Series wiring

[PG2159]

What kind of tips and tricks do you have on wiring in series?

[Birdman]

One tip I can give is do not series wire shells. There appears to be a small amount of lag between each firing and if you have too many in a series the first shell will lift and break the circuit before the others get a chance to fire. I series wired 5 shells in a MCR and the last didn't fire. It could have been something else but this is the collusion I came to after inspection and research.

Also make sure you don't series wire more than you're firing system manufactures recommends. Cobra has this posted on their website somewhere. Not sure about any others.

[Mattp]

Personally I don’t see the benefit to series wiring ,,, if the risk of one failing and they all fail is even possible,,, then why not just parallel every time ?? I think the rule of thumb is you can get a few more per cue with series.. but I rather not take the chance.. maybe there is another reason I’m unaware of as to why do series at all???

[displayfireworks1]

Seems like something people do when they don't have enough cues or modules. I would try to never do more than two together unless you really need to . Magic Tape all the connections for protection is what I would add.

[PG2159]

I mean, at the consumer level can you really have enough cues? I’m just trying to get an idea of how members wire and quirks. My plan was to wire in a mortar and a cake to the same cue. I didn’t know if series or parallel would be better. I did some 1.3 work, and helped do series wiring before I really knew what I was so have some familiarity with the process; time consuming and annoying. The more I think about it as long as I account or igniter length and pre plan, I should be fine running the wire in parallel.

[BMoore]

Series vs. parallel is always a debate and both have their positives and negatives. Personally, I wire in series since I can then accurately check continuity. Parallel wiring might technically be slightly more reliable, but I prefer starting a show knowing that everything has been tested and good to go. As far as advice, whenever you are wiring in series, use the same brand of e-match preferably out of the same box/batch. Different batches can have slightly different resistance and that's what can lead to failures.

[PG2159]

Series vs. parallel is always a debate and both have their positives and negatives. Personally, I wire in series since I can then accurately check continuity. Parallel wiring might technically be slightly more reliable, but I prefer starting a show knowing that everything has been tested and good to go. As far as advice, whenever you are wiring in series, use the same brand of e-match preferably out of the same box/batch. Different batches can have slightly different resistance and that's what can lead to failures.

Your the second person to make that note about using same batch igniters. Noted. Thanks.

[Arclight]

If you are wiring in series, get a multimeter and measure the resistance on those matches. Do it before you install them. Only hook up matches/igniters that are within 0.5 ohm of each other and you should have them all fire correctly. Most systems will work with two matches in parallel, although you won't get a proper continuity test that way.

I like using Scotchlock connectors to do series connections. It's a fast and extremely reliable way to make connections.

[PG2159]

I like using Scotchlock connectors to do series connections. It's a fast and extremely reliable way to make connections.

I’ll have to look up those connectors. Pretty sure i have seen a similar product that I plan on using. Like 100 connectors for $7 or something like that.

I definitely have some serious testing to do. Will be sure to share my results. Great advice on testing each match.

[Blaster]

But,, you're not talking about the ematch we're using on professional shows though?

We'll routinely connect dozens of them in Series (you kinda have to because the parallel electrical load would otherwise be too great) without much concern. They're precision instruments and all "open" at the same time. We do pay attention to matching the Lot# of the current matches, pretty much all coming from China now, to make them more reliable I guess.

Something like a Waterfall has so many, separate components, they really need to be lit all-at-once over a long span...

[Arclight]

But,, you're not talking about the ematch we're using on professional shows though?

We'll routinely connect dozens of them in Series (you kinda have to because the parallel electrical load would otherwise be too great) without much concern. They're precision instruments and all "open" at the same time. We do pay attention to matching the Lot# of the current matches, pretty much all coming from China now, to make them more reliable I guess.

Something like a Waterfall has so many, separate components, they really need to be lit all-at-once over a long span...

