Oh Happy Day!!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Santa Claus came a little late, but I'm glad he finally showed up with something I can use!! :cool:

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=1877&stc=1

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=1878&stc=1

[chriskrc]

Nothing wrong with a little late present. They look really nice rick.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Nothing wrong with a little late present. They look really nice rick.

Thank you sir! Very much looking forward to getting them dirty.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I see you got the upgrade mods with the Lipo battery option. You won't be sorry. They last forever on a charge. I used them for the first time on my personal show this last summer--we put them out in the early afternoon---shot the show around 9:30 PM. Tested the battery level on all of them (21 mods) the next day when I cleaned off the cut off ematch wires and they all tested out at P9 except one that was a "P8". Impressive.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I see you got the upgrade mods with the Lipo battery option. You won't be sorry. They last forever on a charge. I used them for the first time on my personal show this last summer--we put them out in the early afternoon---shot the show around 9:30 PM. Tested the battery level on all of them (21 mods) the next day when I cleaned off the cut off ematch wires and they all tested out at P9 except one that was a "P8". Impressive.

Very happy to hear that Joe! Considering the investment I was making, I didn't want to cut any corners. I've never regretted having too much of something, just too little.

As soon as the charger shows up (backordered... Grrr!) I'm going to get them dirtied up!!

[Clipcolnd]

gotta love St.Nick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Very happy to hear that Joe! Considering the investment I was making, I didn't want to cut any corners. I've never regretted having too much of something, just too little.

As soon as the charger shows up (backordered... Grrr!) I'm going to get them dirtied up!!

You probably know this--but be sure you check that each module is set to the Lipo voltage setting.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You probably know this--but be sure you check that each module is set to the Lipo voltage setting.

Honestly, no. I didn't know that. Everything came right before I was getting ready for work. Just had time to unpack them admire them for a few min.

I'm *assuming* that info will be in the literature that came with it. In any event, I'll definitely keep that nugget in mind as I play with them.

Thanks again Joe!! It is very much appreciated.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

gotta love St.Nick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol... Cha!

[Bazerk]

Congrats Rick! Your going to love it.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Congrats Rick! Your going to love it.

Thank you sir!! Haven't fired my first cue yet and I already love it! Lol... :cool:

[esgrillo]

You will like! I added 2 more this year to get to 9 mods total. Never enough lol. Order placed with '76 yesterday. Planning underway!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You will like! I added 2 more this year to get to 9 mods total. Never enough lol. Order placed with '76 yesterday. Planning underway!

I've got a lot of catching up to do to catch you Ed, but I'll get there!! The entire side of my bedroom is full of fireworks related stuff right now. My wife is starting to get concerned. Lol... That's okay though. She knew I had issues when she married me so...

Were you able to get the special order pricing with SO76? The guy I worked with (Ben) was awesome. Very impressed with their customer service.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Honestly, no. I didn't know that. Everything came right before I was getting ready for work. Just had time to unpack them admire them for a few min.

I'm *assuming* that info will be in the literature that came with it. In any event, I'll definitely keep that nugget in mind as I play with them.

Thanks again Joe!! It is very much appreciated.



Lipo batttery needs to have module set to 14.8 volts ..The info is in the manual--but here it is so you can save the time looking for it.
The reason I mention it is I have a friend that got 15 of them and 3 or 4 were not set to the Lipo voltage setting new out of the box.

