You’ve probably heard of Piezoelectric devices before, but they continue to blow my mind every time I hear about them. The basis of the concept involves using crystals like quartz to generate an electric potential when you apply mechanical stress to them. In essence, devices like this Piezoelectric Energy Harvester allow you to generate electricity by simply tapping them.
The energy you generate can be used immediately or stored for later. This mini kit is designed to teach people about this unique phenomenon, and offer the chance to experiment with it. For example, do different materials make a difference if you use them to tap the device?
An LED flashes to give you a concept of how intense your tapping is, but the device generates the most electricity when tapped gently on the outer edge of the disk. Three different types of capacitors come with the kit as well, which allow you to experiment with storage capacity and charge times.
This is a really fun way to experiment with Piezoelectricity, and it makes for a sweet science fair project if your kids need something to impress their fellow students.
