History
– Electric buzzer invented in 1831 by Joseph Henry
– Used in early doorbells until early 1930s
– Phased out in favor of musical chimes with softer tone
– Piezoelectric buzzers invented by Japanese manufacturers in 1970s-1980s
– Cooperative efforts by Japanese manufacturing companies led to piezoelectric innovations
Electromechanical buzzers
– Early buzzers based on electromechanical system without metal gong
– Relays connected to interrupt their own actuating current, causing buzzing
– Units often anchored to wall or ceiling for better sound
– Rasping noise gave electromechanical buzzers their name
– Commonly used in early doorbells
Piezoelectric buzzers
– Piezoelectric buzzers driven by oscillating electronic circuit or audio signal source
– Piezoelectric audio amplifier used to drive them
– Sounds like click, ring, or beep commonly used
– Acoustic cavity resonance or Helmholtz resonance used to produce audible beep
– Piezoelectric disk beeper and self-driving oscillator used in some designs
Types of buzzers
– Electromechanical buzzers without metal gong similar to electric bells
– Mechanical buzzers like joy buzzers and doorbells
– Piezoelectric buzzers driven by piezoelectric element
– Different types of buzzers used to indicate button presses
– Piezoelectric buzzers rely on acoustic cavity resonance for sound production
References
– The Free Dictionary defines buzzer
– 1800doorbell.com provides history of doorbell
– Piezo.com has information on history of piezoelectricity
– PUI Audio in Dayton, Ohio designs Helmholtz chambers
– Authority control databases provide additional information Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzer
A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (piezo for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, train and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke.