Voltage Mode
The purpose of the voltage mode is to allow your 18M to know the expected voltage in order to correctly sense it’s battery
level on both start*up, and to determine if the module has a low battery.
The 18M has five voltage modes including 9v, 12v, 14.8v, 18v, and 24v. For each mode, we assume a specific type of
battery in order to determine expected battery voltage ranges. To change the voltage mode on the firing module, press
​
TEST and CH+​ to increase the voltage, and press
​

Have fun-----Joe
TEST and CH* to decrease the voltage

[displayfireworks1]

Not sure if you need electric match or not. Keep in mind the Firewire Initiators (don't say ignitor) no ATF license needed. Not sure if Spirit of 76 sells the Initiators or not. Both MJG and Spirit of 76 are my advertisers. If you order from my advertisers and an issue occurs I can mediate if necessary. Although I do not anticipate issues with either of them.
.
https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/6/5/mjg-firewire-initiator

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Not sure if you need electric match or not. Keep in mind the Firewire Initiators (don't say ignitor) no ATF license needed. Not sure if Spirit of 76 sells the Initiators or not. Both MJG and Spirit of 76 are my advertisers. If you order from my advertisers and an issue occurs I can mediate if necessary. Although I do not anticipate issues with either of them.
.
https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/6/5/mjg-firewire-initiator

Thanks Dave. I already have 2 boxes of MJG initiators and I'll be ordering 5 more soon! Also placing an order for 1K ft of scab wire.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Lipo batttery needs to have module set to 14.8 volts ..The info is in the manual--but here it is so you can save the time looking for it.
The reason I mention it is I have a friend that got 15 of them and 3 or 4 were not set to the Lipo voltage setting new out of the box.

Voltage Mode
The purpose of the voltage mode is to allow your 18M to know the expected voltage in order to correctly sense it’s battery
level on both start*up, and to determine if the module has a low battery.
The 18M has five voltage modes including 9v, 12v, 14.8v, 18v, and 24v. For each mode, we assume a specific type of
battery in order to determine expected battery voltage ranges. To change the voltage mode on the firing module, press
​
TEST and CH+​ to increase the voltage, and press
​

Have fun-----Joe
TEST and CH* to decrease the voltage

Thanks Joe. I read and re-read the literature that came with the gear this morning, and I couldn't find a thing that talked about changing the voltage ANYWHERE! So I called and e-mailed Scott at Cobra about it. He replied with the following: "Charging has nothing to do with the voltage mode on the unit. Instead, this is only used to properly determine power levels. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be2Wm5Kw-Rs In short, no need to worry about this, just set it above and charging will happen if it's correct or not correct."

Soooooo... I guess I'm still confused. I can't watch the You Tube video here at work, so I'm not sure what it reveals about the charging / voltage issue. However, based on his comments it *appears* it's no longer an issue with regard to charging the units, just delivering the correct voltage during use. I am a bit surprised that this info was not in the literature I received though. That's a pretty big omission. I'm going to spend more time re-reading everything again just to make sure I didn't miss it, but the documentation was pretty thin. Not likely I missed something like that.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Thanks Joe. I read and re-read the literature that came with the gear this morning, and I couldn't find a thing that talked about changing the voltage ANYWHERE! So I called and e-mailed Scott at Cobra about it. He replied with the following: "Charging has nothing to do with the voltage mode on the unit. Instead, this is only used to properly determine power levels. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be2Wm5Kw-Rs In short, no need to worry about this, just set it above and charging will happen if it's correct or not correct."

Soooooo... I guess I'm still confused. I can't watch the You Tube video here at work, so I'm not sure what it reveals about the charging / voltage issue. However, based on his comments it *appears* it's no longer an issue with regard to charging the units, just delivering the correct voltage during use. I am a bit surprised that this info was not in the literature I received though. That's a pretty big omission. I'm going to spend more time re-reading everything again just to make sure I didn't miss it, but the documentation was pretty thin. Not likely I missed something like that.

