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Arduino - Piezo Buzzer

In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to use the buzzer with Arduino, In detail, we will learn:

Active buzzer vs passive buzzer
How buzzer works
How to connect the piezo buzzer to Arduino
How to program Arduino to control piezo buzzer to generate sound, melody

Hardware Required

1	×	Arduino UNO or Genuino UNO
1	×	USB 2.0 cable type A/B
1	×	Piezo Buzzer
1	×	Breadboard
1	×	Jumper Wires
1	×	(Optional) 9V Power Adapter for Arduino
1	×	(Recommended) Screw Terminal Block Shield for Arduino Uno
1	×	(Optional) Transparent Acrylic Enclosure For Arduino Uno

Or you can buy the following sensor kit:

DIYables Sensor Kit 30 types, 69 units

Please note: These are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy the components through these links, We will get a commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate it.

About Buzzer

The buzzers are used to generate sound, beep or even melody of a song. They come in several types, categorized by distinct characteristics. Let's explore these categories based on the following characteristics:

Control Method:

Active Buzzers
Passive Buzzers

Sound-Generating Mechanism:

Piezo Buzzers
Regular Buzzers

Operating Voltage:

Low Voltage (3-5V)
High Voltage (12V)

Let's see more detail.

Active Buzzer vs Passive Buzzer

Active Buzzer:

Produces sound when voltage is applied.
Needs a continuous electrical signal to make sound.
Easier to use, requiring only a voltage source.
Typically used in basic alerting applications.

Passive Buzzer:

Requires an external oscillating signal to create sound.
Can produce different tones by changing the input frequency.
Requires more complex circuitry to operate.
Commonly used in musical applications and tone generation tasks.

Piezo Buzzer vs Regular Buzzer

Piezo Buzzer:

Uses piezoelectric crystals.
Produces high-pitched, clear sounds.
Versatile with various tones and frequencies.
Efficient and commonly used in alarms and musical devices.

Regular Buzzer:

Uses electromagnetic coils.
Produces basic, buzzy sounds.
Limited tone variation.
Used in simpler applications like doorbells and basic alarms.

In the market, there is a 3V-24V active buzzer, which you can use as 3-5V active buzzer or high voltage buzzer (12V...),

When you connect this buzzer directly to Arduino pin, it will create a normal sound ⇒ suitable for sound indicator like keypad sound
When you connect this buzzer to a high-voltage via a relay, it will create a loud sound ⇒ suitable for the warning sound.

In this tutorial, we will learn 3-5V active and passive piezo buzzer. For 12V buzzer, please refer to the Arduino - 12V buzzer tutorial

Pinout

A buzzer usually has two pins:

Negative (-) pin: needs to be connected to GND (0V)
Positive (+) pin: receive the control signal from Arduino (directly, or indirectly via relay)

How an Active Buzzer Works

If connecting VCC to the positive pin, piezo buzzer generates the constant sound

If generating a square wave of the specified frequency (and 50% duty cycle) on the positive pin, the piezo buzzer generates tones. The different frequency makes a different tone. By changing the frequency of the signal on the positive pin, we can create the melody of a song.

How an Passive Buzzer Works

Unlike the active buzzer, if just connecting VCC to the positive pin, the passive buzzer does NOT generates the constant sound
Just like the active buzzer, If generating a square wave of the specified frequency (and 50% duty cycle) on the positive pin, the piezo buzzer generates tones. The different frequency makes a different tone. By changing the frequency of the signal on the positive pin, we can create the melody of a song

Wiring Diagram

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

How To Program For Buzzer

Thanks to the Arduino library, playing a melody is easy. We do NOT need to know how to generate the square wave. We just need to use two functions: tone() and noTone() the library.

Arduino Code

/* * Created by ArduinoGetStarted.com * * This example code is in the public domain * * Tutorial page: https://arduinogetstarted.com/tutorials/arduino-piezo-buzzer */ #include "pitches.h" #define BUZZER_PIN 8 // The Arduino pin connected to the buzzer // notes in the melody: int melody[] = { NOTE_C4, NOTE_G3, NOTE_G3, NOTE_A3, NOTE_G3, 0, NOTE_B3, NOTE_C4 }; // note durations: 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, etc.: int noteDurations[] = { 4, 8, 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 }; void setup() { // iterate over the notes of the melody: for (int thisNote = 0; thisNote < 8; thisNote++) { // to calculate the note duration, take one second divided by the note type. //e.g. quarter note = 1000 / 4, eighth note = 1000/8, etc. int noteDuration = 1000 / noteDurations[thisNote]; tone(BUZZER_PIN, melody[thisNote], noteDuration); // to distinguish the notes, set a minimum time between them. // the note's duration + 30% seems to work well: int pauseBetweenNotes = noteDuration * 1.30; delay(pauseBetweenNotes); // stop the tone playing: noTone(BUZZER_PIN); } } void loop() { // no need to repeat the melody. }

Quick Steps

Connect Arduino to PC via USB cable
Open Arduino IDE, select the right board and port
Copy the above code and open with Arduino IDE
Create the pitches.h file On Arduino IDE by:

Either click on the button just below the serial monitor icon and choose New Tab, or use Ctrl+Shift+N keys.

