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Quartz crystal oscillators were developed for high-stability frequency references during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1926 quartz crystals were used to control the frequency of radio broadcasting stations and were popular with amateur radio operators.[4] In 1928, Warren Marrison (of Bell Telephone Laboratories) developed the first quartz crystal clock. This invention replaced the escapement and pendulum (as the timing reference), relying instead on the natural vibrations occurring in the quartz crystal as the oscillator. This improved timing accuracies to 1 sec in 30 years (or 30 ms/year).[5]
High voltage and power sources
Direct piezoelectricity of some substances like quartz, as mentioned above, can generate potential differences of thousands of volts.
The best-known application is the electric cigarette lighter: pressing the button causes a spring-loaded hammer to hit a piezoelectric crystal, producing a sufficiently high voltage electric current that flows across a small spark gap, thus heating and igniting the gas. The portable sparkers used to light gas grills or stoves work the same way, and many types of gas burners now have built-in piezo-based ignition systems.
A similar idea is being researched by DARPA in the United States in a project called Energy Harvesting, which includes an attempt to power battlefield equipment by piezoelectric generators embedded in soldiers' boots. However, these energy harvesting sources by association have an impact on the body.
DARPA's effort to harness 1-2 watts from continuous shoe impact while walking were abandoned due to the impracticality and the discomfort from the additional energy expended by a person wearing the shoes.
Other energy harvesting ideas include harvesting the energy from human movements in train stations or other public places[16][17] and converting a dance floor to generate electricity.[18] Vibrations from industrial machinery can also be harvested by piezoeletric materials to charge batteries for backup supplies or to power low power microprocessors and wireless radios.[19]
A piezoelectric transformer is a type of AC voltage multiplier. Unlike a conventional transformer, which uses magnetic coupling between input and output, the piezoelectric transformer uses acoustic coupling. An input voltage is applied across a short length of a bar of piezoceramic material such as PZT, creating an alternating stress in the bar by the inverse piezoelectric effect and causing the whole bar to vibrate.
The vibration frequency is chosen to be the resonant frequency of the block, typically in the 100 kilohertz to 1 megahertz range. A higher output voltage is then generated across another section of the bar by the piezoelectric effect. Step-up ratios of more than 1000:1 have been demonstrated. An extra feature of this transformer is that, by operating it above its resonant frequency, it can be made to appear as an inductive load, which is useful in circuits that require a controlled soft start.[20]
These devices can be used in DC-AC inverters to drive cold cathode fluorescent lamps. Piezo transformers are some of the most compact high voltage sources.
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Most of us are familiar with wind, solar and kinetic power and what they can do. But a device on display at last year's Milan Design Week has drawn attention to an energy source we don't often hear about: dirt.
Originally posted by earthdude
I discovered that the Aztec calender is a 2 dimensional representation of a 3 dimensional idea. Try and imagine it as a cone, One simply goes downhill to find the date.
Originally posted by Schmidt1989
I don't think their calendrics are really a big deal. They may be more complex than the Aztecs or Inca, but that doesn't necessarily mean they knew everything about the world.
Sure, they noticed the movements of the planets in the sky in relation to the stars. We think of something like this to be so difficult, but it's really not, and was even easier 1000 years ago. It doesn't take the length of a dynasty to notice that some objects in the sky move and others do not. It only takes one person a few days to pick up on that. Give this man two years and he will notice that when he looks at the stars, some of them move in a path that takes them back to their starting point (an orbit), and some of them don't move at all. These are the differences between stars and planets from the naked eye here on Earth. This is possible to do now, even, but harder because of light pollution, air pollution, etc.
Only ONE Mayan source mentions the 13th baktun. When anrchaeologists in 1000 years look back on our data, they're going to say, "Wow. They have a lot of sources saying the world was going to end in 2000 A.D."
reply to post by ASilentWitness
I would say that within the next 3-4 weeks, specifically July 18- Aug 1 look to CERN, Geneva. If the date for the Rapture is true something big will be happening here.
Originally posted by ASilentWitness
reply to post by MamaJ
Nostradamus predicted an accident at CERN due to a solar storm
Originally posted by Nyiah
Originally posted by ASilentWitness
reply to post by MamaJ
Nostradamus predicted an accident at CERN due to a solar storm
It is now August 30th with no earth-shattering revelations, discoveries or accidents coming out of CERN.
I do believe that prediction has been effectively debunked by now.