Rick--the info is on page 3 of this 5 page PDF titled "Voltage Mode". I see what Scott is saying that the unit will charge the battery whatever the setting is--but when you want to check power levels of the batteries when testing the system it needs to be in the proper voltage setting for the software to read the voltage correctly. Seems this should be made a little clearer in the info. We were using the Control Panel for my show & it shows all module signal strengths & voltage levels--so it would be more obvious that way.

http://www.cobrafiringsystems.com/COBRAPowerAdapterQuickGuide.pdf

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Rick--the info is on page 3 of this 5 page PDF titled "Voltage Mode". I see what Scott is saying that the unit will charge the battery whatever the setting is--but when you want to check power levels of the batteries when testing the system it needs to be in the proper voltage setting for the software to read the voltage correctly. Seems this should be made a little clearer in the info. We were using the Control Panel for my show & it shows all module signal strengths & voltage levels--so it would be more obvious that way.

http://www.cobrafiringsystems.com/COBRAPowerAdapterQuickGuide.pdf

Joe - I'm totally tracking now. Thanks so much for sending that link. This PDF wasn't part of the paperwork I received. Although, there was a black envelope in the box that did have a sheet that mentioned how to adjust the voltage settings. I've got lots of reading and video watching to do. Seems tidbits of information are scattered all over the place and there's no single comprehensive source for all of it. No matter... I checked all 4 mods and they're all set for the 14.8 setting. So we're good there. I've got a few months to figure it all out. I actually fired my first firewire initiator this morning! Lol... Scared the snot out of the wife. Good stuff.

[esgrillo]

I've got a lot of catching up to do to catch you Ed, but I'll get there!! The entire side of my bedroom is full of fireworks related stuff right now. My wife is starting to get concerned. Lol... That's okay though. She knew I had issues when she married me so...

Were you able to get the special order pricing with SO76? The guy I worked with (Ben) was awesome. Very impressed with their customer service.
Yes, I always work with Matt. Good guy and makes good suggestions on product.

Should be a good show this year with some new product and new effects. Going to have to make some custom racks for a fan comet spread I want to do with a bunch of CM216's timed to the music. Have it mentally planned now just have to manage that execution part

[PYRODAN]

Congrats Rick! You are going to have a blast! ( pun intended!)

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Congrats Rick! You are going to have a blast! ( pun intended!)

Thank you Sir!! I loaded up my first script today and it ran like a dream! The 4th can't get here fast enough now. :o

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Have it mentally planned now just have to manage that execution part

Bingo!! It's all about the execution. This year I'm able to do things that were simply impossible with visco alone. Now I see what all the fuss is about!! Lol.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with your setup this year. Last year was simply amazing. Going to be hard to top that one! But somehow, I think you'll pull it off. :cool:

[esgrillo]

Rick, you having music too? audiobox + 18r2 = wowed audience

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Rick, you having music too? audiobox + 18r2 = wowed audience

No, not this year. Between the fireworks and Cobra system and "accessories" I'm already approaching $6K for this years show. The audiobox is going to have to wait for next year.

[Northern Sky]

lThe audiobox is going to have to wait for next year.
Did you hook up the control panel yet?
That makes the whole process in the field so much easier.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Did you hook up the control panel yet?
That makes the whole process in the field so much easier.

The control panel??? <deer in the headlights look>

[Northern Sky]

The Control Panel is an app that runs on a tablet with show commands.

I'm on my phone so I can't elaborate at the moment. Check it out on the Cobra site.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

The Control Panel is an app that runs on a tablet with show commands.

I'm on my phone so I can't elaborate at the moment. Check it out on the Cobra site.

Ahh. I'm with you now. I looked at it when I was making my purchase. I decided against it because there was really no value added there for me. My buddy bought one with his system. I'll take a look at his at some point and see how it worked for him.

[Northern Sky]

You can use his Control with your remote. Just plug it in to your USB on the 18R2 and open the app.

[djsmurf]

Ahh. I'm with you now. I looked at it when I was making my purchase. I decided against it because there was really no value added there for me. My buddy bought one with his system. I'll take a look at his at some point and see how it worked for him.

Like Northern Sky said it does not look like much but once you use it, it is very impressive.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Like Northern Sky said it does not look like much but once you use it, it is very impressive.

If I can get my cakes to fire using the 18R2 I'll be tickled pink. I'm a low tech guy in a high tech world. The Cobra system is a quantum leap for me as it is. Dave told me I'm going too fast so, no need to push the limits of my capabilities. Lol...

