Using Spreadsheet to plan show

[Harold]

I'm kinda new to actually planning my firework shows and I herd something about using spreadsheet to plan the show and I was wondering does anyone else have experience planning there show with spreadsheet.

All I need is some tips or examples to go off of. Thanks ;)

[joed2323]

we need to know more to help effectively.

do you have any type of firing system or are you just winging it with a torch?

how many cues do you have to work with since I'm assuming you have some type of firing system?

[Birdman]

This might be a good place to start if you're not even sure what a spreadsheet is or how you create one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q2C9MB-YH4

[Harold]

I was planning fusing them together.

[displayfireworks1]

Will any part of the fuse be longer than your arm? If so that is indicative of something.

[DavidthePyro]

Will any part of the fuse be longer than your arm? If so that is indicative of something.

Not enough cues?

[Mattp]

you could definitely make a spreadsheet on your own and write on paper.. write the product and the time it goes off for.. so when connecting with fuse you can reference it ... I used to even draw a map of where the cakes are and how long each fuse will be/time it needs to burn for on it.. so when putting the fused show together just follow the map... one huge recommendation PLEASE do not make a long show with one fuse... unless they are at least 300’ away from EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE

[Harold]

Thanks for the Help :)

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I was planning fusing them together.

When I was stringing long runs of visco onto cakes, I used to use 10 second per foot fuse. I would glue all the cakes down to boards in the order I wanted them to shoot, and then I used a sharpie to write the burn time on top of each cake. That way I would know how much fuse to use between cakes. I hope that makes sense. Unless you're trying to write a script for an electronic firing system, I really don't see the need to use a spreadsheet for what you're describing.

[Crush630]

If this is for personal shows, not sure why you would need a spreadsheet when a pen and pad would be sufficient. If it was for an actual business when you need to track actual expenses or material then yes to a spreadsheet if you're small biz.

[DavidthePyro]

If this is a once a year thing, seems to me spreadsheet would best work as a way to have a product breakdown(item quantity, price, duration and speed, number of shots, etc.) that can be used for ordering and for future order making as well as referencing for actual planning. The rest can be done on paper. I make a few spreadsheets, usually just duplicating and modifying my main sheet so that I have an inventory list for my main show and the finale separately. On paper, I will determine a pattern based on the speed and number of shots to have more of a roller coaster effect. If I have 20 fast cakes, 7 medium, and 12 slow cakes for example, i would make a pattern of slow, medium, and fast down the paper, then write in a cake next to each speed. Ultimately, it's nice having a main spreadsheet to use for all my handwritten planning and for ordering in the future

[Harold]

Helped a lot thanks