Comments on: Firework ignitors and controllers roundup

By: robocat

robocat — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:20:53 +0000

cheap and reliable:

* take a foot of multicore insulated wire e.g. 1mm squared, strip ends.
* strip half a matchhead’s length of the insulation (use craftknife or heat) from the centre of the length of wire
* twist tie the wire around the matchhead so that the bared wire is flush against the head, and so the fireworks fuse is tied against head on opposite side from bare wire
* twist the rest of the wire around the matchstick to keep everything in place.
* use clippers to cut nearly every strand near the head.
* optionally hot-melt glue the wire/head/fuse for strength (slows down ignition though).

When power is applied, the remaining strands of wire heat up and ignite the match.

That is the variation that I have just discovered, thanks to the above comments.

Advantages:
* only requires wire.
* already has leads.
* should be faster and lower power than resistor/diode.

By: Roly

Roly — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:20:58 +0000

It’s been a while, but I’ve used photographic flashbulbs as igniters for on-stage flashbombs (black powder in duct tape).

I removed the peanut sized bulbs from flashcubes, peeled off the protective plastic layer (*after* soldering the leads – they sometimes go off), and simply placed it in the middle of the powder and folded up the tape. Low power and instant response.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:17:08 +0000

1-5 ohm resistors work well as igniters with a 12V supply, but you might have to play around with brands, wattages, and exact values to get something that works al the time. I have some 1/6 or 1/8W 5.1 ohm resistors from Mouser that burst into flames nicely at 12V, but I have some 1.8 ohm ones that won’t flame at any voltage. Too high and they open like a fuse; too low and they just make a lot of acrid smoke.

By: the_truth

the_truth — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:49:36 +0000

Alright. Something that no one is looking at. Everyone here is trying to burn these items up with nothing more than extremely large currents. That is fine and dandy, HOWEVER, you can transfer “power” through 2 methods. Due to ohm’s law, V=I*R. Therefore, if you can’t get any more current to it through a particular wire (or your source can’t handle it), up the voltage.

Power is V*I. If you have 12v running through a 4 ohm load, you get a maximum (if your source can supply it) of 3 amps. 3*12 = 36 watts. If you have a 24v battery, running through 4 ohms, max current would be 6 amps. 24*6= 144 watts by doubling the voltage. If you want to smoke resistors, transistors, or diodes quick, double the voltage!

By: Dirk

Dirk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:57:52 +0000

Regarding model rocket igniters, they’re fairly expensive compared to this solution, and they’re significantly less durable (even slight force can render them useless if the legs spread and break the ignition material)

Proper pyrotechnic igniters are of higher quality but have become much harder to obtain.

By: Randy.Taklo

Randy.Taklo — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:49:03 +0000

Simplest solution is nichrome wire with a power supply strong enough to heat it up. A 9 volt is good with a short distance of wire but it destroys the battery quickly. So we used a constant power supply. Through our switch we just used a 12 volt supply. We stepped it down from a 120v outlet using (a crude but effective method) a car battery charger. The wires are connected using a 20 pin molex adapter into the power supply. Lots of switches to make lots of things go boom. 20 ft of wire to the the fireworks. 12 volts going through the switches and the wire, the end of the wire produces 7.25 volts. Easily enough to heat nichrome.

By: Man On Fire

Man On Fire — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:32:39 +0000

seriously guys. model rocket ignitors. reliable, and guaranteed to ignite anything black-powder based. also require a lot less power.

By: tekk

tekk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10:38 +0000

A cool idea, indeed, but I would have to agree, Estes solid rocket starters are cheap and fairly reliable when used with a good power source.

They do not, however, produce an open flame. (Not usually anyway)

By: chris

chris — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:56:10 +0000

why not just use model rocket igniters?
Time tested design and unless you count your time as worthless I think a lot cheaper.

By: ck

ck — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:33:24 +0000

best: flashgun capacotor discharge=> smd resistor
instantaneous

By: George

George — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:09:52 +0000

I did this when I was 14 with an RC car battery and some low gauge wire with a switch attached..
Only I was setting off french bangers in cow shit.
I made a shit mushroom cloud once lol.

By: therian

therian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:33:49 +0000

this approach need a lot of current,thin wire winded in coil on matchstick works better and need much less current so portable battery can be used instead of 12V accumulator

By: Polaczek

Polaczek — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:49:30 +0000

HAPPY CANADA DAY MOFOS!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:01:23 +0000

I’ve done extensive testing with electrical igniters, and I’ve come to the following conclusion:

The best igniter for low order pyrotechnics is a short, thin, low resistance filament with a high melting point. Low resistance maximizes the wattage dissipated, and the small filament prevents most of the heat from being absorbed by the filament itself, increasing the temperature rapidly. The high melting point allows the filament to heat up significantly before melting and breaking the circuit.

See more on my website:
http://spatulatzar.com/igniters/

I also have my own password protected wireless ignition system:
http://spatulatzar.com/wireless_detonator/

By: Gert

Gert — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:54:01 +0000

Finally a detonator worthy for my Semtex bombs.