Give file's name pitches.h and click OK button

Copy the below code and paste it to the created pitches.h file.

/************************************************* * Public Constants *************************************************/ #define NOTE_B0 31 #define NOTE_C1 33 #define NOTE_CS1 35 #define NOTE_D1 37 #define NOTE_DS1 39 #define NOTE_E1 41 #define NOTE_F1 44 #define NOTE_FS1 46 #define NOTE_G1 49 #define NOTE_GS1 52 #define NOTE_A1 55 #define NOTE_AS1 58 #define NOTE_B1 62 #define NOTE_C2 65 #define NOTE_CS2 69 #define NOTE_D2 73 #define NOTE_DS2 78 #define NOTE_E2 82 #define NOTE_F2 87 #define NOTE_FS2 93 #define NOTE_G2 98 #define NOTE_GS2 104 #define NOTE_A2 110 #define NOTE_AS2 117 #define NOTE_B2 123 #define NOTE_C3 131 #define NOTE_CS3 139 #define NOTE_D3 147 #define NOTE_DS3 156 #define NOTE_E3 165 #define NOTE_F3 175 #define NOTE_FS3 185 #define NOTE_G3 196 #define NOTE_GS3 208 #define NOTE_A3 220 #define NOTE_AS3 233 #define NOTE_B3 247 #define NOTE_C4 262 #define NOTE_CS4 277 #define NOTE_D4 294 #define NOTE_DS4 311 #define NOTE_E4 330 #define NOTE_F4 349 #define NOTE_FS4 370 #define NOTE_G4 392 #define NOTE_GS4 415 #define NOTE_A4 440 #define NOTE_AS4 466 #define NOTE_B4 494 #define NOTE_C5 523 #define NOTE_CS5 554 #define NOTE_D5 587 #define NOTE_DS5 622 #define NOTE_E5 659 #define NOTE_F5 698 #define NOTE_FS5 740 #define NOTE_G5 784 #define NOTE_GS5 831 #define NOTE_A5 880 #define NOTE_AS5 932 #define NOTE_B5 988 #define NOTE_C6 1047 #define NOTE_CS6 1109 #define NOTE_D6 1175 #define NOTE_DS6 1245 #define NOTE_E6 1319 #define NOTE_F6 1397 #define NOTE_FS6 1480 #define NOTE_G6 1568 #define NOTE_GS6 1661 #define NOTE_A6 1760 #define NOTE_AS6 1865 #define NOTE_B6 1976 #define NOTE_C7 2093 #define NOTE_CS7 2217 #define NOTE_D7 2349 #define NOTE_DS7 2489 #define NOTE_E7 2637 #define NOTE_F7 2794 #define NOTE_FS7 2960 #define NOTE_G7 3136 #define NOTE_GS7 3322 #define NOTE_A7 3520 #define NOTE_AS7 3729 #define NOTE_B7 3951 #define NOTE_C8 4186 #define NOTE_CS8 4435 #define NOTE_D8 4699 #define NOTE_DS8 4978

Click Upload button on Arduino IDE to upload code to Arduino

Enjoy the melody

Modifying Arduino Code

Now, we are going to modidy the code to play "Jingle Bells" song.

We only need to change value of two arrays: int melody[] and int noteDurations[].

/* * Created by ArduinoGetStarted.com * * This example code is in the public domain * * Tutorial page: https://arduinogetstarted.com/tutorials/arduino-piezo-buzzer */ #include "pitches.h" #define BUZZER_PIN 8 // The Arduino pin connected to the buzzer // notes in the melody: int melody[] = { NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_G5, NOTE_C5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_F5, NOTE_F5, NOTE_F5, NOTE_F5, NOTE_F5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_E5, NOTE_D5, NOTE_G5 }; // note durations: 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, etc, also called tempo: int noteDurations[] = { 8, 8, 4, 8, 8, 4, 8, 8, 8, 8, 2, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 16, 16, 8, 8, 8, 8, 4, 4 }; void setup() { // iterate over the notes of the melody: int size = sizeof(noteDurations) / sizeof(int); for (int thisNote = 0; thisNote < size; thisNote++) { // to calculate the note duration, take one second divided by the note type. //e.g. quarter note = 1000 / 4, eighth note = 1000/8, etc. int noteDuration = 1000 / noteDurations[thisNote]; tone(BUZZER_PIN, melody[thisNote], noteDuration); // to distinguish the notes, set a minimum time between them. // the note's duration + 30% seems to work well: int pauseBetweenNotes = noteDuration * 1.30; delay(pauseBetweenNotes); // stop the tone playing: noTone(BUZZER_PIN); } } void loop() { // no need to repeat the melody. }

※ NOTE THAT:

The above code using delay() function. This blocks other code during playing melody. To avoid blocking other code, use the ezBuzzer library instead. This library is designed for buzzer to beep or play memody without blocking other code.

Video Tutorial

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Challenge Yourself

Use Piezo Buzzer to play the song you love
Automatically make alarm when someone approaches your valuable stuff. Hint: Refer to Arduino - Motion Sensor.

Piezo Buzzer on Commercial Products

Piezo Buzzer on commercial products is usually very small in size, which can be integrated into small devices.

Function References

The Best Arduino Starter Kit

See the best Arduino kit for beginner