Made by
A
Abeera Akbar, A2-G1
M
Maryam, A2-G1
At the venue
Piezo Electric Roads
Piezo discs use piezoelectric crystals to convert mechanical stress or vibration into electrical energy by generating a voltage that drives an electric current.
Pakistan International School Jeddah English Section,
Gallery
Components
- 100 ohms resistors
- Capacitor (1000 µF)
- Diode (1N4148)
- Piezo electric discs
- Wires
- LED lights
Instructions
1. Mount piezo discs
Securely attach each disc so they receive pressure or vibration reliably.
2. Wire discs in parallel
Connect all positive pads together and all negatives together to increase current and stabilize voltage.
3. Rectify the output
Feed the parallel output into a bridge rectifier (4 × 1N4007) or a single diode arrangement to convert the AC pulses to DC.
4. Add a blocking diode
Put a diode (1N4007) between the rectifier output and the storage capacitor to prevent the capacitor from discharging back into the piezos.
5. Store & smooth with a capacitor
Use an electrolytic capacitor (10 µF–1000 µF, 25 V) across the DC rails to collect and smooth pulses.
6. Condition the voltage
If LEDs need a stable voltage or current, use a small boost converter or a proper LED driver; otherwise use a series resistor sized for the LED current.
7. Connect LEDs
Hook LED strings (with driver or resistor) to the capacitor output; test at low pressure first.
8. Test & protect
Measure open-circuit voltage and loaded voltage; add surge protection or a varistor if the piezos produce high spikes.
9. Safety & notes
Piezos can produce high peak voltages but low current. Use caution, and realize you’ll need many discs plus good mechanical input or an energy-management circuit for reliable street-lighting.
Code
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