My first Efired show

[BeerGuyEd]

I caught the pyro bug last year (2018) after hand lighting some fireworks last year, with the help of the members here. I bought a firing system last fall and planned to have another great party in 2019, but this time I was going to have a proper firework show. Life got in the way this spring when buying season was in full swing, but thanks to a member here I was able tag into his last minute wholesale order. I did the show for our local pool members with the pool chipping in most of the budget for the pyro ($700 total budget), which was amazing since I was going to throw a party at my house and buy all the fireworks myself.

First couple of pics are of show setup. I got some very needed help getting everything double checked and mods wired. Even with the help and everything labeled it still took 2 hours. The show was fired off of the tennis courts with the spectators all watching from the pool area. A lot of them were lounging in floats watching the show which I can only imagine was awesome. Last pic was one taken by a spectator that I just thought looked amazing. My video recording device was a super cheap knock off GoPro I bought a couple of days before the show just so I had something to get a recording with that wasn't a phone moving around in someones hand. It did a decent job considering it was $30 bucks. It started sprinkling during the show so you see a rain drop on the camera lens but you get the idea. I fired some cues off early because I wasn't disciplined enough to trust myself about when a effect was over. Sorry for the long post I am just so darn happy and excited. Here is the link to the show. Thank you all for your help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dhd7eiDKtg

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[PYRODAN]

That last picture is almost as good as the one atop Suribachi!!

[PyroGyro]

Nice show, especially for 700! I like how you sprinkled in the bigs to surprise the crowd and in the busier parts of the show you had stuff going off at all height levels.

[PyroGyro]

So with the Efiring...Did you script it or press buttons? If pressing buttons, did you find that you really can't watch and enjoy the show because you're too focused on the cues and the remote? I'm asking because I want to be able to enjoy the show I create and next year I'm probably going to Efire, but I'm thinking I want a system that can be scripted.

[AxeElf]

So with the Efiring...Did you script it or press buttons? If pressing buttons, did you find that you really can't watch and enjoy the show because you're too focused on the cues and the remote? I'm asking because I want to be able to enjoy the show I create and next year I'm probably going to Efire, but I'm thinking I want a system that can be scripted.

I used a cheap Chinese system for the first time this year with talon-type igniters, and while it was more reliable than I was afraid it might be (I think only two out of 60 cues failed to light), I did find that I was only able to watch about half the show, with my attention being focused on my spreadsheet for the timing of the upcoming cues, my phone for the timing of the songs, and the buttons to press at the right time. Fortunately, my guests got most of it on film, and so I was able to see most of it in its entirety later.

I guess if you have the money, the Cobra with an Audiobox is the way to go (according to the general consensus here, anyway), but I can't see myself spending that kind of money on it for a once-a-year thing. If you have the resources, go for it--but any firing system will help you improve your timing and synching to music at least. It beat the heck out of hand-lighting everything, or even hand-lighting daisy chains of fused cakes.

[BeerGuyEd]

My system is not advanced enough for scripting. I was able to watch about half of the show, maybe a little more. Although the more I watched the show the more I did not hit my timing on the cues, so there is that. If my resources allow me to get a scripted system I will do that in the future so I can hit a button and watch the show. Even after firing 1 show off using a system I would never go back to hand lighting.

[Mattp]

Great job... nice neat setup pics too!!! .. having a firing system a whole new world !!!

[Kooooou]

For 700, that was a good show! You'll be shooting by the case some day. I still e (-bay) fire with a cheap chinese system, and it's never let me down but I still love running around with the propane torch whenever I can.

[Pyro Paul]

I used a cheap Chinese system for the first time this year with talon-type igniters, and while it was more reliable than I was afraid it might be (I think only two out of 60 cues failed to light), I did find that I was only able to watch about half the show, with my attention being focused on my spreadsheet for the timing of the upcoming cues, my phone for the timing of the songs, and the buttons to press at the right time. Fortunately, my guests got most of it on film, and so I was able to see most of it in its entirety later.

I guess if you have the money, the Cobra with an Audiobox is the way to go (according to the general consensus here, anyway), but I can't see myself spending that kind of money on it for a once-a-year thing. If you have the resources, go for it--but any firing system will help you improve your timing and synching to music at least. It beat the heck out of hand-lighting everything, or even hand-lighting daisy chains of fused cakes.

there are other very reliable systems out there, it just depends on your taste and how much you want to spend. I seen an awesome pyromusical shot with firetek a month ago. Firetek is a remotely fired, wired system using cat 5 cables to join cue strips to the module. Each module can fire up to 48 individual cues. I was kinda impressed with it to be honest. I've had my problems with cobra and it's support but I'm finally making peace with it. All I can say is you get what you pay for. So if you buy a cobra, get the better batteries, better software version and know what kind of layout you're looking at so you can decide on slat adapters, 72 m/36m/18m, slats and cables. If you go cheap on everything, it will let you down sooner or later IMHO.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I agree with Paul with regard to getting what you pay for. I must admit though, I am very surprised to hear you (Paul) have an issue with Cobra's tech support. I don't think there's a time when I've e-mailed Scott and he hasn't gotten back to me almost immediately with an answer. I'd be curious to know what kind of issues you're having or have had that are still unresolved. (offline of course).

Obviously I don't own a Firetek system and I know less than nothing about it. But I have heard good things on here from Dave and others.

In my little mind it comes down to just how deep into the hobby do you want to go. If you like to hand light cakes but now you're buying 5 or 6 cases and it's getting too tiring, or you can't see enough of your own show because you're always running back for forth lighting cakes, then get a cheap Chinese system start stringing fuse between cakes. But if you want to buy 20 or 90 cases and do pyro musicals, then get something that you can run scripts with so you can do all the hard work prior to the show, and sit and enjoy the show along with everyone else.

Just 1 man's opinion.

[robdog]

Looks like you had a big crowd. Nice job.

[Kooooou]

Marvelous show, and I'm digging the white flashes.

[BeerGuyEd]

Thanks for the kind words. We had about 100 people watching the show. First time doing the show and it looks like we are going to double the budget for next year so I think they liked it.