Power from Vibration

R

Robert Scott

Guest
I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?


-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan
 
Robert Scott wrote:
I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?
Click to expand...
ISTR Bill Beatty mentioning experimenting with charging supercaps
with the rectified output of a piezo buzzer (or maybe it was a tiny
microphone).

Doesn't sound especially efficient, but the input power is free.

Mark L. Fergerson
 
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:10 GMT, the renowned no-one@dont-mail-me.com
(Robert Scott) wrote:

I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?


-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Click to expand...
The two obvious generation technologies are piezoelectric and
electromagnetic. You can find some interesting references (including
MEMS technology) online. Probably not applicable to your micropower
application, but a really effective vibration energy source could
actually damp the vibration as an automotive "shock absorber" does.
 
On 22 Jun 2005 07:16:24 -0700, "Paul Mathews" <optoeng@pioneernet.net>
wrote:

The value of an answer to your question depends a lot on the
interpretation of the word 'ultra'. If your electronics is in an
environment with some machinery around, you can consider a supermagnet
mounted on a reed, mechanically tuned to produce maximum amplitude. The
magnet's field would be coupled to a coil of wire. A variation would be
a rotary pendulum, ala self-winding watches of yesteryear.
This also may be of interest:

http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/optical/jmems04.pdf
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link. Actually, the applications I am thinking of are
as you described, on the airframe of a small plane with a running
engine shaking everything.


-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan
 
In article <42b8173c.8355421@news.provide.net>,
Robert Scott <no-one@dont-mail-me.com> wrote:
I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?
Click to expand...
Check out Radio Australia's "Innovations" program for a few weeks back.
They did a segment on an Australian developer/manufacturer of ambient
vibration generators, although I think they had a different name for
them. <http://www.abc.net.au/ra> for a start.


Mark Zenier mzenier@eskimo.com Washington State resident
 
On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 14:14:06 +0000, Robert Scott wrote:

On 22 Jun 2005 07:16:24 -0700, "Paul Mathews" <optoeng@pioneernet.net
wrote:

The value of an answer to your question depends a lot on the
interpretation of the word 'ultra'. If your electronics is in an
environment with some machinery around, you can consider a supermagnet
mounted on a reed, mechanically tuned to produce maximum amplitude. The
magnet's field would be coupled to a coil of wire. A variation would be
a rotary pendulum, ala self-winding watches of yesteryear.
This also may be of interest:

http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/optical/jmems04.pdf

Thanks for the link. Actually, the applications I am thinking of are
as you described, on the airframe of a small plane with a running
engine shaking everything.

If you have a running engine, why not just get power from it?
Click to expand...

???
Rich
 
Robert Scott <no-one@dont-mail-me.com> wrote:

On 22 Jun 2005 07:16:24 -0700, "Paul Mathews" <optoeng@pioneernet.net
wrote:

The value of an answer to your question depends a lot on the
interpretation of the word 'ultra'. If your electronics is in an
environment with some machinery around, you can consider a supermagnet
mounted on a reed, mechanically tuned to produce maximum amplitude. The
magnet's field would be coupled to a coil of wire. A variation would be
a rotary pendulum, ala self-winding watches of yesteryear.
This also may be of interest:

http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/optical/jmems04.pdf

Thanks for the link. Actually, the applications I am thinking of are
as you described, on the airframe of a small plane with a running
engine shaking everything.
Click to expand...
A mechanically 'stiff' transducer, such as a piezo unit, will work best
near a vibration antinode but a 'softer' electromagnetic transducer will
benefit from the increased vibration amplitude at an antinode (e.g. the
middle of a panel).


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk
 
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 00:47:30 GMT, Rich Grise <richgrise@example.net>
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 14:14:06 +0000, Robert Scott wrote:

On 22 Jun 2005 07:16:24 -0700, "Paul Mathews" <optoeng@pioneernet.net
wrote:

The value of an answer to your question depends a lot on the
interpretation of the word 'ultra'. If your electronics is in an
environment with some machinery around, you can consider a supermagnet
mounted on a reed, mechanically tuned to produce maximum amplitude. The
magnet's field would be coupled to a coil of wire. A variation would be
a rotary pendulum, ala self-winding watches of yesteryear.
This also may be of interest:

http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/optical/jmems04.pdf

Thanks for the link. Actually, the applications I am thinking of are
as you described, on the airframe of a small plane with a running
engine shaking everything.

If you have a running engine, why not just get power from it?
Click to expand...
...because the application is inside the fuel tank. Wires are
difficult to run.

-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan
 
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:10 GMT, no-one@dont-mail-me.com (Robert
Scott) wrote:

I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?


-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Click to expand...
"Analytical Models to Predict Power Harvesting with Piezoelectric
Materials" T.Eggborn

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05192003-150202/

RL
 
legg wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:10 GMT, no-one@dont-mail-me.com (Robert
Scott) wrote:


I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?

-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

"Analytical Models to Predict Power Harvesting with Piezoelectric
Materials" T.Eggborn

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05192003-150202/
Click to expand...
The precis looks really kewl; I'll have to read the paper.


Mark L. Fergerson
 
I would add some mass to a loudspeaker coil and connect the coil to a
step up transformer (try a 3V to mains winding on a power plug
transformer)
Full wave recitify the resultant from the mains winding and charge a
capacitor. Now apply to a switching regulator to optimise to the voltage
you require.

In message <qlRwe.12739$ro.5639@fed1read02>, Mark Fergerson
<nunya@biz.ness> writes
legg wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:40:10 GMT, no-one@dont-mail-me.com (Robert
Scott) wrote:

I would like to experiment with some ultra low power electronics
powered from ambient vibration. Do any of you have any experience
with this type of technology? What power-generation devices would you
recommend?

-Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

"Analytical Models to Predict Power Harvesting with Piezoelectric
Materials" T.Eggborn
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05192003-150202/

The precis looks really kewl; I'll have to read the paper.


Mark L. Fergerson
Click to expand...
--
dd
 
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