Hi everyone, I’m a newbie here.
I’m wondering whether these piezo elements (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10772) could be used as actuators. How shall I connect them to Arduino as actuators then?
Thanks a lot!
Piezo devices just need a voltage to them. Then these should curve convex on one side, and concave on the other. But the displacement would be minutely minute. And force minimally micro-ish. What would you like to move with it? These are just intended to be buzzers, so only to move air, with AC signals.
[EDIT] To note from the datasheet:
- If DC voltage is applied to the component, silver migration
may occur. Please pay full attention to avoid subjecting
the component to DC voltage for long periods.
Piezo actuators are used for some applications where very small, precise movements are required:
Yep, piezo actuators are even used in atomic force microscopes, where the tip moves in steps that are only a fraction of the diameter of an atom (10^-10 meter). Extremely accurate, programmable high voltage power supplies (500 - 1000V) are required to operate them.