Pulse Motors: MescalMotor with Piezo Impact Energy Extractor
In response to a suggestion by jeremy gwilt I attached a small piezo element with an LED soldered to it, to the frame of the motor using a clothespin. The LED flashes brightly every time the element is struck by the grommet glued onto the end of the slider.
The overall performance of the motor was improved by gluing grommets to the ends of the magnets, this effectively lengthens the shadow of the bar making it more of a match for the sensor spacing.
Plus it provides a nice cushion for the impact.
As usual the camera frame rate misses some of the flashes; they are bright but short. Later I’ll try storing up some of the energy in a capacitor and see if I can get a constant-running LED out of the system.
This has got to be one of the _least_ efficient ways to light up an LED ever invented!
Thanks to m3sca1, jeremy gwilt, and shubus for their suggestions and comments! And thanks to everyone for watching!