I work with blasting and explosives, so it might be a little bit different. Our e-matches ALWAYS go open-circuit right after lighting. It's possible that you get a little more time for a higher-resistance match to do its thing when it's just lighting a quickmatch and not right in the middle of something that is going to be totally consumed. The 0.5 ohm rule was something I was told by a distributor of 1.4 rock breaking cartridges. I have found that igniters/e-match from different batches can vary. Occasionally, ones from the same batch to although it's rare. Matches from different vendors or with different wire lengths always vary. I have seen stuff made in Mexico, China and elsewhere.

[cody138]

Only thing I ever wire in a series is at the END of my one show on the 4th we light a big bon fire and I wire some match into an accelerant to light the fire just due to the distance from the show site to the fire. I would rather use one 200' wire then 5, other than that I don't wire in a series. I have done some shells in the past as well as fountains when I first started out and didn't have the ques and never had an issue. Just test the match you are using as well as the firing system. If the ohms is in the limits set forth you should have no issue.

[Blaster]

Only thing I ever wire in a series is at the END of my one show on the 4th we light a big bon fire and I wire some match into an accelerant to light the fire just due to the distance from the show site to the fire. I would rather use one 200' wire then 5, other than that I don't wire in a series. I have done some shells in the past as well as fountains when I first started out and didn't have the ques and never had an issue. Just test the match you are using as well as the firing system. If the ohms is in the limits set forth you should have no issue.

Again,,, are these Consumer matches or Professional? With the professional matches, we do Series connections all the time without issues. I'm really surprised to read all the caution here so I assume something's very different...

[Birdman]

I just want to point out that there would be a difference series wiring 1.4 vs 1.3 shells. 1.3 shells you would wire into the quick match so when it lights the wire is completely detached from lifting shells. With consumer cans your poking directly into the lift charge and securing that with some tape. I did a "test" to see how much pull there is on the wire. I fired 2 cans, both were poked in the bottom. One only had a small piece of tape covering where I poked the can. The second had tape both covering the bottom and secured the wire with a small piece of tape to the side of the can (like most visco is secured). I fired each with a 9v battery and simply held the wire in my hand to gauge how much pull was exerted on the wire. Both pulled enough on the wire to pull it out of my hand with a loose grip on it. The wire only taped to the bottom of the can didn't seem to pull nearly as much and appeared to only be thrown from the tube a short distance. The shell I taped both on the bottom and side seemed to pull a bit more violently and took the wire into the air, never to be seen again. It was dusk when I did this test so it was hard to see. My guess is the wire fell into the water I was shooting over.

Obviously this was not a very scientific test. I didn't post about this before because I wanted to redo the test and change a few things with a larger sample size. At this point I don't know if/when that will happen. I believe the results were convincing enough to show that you should tie off your wires. In my opinion, based on this test and having done it before, there is less concern if you don't tie off a shell that is just poked and secured in the bottom. However, after this test I will always tie off my wires. One other conclusion I made was that I should of had a tighter grip on the wire to better gauge the amount of pull. I think if I had even a slightly tighter grip I would not have lost the second wire because either the tape on the side or the label would have detached from the shell, leaving the wire behind. I didn't want to grip too tightly because I wasn't sure about the forces and the risk of injuring my hand.

Getting back to the original topic, I believe it was Dave that had a slow motion video of the slight delay when firing in series. This may not seem like much but when you consider how quickly a shell is ejected from the tube it seems very plausible that the first shell could outpace the lag present in the series. It's also possible that regulated e-match could have less overall resistance and be more responsive, negating any noticeable lag. This is another test I have really wanted to do to get some more concrete answers.

[PG2159]

It would be with MJG product which falls in the consumer category.

