How sensitive is a piezo to small shocks?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Interfacing
1

Hi,
I want to detect small shocks, such as a clip falling.
Anybody knows if a piezo can do that ?
Could it be a good idea to amplify the output of the piezo with an op amp?
Thanks

2

I have the answer, I tried myself.
I is VERY sensitive. I amplified the output a factor of 10 with an opamp and used another as a comparator to have a digital output. If the piezo is on top of the table and you drop a small resistor from 2 cm to the table, at 20cm of the piezo, it is detected (!)