[djsmurf]

If I can get my cakes to fire using the 18R2 I'll be tickled pink. I'm a low tech guy in a high tech world. The Cobra system is a quantum leap for me as it is. Dave told me I'm going too fast so, no need to push the limits of my capabilities. Lol...

You have plenty of prep time, I think you will be fine!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You have plenty of prep time, I think you will be fine!

I'm going to need it!! I fired my first FW initiator this last weekend and I videoed it. It took me 5 tries before I got it to work!! The good news is, I got it to work. The BETTER news is I was able to upload a 30 min script I created with Show Creator and it ran perfectly across all 4 mods. So we're getting there. :cool:

[Northern Sky]

The BETTER news is I was able to upload a 30 min script I created with Show Creator and it ran perfectly across all 4 mods. So we're getting there. :cool:

May In suggest shortening the script. Most people get bored after about 20 minutes.

Just my 2 cents.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

May In suggest shortening the script. Most people get bored after about 20 minutes.

Just my 2 cents.

Yes Sir you may! This was my first cut just to get all the cakes included in the script. Last year my show was 42 min. This year I have 50% more product and I've already cut 12 min off the time. So we're making progress. My ultimate goal is a 20-25 min show. Shouldn't be too difficult to whittle it down now that it's all documented in the script.

[Northern Sky]

I've contributed and helped out on a display theast few years where the budget is just shy of 20k.

My wife and friends that have been to a few displays where I was the lead and the first question was, "why did it drag on so long"?
Or "I thought it was never going to end."

To me it looked more like a product demo instead of a display. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a skypuke fan but a display should flow from segment to segment.creatively not just from cake to cake.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I'm not a skypuke fan but a display should flow from segment to segment.creatively not just from cake to cake.

Therein lies the challenge. Now that I actually have control of when things go BOOM, I can get creative like that.

[Northern Sky]

Therein lies the challenge. Now that I actually have control of when things go BOOM, I can get creative like that.

Final caution:

I was Cobra bitten 5 or 6 years ago. Beta testing for Cobra presented itself a year or so ago. Scott now has a well funded college fund established for his children from the addiction. Be careful how much control you want. It is extremely addictive. There are 60 modules currently living here with a few hundred accessible within 2 hours of here.

What is the ideal amount?

Have fun. Be safe.

[South Carolina Mike]

Looks great Rick!
I finally found the time to play with mine last night, what a blast!
You do have all of this hidden from the wife, right? :)

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Looks great Rick!
I finally found the time to play with mine last night, what a blast!
You do have all of this hidden from the wife, right? :)

Lol.. Thanks Mike! Funny you should mention last night. Our daughter came over and I had to give her a demo. I set it up and told her to hit the #1 button on the remote. The wife was recording this with her phone. The initiator snapped and my daughter about jumped out of her shoes! It was hilarious, and we have it all on video!

I hope you are enjoying yours as much as I am. Sounds like you are. Have you had an opportunity to shoot any cakes yet?

I gave up on hiding stuff from the wife. I have some very expensive hobbies and she knows it. As long as when she moves the light switch the lights come on, and when she turns on the water the water flows, she doesn't ask any questions anymore.

[Bigjohnson]

I hear ya on the hobbies. Fireworks cars and golf. I'd rather just let her know and tell her to get her self stuff when she wants. I can't take my money with me when I'm gone so I want to enjoy it while I'm here. Granted I might not tell her "exactly" how much I spend.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I can't take my money with me when I'm gone so I want to enjoy it while I'm here. Granted I might not tell her "exactly" how much I spend.

Bingo!! I'm not busting my butt all these years so I can leave our kids a ton of $$. Not happening. I've got an expensive gun and pyro hobby. If they want to sell the guns and pyro gear after I'm gone they're welcome to do so. The wife has her own business and I don't ask her for a dime of what she makes. She buys what she likes for herself, and I do the same for myself. So far, it's working well.