[topshelfpyro]

Backyard 1.4/1.4 pro guy here........series wiring is great to be able to check continuity, parallel wiring you won't know as long as 1 match is good. As others have said, if your matching several (not just 2 or 3) it is possible the beginning match disrupts the circuit before the last fires (were talking milliseconds here). Something I have experienced before when playing with parallel connections is the firing pulse was slightly to short to fire all the match (talking about 8 match in parallel over 450' of connections lol).
I typically series wire things (like making my own slices in craigco racks) I only parallel things when using the same rail for more than 1 position. (If I do this I check continuity on each rail individually).
Try not to over think connections but don't be crazy. Scotchlok connectors are the shit and if you can find an auto feed tool buy it.....

[topshelfpyro]

The best thing is 1 cue for 1 item, keep buying cues as you can! eventually you'll have enough to do it, it's really less stressful.

[BMoore]

Again,,, are these Consumer matches or Professional? With the professional matches, we do Series connections all the time without issues. I'm really surprised to read all the caution here so I assume something's very different...

Surprises me to. I've used both regulated e-match and initiators and have seen no difference in performance. In fact, I've used initiators exclusively the last couple of years because I can get them cheaper. I was taught to always wire in series unless you were in a hurry and it wasn't a key element. When I was learning, it seemed like everyone leaned towards series wiring, but that seems to be starting to shift. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that parallel is just easier to understand and visualize, especially when teaching new people. I brought this up at a shooter school a couple years ago where they were only teaching parallel wiring. I asked about it and was told "Most of our leads use series wiring but we are here to learn safety and the basics, not to train electricians."

[Birdman]

Surprises me to. I've used both regulated e-match and initiators and have seen no difference in performance. In fact, I've used initiators exclusively the last couple of years because I can get them cheaper. I was taught to always wire in series unless you were in a hurry and it wasn't a key element. When I was learning, it seemed like everyone leaned towards series wiring, but that seems to be starting to shift. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that parallel is just easier to understand and visualize, especially when teaching new people. I brought this up at a shooter school a couple years ago where they were only teaching parallel wiring. I asked about it and was told "Most of our leads use series wiring but we are here to learn safety and the basics, not to train electricians."

I find parallel wiring to be more straight forward which why I tend use it in most cases. That said I think series is the superior option but it just seems "messy" to me. While I prefer parallel there are times where series just makes more sense.

[cody138]

I have done it with MJG as well as professional E-match, again I have never had an issue doing it I was just saying test what you are using and if it works then use it.

[Scotty Rockets]

Series for the win. Something quick go with parallel but you won’t get true continuity. It gets a little more complicated if you’re using QP’s but there’s quick split boards out there that can give you 4-12 in series for Quick plug ematch.

[schmidlapp]

I've never done series.
When I connect parallel I meter each match individually before I connect in parallel.
Never had a failure this way.
Actually every match gets metered when I get them in. Takes time to do this but better to know they are good in adv.advance

[jdels]

I do the same. Most of my stuff is one cue one match mostly but I always check before poking and the again before they go into slats or modules. In all the years I have only found two bad. Where in WI are you? Marinette here.


I've never done series.
When I connect parallel I meter each match individually before I connect in parallel.
Never had a failure this way.
Actually every match gets metered when I get them in. Takes time to do this but better to know they are good in adv.advance

[Blaster]

OK but,,, you know you're not going to be able to fire 40 of them at the same time in Parallel... (in a Series connection 40 might draw 1Amp, in Parallel it would be 40 times that!)

It's a mix of connections you'll need to be able to do. Series isn't that complicated once you do it some, it IS more connections (and you have to be doing that right), but Everybody needs to be able to wire either way according to needs. ;)

[schmidlapp]

I do the same. Most of my stuff is one cue one match mostly but I always check before poking and the again before they go into slats or modules. In all the years I have only found two bad. Where in WI are you? Marinette here.

Minocqua area

[schmidlapp]

Ive only paralleled 3 matches per cue in the past. If I need more, I just program another cue to fire at the same time. Usually there's a physical distance that makes this easier.
I just wasn't confident that series is more reliable.
After reading this thread, I may rethink this
Thanks for all the good input.
It's great that we can all share our ideas here.