The Basics of Electric Firing

Electric firing allows the pyrotechnician the ability to fire single or multiple pyrotechnic devices in a more
precise manner from a remote location. Obviously this adds an element of safety when firing large caliber shells, as
well as adds a wider range of firing options such as large “fronts” or choreography of large scale displays or
pyromusicals.
While electric firing has greatly enhanced the type and complexity of displays that pyrotechnicians can
perform, it has also added new risks and complexities which need to be understood. Hopefully this information will
provide you with a basic level of knowledge from which each pyrotechnician can learn and add to as they progress
through their career in the fireworks industry.

Basics
Electric Match -- is the basic initiator utilized in electric firing of pyrotechnic devices. It consists of two lead wires
connected by a fine bridgewire which is coated with a pyrotechnic composition similar to a match head. When a
given current (usually 1 amp, or greater) is applied across the leads, the bridgewire heats up and the e-match head is
ignited, thereby igniting the device. The e-match may have a protective HDPE / plastic shroud covering the head
which is removable. Often they are mistakenly called “squibs”, which are actually an electric match boosted with an
extra charge (such as blackpowder). These are also different from an electric blasting cap which not only utilizes a
basic electric match assembly, but also uses a pyrotechnic delay and or primer charge which in turn initiates a high
explosive charge encased in an aluminum shell--utilized to initiate / detonate primary high explosives. Neither of
these find much use in the pyrotechnic industry and are also highly regulated.

Connecting Wire -- is the wire used to connect the electric match to the energy source to complete a circuit. It may
be the commonly used “duplex” wire typically ranging from 20 to 24 gauge, or it could be a single conductor,
coupled with a common ground or “bus” wire. In the blasting industry the above duplex wires are often connected
to a main heavier gauge re-usable “firing line” used to initiate the charge from hundreds of feet away. Also complex
firing cables consisting of many fine 24 - 26 gauge conductors are utilized in conjunction with computer like
connectors to attach firing boxes or slats to main firing consoles or computer systems.

Energy Source -- provides the necessary current to fire the electric matches in the circuit.

Dry Cells -- not used frequently alone (often they are the source of initial energy for CD firing)

“Wet” Cells -- like car batteries, are used by many to power firing systems, often linked together in series
to provide “more power” to a firing circuit. They are usually rechargeable.

Generators -- such as 10 cap military twist type blasting machines, or push down (hell box) type generators
(often 50 - 100 cap design). Both of which are capable of mechanically generating a short burst of electric current to
fire a given circuit.

Capacitor Discharge Blasting/Firing machines -- utilize dry cell batteries ranging from as little as 3V to 9V
to charge capacitors and “step up” and store several hundreds of volts to be released all at once into a circuit to fire
large numbers of e-matches all at once.

Electronic Firing Panels / Systems -- utilize many circuits / switches, which are then connected to multiple
firing conductor cables and firing boxes / slats. These are often powered by large rechargeable batteries. Many
different brands of firing systems are available, some are also computer controlled. All of which are used to fire
complex large scale fireworks displays.

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 Safety First
Safety is of the utmost concern when dealing with any type of explosives. While electric firing eventually affords
the pyrotechnician with the luxury of remote firing, thereby reducing the possible harm of an unplanned
malfunction, it does carry with it some inherent additional risks. Most of the risk is associated with the actual e-
match, its installation and potential for accidental firing. Below are a list of things to consider and remember when
utilizing electric firing.

Electric matches are “match heads” and are friction sensitive and can be ignited by simply pulling it out of a
quickmatch leader and having its head rub against the rough bare match.

Electric matches are impact sensitive. Rough handling resulting in an unplanned impact such as stepping on an e-
matched leader, or dropping a large shell with the e-match installed in the lift could ignite the match.

Electric matches are static sensitive. Static charges are more prevalent in low humidity conditions, and significant
charges can be generated by snow and dust storms. Electric matches generally have higher resistance bridgewires
than many blasting caps and also do not have any internal feature to prevent electrostatic energy from accidentally
initiating the igniter / detonator such as all modern electric blasting caps have. Shunting of the lead wires of the e-
match and circuit provide some protection from static charges.

