A
fun little
electric component that is kind of
tricky to get. It is a thin piece of
plastic with two leads on it, and when you
bend or
tap or
blow on it, you can get a big, very brief
voltage spike. Good for cheap
accelerometers. Also somewhat
heat sensitive.
I made a raindrop counter with one of these once. It could measure individual drops, and average drop size. I took the idea to the patent office of my university, and they tried to sell it, but no one seemed interested in the idea. Sigh. I later learned that raindrop detectors are common first projects for people that play around with piezo film.