crystals
in the presence of an electric field. The Piezoelectric crystals also show direct Piezoelectric
property in which a mechanical stress like vibration or application of heat generates around 1-2
volts in the Piezo element.the whte Piezo material coating is positive while the rim of the
element is negative
 Fig: Piezo elemen

Oscillator circuit inside the buzzer consists of an Inductor, a transistor, capacitors and resistors.
When the oscillator circuit gets 3-12 V Dc the transistor, Inductor combination oscillates which
are fed to the Piezo crystals and the crystals and the plate vibrate according to the frequency. In
order to give resonance, the rim of the element is glued to a plastic case so that the plate can
vibrate freely.

Why Piezo buzzer generates piercing sound?

The oscillation in the Piezo buzzer is between 2-4 kHz. This sound is piercing because our
hearing threshold is maximum in this frequency. Buzzer uses this frequency to get easy attention
even in a highly noisy environment. Buzzers are used as alarms so this frequency is necessary.

How to handle piezo element?

Piezo element is prone to weather changes and aging. The Piezolectric property may deteriorate
due to aging and the buzzer may fail to work. Piezomaterial is coated as a thi film so that during
soldiering, the wire along with the Piezomaterial may detach. Once a portion of the Piezo
material is detached, that element cannot be used. So always use very thin wire and apply solder
only once. Over heating may damage the Piezo material.

Simple Buzzer using a Single Transistor:

Just a single transistor, a ferrite inductor, and a piezo transducer, that's all you will need to make
this circuit “buzz” or rather “twit” for you, with an output that may be quite loud and ear
piercing.

The simple buzzer circuit described here actually works in a quite unique way. Instead of the
normal working concept employed by other forms of oscillators which require resistor and
capacitor networks for generating the oscillations, this circuit use inductive feedback for the
required operations.

How the Circuit Works:

Referring to the above simple piezo buzzer circuit we find that the transistor T1 along with the
inductor forms the heart of the circuit.

Basically the coil which is specifically called the buzzer coil, is in fact positioned for amplifying
the created oscillations while the actual feedback is provided by the center tap of the three
terminal piezo element used for the present application.
When a voltage is introduced in the circuit, the transistor conducts, operating the piezo element
across the buzzer coil, however this also leads to the grounding of the base of the transistor
through the center tap of the piezo element, this instantly switches off the transistor and in turn
the piezo also switches off, releasing the base of the transistor.

The transistor reverts to its original state and the cycle repeats, generating oscillations or the
required “buzzing” frequency.

The center tap from the piezo transducer plays an important role in sustaining the oscillations
and therefore in this particular design we need a three terminal piezo rather than a two terminal
one.

The oscillations produced at the collector of the transistor are dumped into the coil, saturating the
coil with magnetic inductions.

The coil kicks back the stored energy during the oscillations, magnifying the generated AC
across it.

This stepped up AC is applied across the anode and the cathode of the piezo element, which
starts vibrating sharply according the pitch of the frequency, generating a shrill, ear piercing
sound in the air.

However to make the sound audible at maximum intensity, the piezo transducer needs to be
stuck or installed in a special way inside its housing.

Applications for Buzzers:

 Typical uses of buzzers include:

 Alarm devices
 Timers
 Confirmation of user input (ex: mouse click or keystroke)
  Electronic metronomes
 Annunciator panels
 Game shows
 Sporting events
 Household appliances

Features:

 Use of high-performance piezoelectric elements to meet loud sound volume and wide
frequency range needs.
 High quality achieved by integrated in-house production, from piezoelectric materials to
buzzers.
 Clear, pleasant electronic tone.
 Reliable, effective operation in a wide variety of equipment and ambient conditions.
 A wide, convenient selection from elements to complete buzzer products.