Electric matches are sensitive to atmospheric DC energy sources such as lightning. Shunting of e-matches provides
little if any protection from a nearby ground strike. A lightning strike could produce a million volt potential with
100,000 amp discharge current thereby firing part or all of the electric matches in its vicinity whether they are
shunted or not. However all leads and circuits should be shunted during a lightning storm and all personnel should
be evacuated to a safe distance. Although commercial lightning detection equipment is available and will warn of
approaching lightning storms well in advance of the storm, many blasters use a poorly tuned AM radio. The
presence of static noises on the radio indicate static charges (lightning) in the air.

Electric matches are sensitive to stray currents from poorly grounded or insulated electrical equipment or leaking
power sources. Electric firing in the vicinity of overhead or nearby power lines can be a hazard not only from a
leaking power source, but the potential exists for a firing line to be propelled by a pyrotechnic device up over a live
high voltage power line resulting in electrocution of the pyrotechnician. Shunting of the e-match leads and circuits
is helpful and protective against stray currents.

Electric matches are sensitive to induced currents such as those produced by alternating electromagnetic fields
which exist in the vicinity of high voltage power lines, transformers, etc. These can in turn induce a current directly
into a completed electric blasting / firing circuit. Some protection is provided by the shunted e-match / circuit.

Electric matches are radio frequency sensitive. Intense radio frequency (RF) can fire an e-match. AM broadcast
transmitters appear to have more potential to do this. Also FM, UHF TV transmitters, CB radios, radar / microwave
transmitters even possibly cellular phones and handheld transmitters have a potential to fire an e-match. While
shunting of e-matches and circuits is always recommended, it probably does not provide any significant protection.
Handheld portable low power ultra high frequency radio transmitters(“walkie talkies”) have been used with great
success around electric pyrotechnic circuits for many years, but care should be exercised.

Never hook up a power source to your electric circuit while still working in the vicinity. Only attach a power source
when ready to fire. Keep arming keys out of electric firing panels until ready to arm.

Be aware of other potential power sources with exposed contact points.

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 Specifics
Electric match characteristics

Davey-Fire Martinez Specialties Oxral

Match Type N28B / N28BR E-MAX (Std)

Minimum All Fire Current 0.37 Amp 0.35 Amp 0.5 Amp

Maximum No Fire Current 0.20 Amp 0.20 Amp

Recommended Firing Current 0.6 Amp 0.90 Amp 0.8 Amp

Resistance 1.6 + 0.3 ohm ~2.3 ohm 1.5 - 2.0

ohm + leads

**When making calculations, most pyrotechnicians allow for a 1 amp firing current (series) and assume approx. 2
ohm resistance / match** **Only use the same type & brand of e-match in the same circuit -- failure to do so,
could result in erratic firing**

Copper wire specifics

Resistance of Copper wire
AWG Gauge No. Ohms / 1000’ Ohms / 1’

12 1.588 0.001588
14 2.525 0.002525
16 4.02 0.00402
18 6.39 0.00639
20 10.15 0.01015
22 16.14 0.01614
24 25.6 0.0256
**measured at 68 degrees Fahrenheit
**Remember, when calculating circuit resistance to account for duplex wire (i.e., double the calculated resistance,
since two strands are being used)

Wiring Circuits
Ohm’s Law V=IxR
V=IxR where: V = Applied voltage in volts
I=V/R I = Current in amperes
R=V/I R = Resistance in ohms

It is important to understand this basic law, and how to use it. This becomes especially important when you have
long fronts of pyrotechnic devices you wish to fire simultaneously, as you need to know if your energy source is
capable of delivering enough energy to reliably fire all the electric matches.

