Scab wire

[Pyro k]

I know from Dave's videos that Seminole wire is the way to go. What size wire do most of u use? I'm getting ready to buy and can't find where I heard it. Is it 22 or 24 awg?

[Quackaddict77]

22 normally bu 24 works also

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Both will work--22 is more durable. Make sure you buy a color that you can see on the ground. Stay away from the black & green!

[mguerra]

I originally used 22 gauge, solid core wire. It is not very flexible and it fractures easily and I do not use it anymore. I found a source for very affordable stranded 22 gauge wire. This wire is limp, flexible, it is easy to coil it up and store it.
http://deepsurplus.com/Network-Structured-Wiring/18-24-Gauge/500ft-High-End-22-Gauge-2-Conductor-Zipcord-Honeywell-Clear
It is slightly heavier than solid core but easier to deal with.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Looking for recommendations for a type and supplier of scab wire for the Cobra system using firewire initiators. I see the post above is almost 3 years old. Not sure if anyone uses the stranded 22 gauge wire recommended here, or if there's something better / more reliable out there since this post.

Any help would be appreciated!

[displayfireworks1]

At least two of my advertisers sell wire that is commonly used for fireworks and explosives. The larger gauge is usually better for long runs. The larger gauge is a little harder to work with. Search these two websites. If you purchase from people that advertise with me I can mediate if something is an issue with the purchase.
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https://electricmatch.com/
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http://www.blasterstool.com/

[PyroJoeNEPA]

At least two of my advertisers sell wire that is commonly used for fireworks and explosives. The larger gauge is usually better for long runs. The larger gauge is a little harder to work with. Search these two websites. If you purchase from people that advertise with me I can mediate if something is an issue with the purchase.
.
https://electricmatch.com/
.
http://www.blasterstool.com/
Dave---Al at FireArt also carries shooting wire.

[displayfireworks1]

Thanks Joe , there are most likely more of my advertisers that sell wire. If you have the energy click through all the Sponsor Page banners.
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/sponsors.php

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Thanks guys. Any opinion on stranded vs. non-stranded wire?

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Since we are talking Cobra I will say stick with solid core wire. 22 gauge would be your best bet.
Stranded wire will give you nothing but problems--and there is always that "one strand" that shorts out a cue on you---yes, I dislike the tiny speaker terminals on the Cobra but they are what they are....

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Thanks Joe. I appreciate the info.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Since we are talking Cobra I will say stick with solid core wire. 22 gauge would be your best bet.

Okay.. Next stupid question.

I'm finding 22ga wire called "duplex" and other 22ga wire just called shooting wire. What (if anything) is the difference between the "duplex" shooting wire and other shooting wire?

[displayfireworks1]

Unlike other so called pyro websites that tell you to use the search function and gain knowledge, but all you see in the search is gossip, jealousy and hatred. Here on pyrotalk you get a visual tutorial. Here are my videos from 2012. Now get a cup and tea and put your feet up and watch them. LOL
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A09q3HzgiA
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wecr5DxLMaE

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Thanks Dave! Your videos once again proven to be very informative.

I see MJG has the Seminole shooting wire and it doesn't claim to be "duplex" wire. So I'm guessing that word; relative to shooting wire anyway; is meaningless.

As always, I appreciate the help!!

[PyroJoeNEPA]

"Duplex" just means that there are 2 parallel wires bonded together--not a single conductor.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

"Duplex" just means that there are 2 parallel wires bonded together--not a single conductor.

Ahhh. That makes sense then. Thanks for clarifying.

Cobra system will be here Thursday! Scab wire will be on order Wednesday. ;-)

[Rick_In_Tampa]

One more question guys... I have the Cobra, the firewire initiators and I have the 22ga scab wire. I also plan to shoot 2 cakes per cue this year. So the question is, do I wire each cue to fire in series or in parallel??

I got the LiPo battery option so I know there is plenty of juice to fire 2 cakes in parallel on each cue. The only reservation I have is; as I understand it anyway; by wiring in parallel, I could get a false continuity indication when I test the setup, and then something might not fire during the show. If I wire in series, I'll know right away if the continuity is truly good or not.

Since it's only 2 sets of wires that will reach back to the 18M, it's really no big deal to wire them either way. Wiring in series would give me another pair of wires to tape up though, which adds time to the setup.

I don't know... Does wiring in series for only 2 cakes make sense?? Is the risk of having false continuity really that great? This is going to be my first show with a Cobra and I want to give myself the best chance of success.

[Pyropug]

Yes you can wire imatch in series. You are correct about the continuity error with parallel. The failure rate is very small, I had no fails on imatch in two years using 100+ matches.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Thanks for the input Pyropug. Good to hear you didn't have any issues.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Rick putting them in series is the best way to do it--in series your continuity test will verify both matches are working. In parallel you could have a bad ematch and you would still read continuity. Series hookups only take a second to do at the cobra module--and you have no worries. I have--on occasion--done parallel hookups--but before tying the two wires together I hooked each one up individually & did a continuity test. This does take a lot longer than just putting them in series. I hope this helps.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

<sigh> Thanks Joe. I was hoping I'd hear everyone say parallel is just fine! Go for it!

Not to be. Apparently, serial is the way to go. It makes sense. Better to be safe than sorry.

Appreciate the input!!

[yoshisbar]

Not to be a joker or such, but I just get 200ft of telephone wire from the dollar store for scab wire. 24 volt rating, Cheap, color coded and solid copper core. I can get 6 cues, enough to run a finale off one wire..

[Northern Sky]

Not to be a joker or such, but I just get 200ft of telephone wire from the dollar store for scab wire. 24 volt rating, Cheap, color coded and solid copper core. I can get 6 cues, enough to run a finale off one wire..

You at not the first to do something like this. It pretty much the. Way pin boards were built back in the first days of electric firing.

[nayslayer]

I suspect cat6 wire would works as well?

[Mattp]

I suspect cat6 wire would works as well?

Thats actually what i used last year.. i had a bunch of it laying around.. worked just fine.. only problem was separating all the wire.. once you strip the outer sheathing all the small wires are twisted around each other

[Kenny East]

Cat6 is good for building a semi-permanent nail board or similar firing system, but using it as scab wire is kinda over kill.. Scab wire is intended to be used them disposed/recycled.

My second sided system used phone line... 3 cues and 1 common ground per line.

My last wired system used cat6 with 16 pin d-sub connections on the ends to connect them to the system. It was a pain to solder all those thin wires.

[nayslayer]

I'm in the tech field so I have a bunch of that stuff available that's free. Only reason I would use it.

[Mattp]

I'm in the tech field so I have a bunch of that stuff available that's free. Only reason I would use it.

Yes. Exactly. I had it laying around also.. right guage too.. one nice thing was you can get multiple cues on one wire.. and beacuase theyre color coded you dont have to strip the entire thing to make sure the wires are continuitous on both ends.. but.. after last year i tossed them.. and luckily bought a shitload of scab for dirt cheap when skylighter was closing!!!