Piezoelectric lighters

[bobwilson]

Everyone knows the electric lighters, that when ripped apart, make a fun tool for shocking your mates.

Does anyone have any detailed high-res diagrams/technical drawings of how the mechanics inside of it work?

Many thanks for your time.

 

[Hero999]

No, but I can't explain it to you.

The piexo ignoter has the following parts: a spring, some form of catch and release mechinism, a metal pin, and a pieze of piezoelectric crystal.

As you push the button down a spring is compressed, when the button is fully pressed in the spring is released firing the metal pin at the piezo crystal subjecting it to a mechanical shock. When piezoelectric crystals are deformed, the convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy, the result in this case is a short high voltage pulse at a fairly low curret, typically about 5kV at 0.5mA lasting for only 10ms.

 

[bobwilson]

How does the pes transmit its electricity to the piece of wire? Does it simply arc or is there a more complicated system?

Also, you mention that a piece of pes that size will create 5kV at 0.5mA and lasts only 10ms. Do you know of anywhere that has detailed charts as to the size of the ceramic/crystal and its outage?

And also, what size would the piece of pes in the lighter system be?

 

[Hero999]

It's not pes, it's piezo crystal.

The 5V at 10mA for 10ms are ballpark figures, it could be 8kV at 0.1mA for 8ms. My mum has a miniture piezo shocker that's used to desensitise insect bites and the figures I gave are the ratings given on the packet. It doesn't matter what the voltage, pulse length or current is, providing it lights the gas no one cares.

The piece of crystal normally sandwiched between metal plates which are connected to wires or terminals on the body of the device, it doesn't matter.

 

[bobwilson]

Right

Do you know any comprehensive sources of piezo information?

 

[Hero999]

Have a look on Wikipedia.