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Series Wiring
Series wiring connects each electric match to your connecting wire in such a fashion that current flows from one
match to the next( like “old fashioned Christmas lights”). This is the most commonly used type of wiring in both
the pyrotechnic and blasting industry. It is simple to do, and utilizes less firing energy than parallel wiring.
Furthermore, it is easy to test the circuit to see if the calculated resistance is equal to the actual measured resistance
thereby insuring a more reliable chance of successful firing. Mistakes are also easier to find. The only rare problem
with series firing is that if even one electric match or connection is faulty, the entire series of electric matches will
fail to ignite, but that is why we ALWAYS TEST our completed circuits.

e-match 200’ of 22 gauge duplex wire energy source

* * +
*
* * *
_

Resistance Calculation (for above series circuit):

Resistance is calculated by simply adding up the total resistance of all the electric matches in the circuit, plus adding
in the resistance of the connecting wire.

Resistance of one electric match 2 ohms

Resistance of 6 electric matches (6 x 2 ohms) 12 ohms
Resistance of 200’ of 22 gauge duplex wire (0.016 ohms x 200’ x 2 strands wire) 6.4 ohms
Total resistance 18.4 ohms

Voltage Calculation (for above series circuit):

V=IxR V = 1 amp x 18.4 ohms Thus V = 18.4 volts (thus an ordinary 12 volt car battery would not
have enough energy to reliably fire this circuit)

*Remember to use 1amp recommended firing current for series match circuits*

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Parallel Wiring

Parallel wiring essentially connects each electric match lead to the energy source (similar to most “house wiring”).
Parallel wiring requires much more firing energy, and it is very difficult to test the circuit. However if one match or
connection fails, others may ignite. This wiring has also failed because insufficient firing energy has resulted in the
firing of the first few matches downstream from the energy source which in turn have lead to fusion of the
bridgewire resulting in a “short” circuit. This may prevent any current passing further and thus failing to ignite the
remaining electric matches down stream.

e-match 200’ of 22 gauge duplex wire energy source

* * * * * *
_

Resistance Calculations (parallel wiring)

Resistance is calculated by taking the resistance of 1 electric match and dividing it by the total number of electric
matches in the parallel circuit, and adding this value to the resistance of the connecting wire.

Resistance of one electric match 2 ohms

Resistance of 6 electric matches in parallel ( 2 ohms / 6 matches) 0.33 ohms
Resistance of 200’ of 22 gauge duplex wire ( 0.016 x 200’ x 2 strands wire) 6.4 ohms
Total resistance 6.73 ohms

Voltage Calculations (parallel wiring)

V=IxR V = 6 amps x 6.73 ohms Thus V = 40.38 volts (obviously this type of wiring requires more
energy to fire the same number of electric matches over the same lengths of connecting wire)

*Remember 1 amp firing current is required for each electric match in the parallel circuit*

Series-Parallel Wiring

Utilizes several individual series of electric matches, connected in parallel to the connecting wire. While this has
been used in the blasting industry, it finds very little use in the pyrotechnic display industry.

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 Testing
Testing is the key to insuring success for the firing of a given circuit. While e-matches are generally made under
strict quality control, occasionally a “dud” will occur. It is best to test each match with a Blasting Galvanometer,
Blasting Ohmmeter, or a Blasting Multimeter to see if its resistance is similar to what the rated resistance for that e-
match. No reading of resistance (no needle deflection or measured reading), means a faulty match with a break in
the leads, solder connection, or broken bridgewire and it should not be used. A resistance very close to zero most
likely means a “short” in the leads, and it should not be used. Similarly an e-match with an overly high resistance
may be faulty and should not be used. Only matches which read similar in resistance to what they are rated for by
the manufacturer should be used.

The series circuit should be checked with the Blasting Galvanometer, to see if the measured resistance is similar to
the calculated resistance for a given circuit. A close to zero reading means a “short” in the circuit somewhere (This
can be isolated by using the galvanometer to check resistance between various points in the circuit). A very high
resistance reading could signal poor connections, or a faulty bridgewire. If the measured reading comes in very
close to the calculated resistance than you can be reassured that the circuit will fire with a very high degree of
certainty (given that the proper energy to fire that given circuit is applied).

