[Corvettaholic]

Just came up with this one! There will be some gaps in this plan, which is why I need your *delete me* So as I understand it, if you apply voltage to a piezoelectric crystal (henceforce refered to as PC), then mechanical movement will happen. The PC will bend. If you bend the PC, then a voltage is produced. Neat. So what if you had an automagic way to wiggle the PC around and create a constant, pulsed current?

If I remember correctly, quartz is paramagnetic. To me that means it can be made to be magnetic by sitting really close to a strong magnetic field. Won't be a strong magnet by any means. So lets say you had a really strong rare earth magnet just sitting next to a sheet of quartz. Like in the middle of the sheet. With induced magnetism, will the PC bend towards the magnet? If its bending, then logically it should produce a voltage! Capture that and store the output in a battery or capacitor or something.

A question about the PC: if it is bent and produces a voltage... does it have to be straightened out again before you can make it produce more voltage? So what if you had another strong magnet sitting on the opposite end, but two of them so it looks like the PC is in the middle of a triangle. It would act like a magnetic spring. The idea is to have the PC vibrate back and forth like crazy. The stronger central magnet bends it one way, and the 2 other magnets bend it back to normal shape. Constant vibration means its constantly moving meaning its constantly producing electricity.

Plausable?

[xiankai]

sounds like the basic workings of a dynamo, where the cyclic movement of the bicycle wheel turns two strong magnets around a solenoid, thus inducing current in the circuit.

but u know what... just moving the magnets around would generate the electricity... because of the way magnetic fields induce electric fields when a mechanical force is present too

[lemonoman]

Call me a weirdo or whatever, but for some reason I feel like Peizoelectric crystals, no matter how they're shaped...wont bend that much.  How many CRYSTAL structures out there actually bend...rather than break, etc...just because they are crystals..

This peizoelectric stuff is fun.  I remember getting a bonus question on a science exam, asking why, when you bite aluminum, you get a shock through your teeth.  it's because the aluminum acts as a piezoelectric crystal and the electron current flows through your fillings.  Mmmm....

[Corvettaholic]

Oh I know the crystals barely bend at all, it won't even be visible. But for whatever nanometers they might move, that will result in voltage. I just gotta get that invisible movement going and keep it going. If I have to wave magnets around, then I need some outside force to move the magnets. I'm trying to get the crystal to bend and unbend itself without too much external help. I know perpetual motion isn't possible, but I want to get as close as I can! Now if quartz can't be magnetized or won't respond to a magnetic field... then this idea is kind of sunk.

[xiankai]

hmm.. reminds me of those pendulum clocks... well if u store the crystal in a vacuum and apply a force, there may be no air resistance/friction and thus constant motion... but depending on the design, of course