Piezoelectric materials

Introduction: the piezoelectric effect

The piezoelectric effect describes the relation between a mechanical stress

and an electrical voltage in solids.

It is reversbile: an applied mechanical stress will generate a voltage and an

applied voltage will change the shape of the solid by a small amount (up to
a 4% change in volume).

In physics, the piezoelectric effect can be described as the the link between
electrostatics and mechanics.

History

The piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880 by the Jacques and Pierre
Curie brothers. They found out that when a mechanical stress was applied
on crystals such as tourmaline, tourmaline, topaz, quartz, Rochelle salt and
cane sugar, electrical charges appeared, and this voltage was proportional
to the stress.

First applications were piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and soon

swinging quartz for standards of frequency (quartz clocks).

An everyday life application example is your car's airbag sensor. The

material detects the intensity of the shock and sends an electricla signal
which triggers the airbag.

Piezoelectric materials
The piezoelectric effect occurs only in non conductive materials.
Piezoelectric materials can be divided in 2 main groups: crystals and
cermaics. The most well-known piezoelectric material is quartz (SiO2).

Power Walking
Build a device that lets you charge batteries for your cellphone or music player just by taking a stroll

By Dave Prochnow Posted 05.18.2009 at 11:36 am 8 Comments

Nooooo!!!! You’re out walking, and your mp3 player dies! Peter Pachoumis

You're halfway through listening to "Layla" when it happens: Your MP3 player's battery dies.
Normally you'd have to wait until you were at your computer to finish rocking out, but there
is an easy and eco-friendly way to do it on the go. First, slip a piezoelectric transducer -- a
device that generates a tiny charge when touched -- into your shoe. A connected module
collects the voltage created every time you take a step and continuously powers up a
rechargeable AA battery. (It takes a lot of walking to get a full charge, but it's perfect for
reviving or topping off a gadget.) Once the battery is charged, put it into a DIY five-volt
converter, and plug in your dead MP3 player. Now you can listen to the guitar solo while you
walk some more juice into another battery.

Walk Your Way to a Charged-Up Gadget

Luckily, you have a fresh AA battery in your shoe charger: Peter Pachoumis

Pop it into the converter box, plug into the MP3 player...: Peter Pachoumis

... and enjoy your tunes as you walk off into the sunset: Peter Pachoumis
Related Articles

The ABC's of MP3

Lab Work: Piezoelectric Power

The DIY Solar Charger

Tags
DIY, Dave Prochnow, Battery Chargers, DIY, green tech, How 2.0, june 2009, mp3 players,
piezoelectric materials

Time: 6 hours
Cost: $73.12
Difficulty: Medium

PARTS

(1) Energy Harvesting Module (Mouser #585-EH300; $49.83)

(1) 1.25mm 2-position receptacle (Mouser #798-DF13-2S-1.25C; $0.29)
(1) 1.25mm 4-position receptacle (Mouser #798-DF13-4S-1.25C; $0.28)
(6) 1.25mm female contacts (Mouser #798-DF132630SCF; $0.78)
(1) Piezoelectric buzzer element (DigiKey #102-1170-ND; $1.62)
(1) 5V DC-DC step up (SparkFun Electronics #PRT-08248; $10.95)
(1) USB type-A receptacle (DigiKey #ED90065-ND; $1.34)
(1) AA battery holder (Mouser #12BH311-R; $0.69)
(1) AA NiCd 900mAh battery (DigiKey #SY116-ND; $2.33)
(1) USB enclosure (Mouser #789-P3A-210603; $2.10)
(1) Project box (Mouser #546-1551HTBU; $1.91)
(1) Plastic pocket clip (Mouser #546-1599CLIPGY; $1.00)

Let Your Feet Do the Charging: Luis Bruno

STEPS
1. Download the wiring diagrams. Build the AA battery charger [A]. Connect the
piezoelectric device [B] to the energy-harvesting-module input.

2. Mount the battery holder on the project box. Connect the battery holder's terminals to the
energy-harvesting-module output, and install the module in the box.

3. Test the battery charger by tapping on the piezoelectric device and measuring the voltage
output. Then measure the energy-harvesting module's voltage output.

4. Adapt the converter [C] for USB output. Snip off its plastic connector. Solder the wires
from the circuit board to the USB receptacle's pins. Install the converter inside the USB
enclosure. Test the converter with a fully charged AA battery.

5. Put a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery [D] into the charger, and get a move on.