Use of ohmmeters not specifically designed for the pyrotechnic or blasting industries places the pyrotechnician in a
position of high risk, secondary to possible accidental firing of the device! Blasting Galvanometers and the like are
specifically designed to be incapable of firing any electric match, squib or blasting cap. This is not so for standard
multimeters in use in the electrical trade, especially those of older analog design which may produce currents close
to the minimum firing current of a given match. Some experts in the pyrotechnic trade have measured some
commercial digital multimeters and feel that some which produce less than 50 milliamps of current are safe to test e-
matches and circuits. I feel it is worth the extra expense to use only certified blasting grade galvanometers for
testing, as you only have to be wrong once! In many states it is illegal to test a blasting cap /circuit with anything
other than a blasting galvanometer / multimeter (including Pennsylvania, although this does not specifically apply to
the pyrotechnic industry, but rather the high explosive blasting industry--we certainly could take a lesson from
them.)

Also there are some rather inexpensive pyrotechnic / blasting continuity testers available but they only check for
continuity (not true resistance), thus you can not tell a “short” from a normal resistance.

*Remember to have all personnel removed from the firing area when testing electric circuits / e-matches.

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 Connections & Installation of E-matches
Connections

Making the proper connections means everything in electric firing; failure to do so can mean failure of a desired
often time consuming large scale effect. While any tight strong wire connection will work (twisting, wire nuts,
taping, crimping), the time tested most efficient, strong and proven method is the “Twisted Loop”. This method
used almost exclusively in the blasting industry is virtually fail-safe, super strong, low resistance and very quick.
Simply the two “stripped” conductors (wires) are placed side by side, both folded over at half their length into a loop
and then the whole loop is twisted upon itself. Many people then tape these connections to “insulate” them (this is
especially important when several connections may come in contact with each other potentially creating a “short”-
also this is important when working around metal structures like steel bridgework / decks). While other just twist
the actual connections along the connecting wire in opposite directions to keep them apart and isolate them, thus
effectively “insulating” them.

Installation of the electric match

For aerial shells, the e-match may be inserted directly into the lift charge, with emphasis on making sure the e-match
is actually in the lift charge, not between the lift bag and outer paper wrap. Some e-match manufacturers will not
sell e-matches without a shroud if they are to be installed this way. This way of installing the e-match allows for
much more precise timing and firing of the shell. It also is felt by some to be more dangerous to handle(i.e.., if
dropped you have the weight of the shell impacting on the e-match head potentially causing a catastrophic firing),
also it is more difficult to deal with a misfire.

Aerial shells may also have their e-matches installed into the quick match leader, by simply cutting a slit in the
quickmatch, gently sliding the match in along the bare blackmatch within, taking care to do this gently and make
sure the e-match is in direct contact with the black match inside. Depending on the diameter of the quick match
outer piping this can be difficult with the shroud in place, but the shroud is there for a reason. This form of
installation is perhaps a bit safer to handle, as the shell can be e-matched while in the mortar, with the
pyrotechnician beside not over the mortar installing the e-match.

If pyrotechnic devices other than aerial shells have a quickmatch leader, e-matches can be installed in a similar
fashion. If a visco type fuse is used by the device in question, a sure fire way to connect the e-match to the visco
fuse, is to first cut a short length of quickmatch, insert the visco fuse into the quickmatch paper piping against the
bare match and then do the same with the actual e-match, then tape the whole assembly securely to the device. I
have never seen this system fail.

Whatever way you attach the e-match to the device, make sure the lead wires of the e-match are then secured to the
mortar, rack, etc.--so as upon firing to prevent them from being “ripped” from the circuit or firing box / slat which
could damage the circuit or expensive firing equipment. This will also help prevent someone from accidentally
pulling apart your circuit, and potentially prevent an accidental firing of a device by the friction / ignition of an e-
match being ripped out of a quickmatch.

References: ISEE (17 th Edition) Blaster’s Handbook; Daveyfire, E-Max , Oxral & Seminole Wire
product specification sheets.

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