Using a piezo element as a contact mic

If you want to record or amplify the sound vibrations from a surface, you can use a piezo element as a contact mic.

However, do not hook them up directly to other audio equipment! There can be harmful high voltage spikes.

A simple and o.k. preamp to use is this one from collins lab

If both sound quality and equipment safety is not your greatest concern, a very simple solution is this one

If you want to hook it up directly to a speaker:

(The 220 resistor can be varied, for more or less gain. The 3.3M can be replaced with a 1M resistor which is easier to find...)

Here is a Fritzing File to make your own PCB using the CNC Mill: