i have seen the light!

[Icooclast]

i found a COBRA intro vid. on pyroboom and after watching how it works: it doesn't look so hard. (just a little in some aspects) and i like how their modules have 18 cues instead of 4 like with the p1200 pyroboom carries. now even though my fireworks plans for this year have been vetoed i will have to wait again. i swear i will succeed, eventually. lol. at least i have this site and am soaking up all the info and ideas. you guys are right the COBRA does look better.

[esgrillo]

There is no comparison lol. Actually based on what I have seen the Cobra is easier to use than that p1200 plus it is SO much more powerful. Get a Cobra, looks like you need to wait till next Black Friday Sale. Don't let that one pass by. Get an 18R2 and a couple of modules and expand from there. Thats hows I started 4 years ago..... now it is this lol....

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=2843&stc=1

[Icooclast]

There is no comparison lol. Actually based on what I have seen the Cobra is easier to use than that p1200 plus it is SO much more powerful. Get a Cobra, looks like you need to wait till next Black Friday Sale. Don't let that one pass by. Get an 18R2 and a couple of modules and expand from there. Thats hows I started 4 years ago..... now it is this lol....

2843

dang man. lol. nice. luckily i don't think i'll need that much. how many fireworks can you fire in 1 show with all of that?

[esgrillo]

This is 360 cues worth. I scripted my 2018 4th show and its about 340 cues but with the slats a lot of those cues are firing 3 to 5 items at at time. I would guess I am lighting about 450 firewire/talons

I thought I did not need that much either when I started all this lol (yes I understand the word need for a hobby can be considered a stretch but you know what I mean)

[PyroDre]

love cobra ..i just don't shot enough personal shows to justify it purchasing one. I use it all the time for work


very easy to use. when it works it works. the problem is trouble shooting. You really have to take the time an learn the inner-workings of it. Because the worse feeling in the world is standing in front of a crowd that's waiting on a show and your show won't shoot...

[Rick_In_Tampa]

luckily i don't think i'll need that much.

ROFLMAO... Quite possibly the funniest comment I've ever read in here.

Just wait and see my friend. Just wait and see. Cobra mods are like Lays potato chips. You're can't buy just 1... or 2.... or......

Ed is totally out of out of control. He is also my inspiration! I hope to be at his level one day.

[esgrillo]

ROFLMAO... Quite possibly the funniest comment I've ever read in here.

Just wait and see my friend. Just wait and see. Cobra mods are like Lays potato chips. You're can't buy just 1... or 2.... or......



Tru dat Rick lol

[MontanaMike]

When we started our system (with 3 mods and 54 cues), after the first year we pretty much set our sights on 8 mods total. We reached that this year. With our budget, and considering the fact we like the big cakes, we probably don't need more modules at this point. HOWEVER that's not to say we would never buy any more! But we're pretty happy where we are right now. I think our next thing might be slats, so we can hook up more goodies per mod.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Tru dat Rick lol

Ed & Rick--I hear there is a support group at IhaveaCobraAddiction.boom LOL
Just kidding guys--even though I use Fire One for the pro shows we shoot I rely on the Cobra every year for my personal show. I never had to purchase one--between 4-5 friends of mine I have access to over 60 mods, several 18R2S & AudioBoxes. That is the great thing about the Cobra system---always stuff available if you need to borrow a couple mods......[except--of course--over July 4th week!]

[Rick_In_Tampa]

[QUOTE=PyroJoeNEPA;50966]Ed & Rick--I hear there is a support group at IhaveaCobraAddiction.boom LOL[QUOTE]

Lol... Wait. You mean this isn't the Cobra support group?! DOH!! :eek:

I think I'm going to run out of $$ and life long before I get to 60 mods. (i.e. My wife will kill me!)

[rkmcdon]

Sorry to necro this, but I’m curious, what kind of deals did they have on cobras during 2017’s Black Friday? I can’t drop $650 to get started this year, but a Black Friday pick up for next year may be an option
Also, how do those slats (?) fit into the system? Do they expand a module and still have full functionality including two way comm?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I don't remember the exact pricing, but the savings was more than the 10% pyro club member discount I normally get. I want to say the savings was about 15-20% off the regular price.

On Black Friday I picked up 8 mods and the savings was enough to cover the cost of an audio box. So I got one of those too.

I don't have any slats so I can't speak to those, but there are plenty of guys on here who will chime in I'm sure. You can also shoot Scott Smith an e-mail with any specific questions. He's terrific about responding.

Hope that helps.

[Bazerk]

I am in the same boat. I started with 3 mods and the 18R2. Now I am up to 12 Mods and I dont regret a single dime spent on the Cobra system. Between the hardware and Scott, there is no other reason to shop elsewhere. He is an amazing owner and will bed over backwards for his customers. Great guy and great product. I add 2 mods per year to my collection during the black friday sale. Miss you guys!

[rkmcdon]

Thanks guys. I really want to pull the trigger now, but paying $650 now will cut into my fireworks budget. I will save up some money and take a look during black friday. 15-20% and not coinciding with this year fireworks purchase should be able to push me over the top. I like the 2 mods per year on black friday plan as well Bazerk.

I am curious. once you built up your system as you two seem to have, how much fusing do you do and where do you typically use it, or do you have enough cues to wire each piece?

[Bazerk]

Thanks guys. I really want to pull the trigger now, but paying $650 now will cut into my fireworks budget. I will save up some money and take a look during black friday. 15-20% and not coinciding with this year fireworks purchase should be able to push me over the top. I like the 2 mods per year on black friday plan as well Bazerk.

I am curious. once you built up your system as you two seem to have, how much fusing do you do and where do you typically use it, or do you have enough cues to wire each piece?

The only fusing I use now is for chaining my salutes so that I can use one fuse to send them off during the finale. Everything else is fused with ematch. I ran full length 20-25 min shows with only 8 cues and they were pretty good in my opinion.

[rkmcdon]

Alright, i'm still on the new side of doing this and have never used a firing system, but would you mind elaborating on how you do a show that long without fuse (other than your salutes) and only 8 cues? Sounds like witchcraft to me :)

[cptnding]

Thanks guys. I really want to pull the trigger now, but paying $650 now will cut into my fireworks budget. I will save up some money and take a look during black friday. 15-20% and not coinciding with this year fireworks purchase should be able to push me over the top. I like the 2 mods per year on black friday plan as well Bazerk.

I am curious. once you built up your system as you two seem to have, how much fusing do you do and where do you typically use it, or do you have enough cues to wire each piece?

Below is Cobra's Black Friday sale in 2016. 2017's sale was the same with the addition of discounts on the 36m and other new stuff.
You may not have to wait for that though. Last year they also had basically the same sale on April 15th. Tax day sale.

2891

[cptnding]

I was a little off. It was April 7th last year. I guess I correlated that with tax day somehow. I found it in an old email.
Here it is below.



1) COBRA Deep Discounts!

Please find a listing of sale prices for this one-day only event.
18R Basic Remote & 18M Firing Module
Reg. $499.99, Sale $399.99
Savings $100!
18R2 Pro Remote & 18M Firing Module
Reg. $648.98, Sale $399.98
Savings $150!
18M Firing Module
Reg. $299.99, Sale $249.99
Savings $50!
18R Basic Remote
Reg. $199.99, Sale $149.99
Savings $50!
18R2 Pro Remote
Reg. $349.99, Sale $299.99
Savings $50!
COBRA Audio Box
Reg. $349.99, Sale $299.99
Savings $50!
COBRA Control Panel
Reg. $199.99, Sale $149.99
Savings $50!
TALONS and ACCESSORIES
10% Off!
2) COBRA Sweepstakes Giveaway!

For every $249 purchased, receive a COBRA ticket. On Tuesday, April 11th, three winners will be randomly drawn from a live stream from the Facebook Group page.

1st Prize - $2,500 COBRA Credit
2nd Prize - $1,500 COBRA Credit
3rd Prize - $1,000 COBRA Credit

COBRA credit does not expire, is valued in USD and can be used towards any future COBRA purchase.


COBRA Firing Systems LLC, 16 Commerce Park Dr., Suite B, Gansevoort, NY 12831
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[rkmcdon]

Those are some great discounts. I could get started this year for $400 and still afford some fireworks, albeit slight fewer than last year ;)
I guess i sit tight and keep a look out come april 1st. Thanks cptnding

[rkmcdon]

Also $2500 in that raffle would make me one happy pyro!

[rkmcdon]

Any idea how to get on that mailing list? I created an account today, but didn't see an option to sign up for a newsletter or mailing list

[cptnding]

Any idea how to get on that mailing list? I created an account today, but didn't see an option to sign up for a newsletter or mailing list

I think you automatically get their emails when you sigh up for an account.
You should go to the contact info on their web site and just ask the question. They are very, very responsive and helpful to any questions.

[rkmcdon]

will do. Thanks again

[Bazerk]

It is no sorcery sir. The video linked below was done with just 4 cobra mods. I used one as Channel 1 for the center location and used the other 3 on channel 2 for left, center and right locations. I am also attaching the excel file showing the firing list so you can see what I did. Basically, I start by getting the burn times of every firework I am using so that I can time everything while attempting to not have any down time (dead sky). In this video, where there is dead sky, it is intentional. I will say that I did end up with a bunch of 200g cakes that came into my possession after I had written the script which is what the first 5 minutes of this show started with. These were fused together using quick match in sets of 4 and manually firing each fuse with 1 cue on a 5th module. So the remaining 14 minutes of the show was done using only 4 mods. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Lastly, invest in the Corba Show Creator when you do get the cobra gear. Its $60 for 2 years and worth every penny!


https://youtu.be/UyU1D60HTZ0
2899

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I am curious. once you built up your system as you two seem to have, how much fusing do you do and where do you typically use it, or do you have enough cues to wire each piece?

I pre-wire all the effects in my garage in the weeks leading up to the 4th. I wire everything together in the field the day of the show. I have a minimum of two cakes on every cue (wired in series) and this year I will have up to 6 effects on a cue wired in parallel and series, depending on whether they have firewire initiators or talons.

For the record, I will echo what my buddy Bazerk advised. Invest in the Cobra and the Show Creator software. You will not be disappointed! It might seem overwhelming at first, but trust me. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it! Lol...

[Bazerk]

Rick you should invest in some MJG ematch buddy. It will change your life, lol.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I'm just a lowly 1.4 pyro weenie who's not allowed to have the real e-match. But I do have a s--t ton of the MJG firewire initiators!

My local pyro buddy keeps telling me he's putting a shipping container on some property he owns so we can apply for our 54's. No joy just yet though.

[Bazerk]

I'm just a lowly 1.4 pyro weenie who's not allowed to have the real e-match. But I do have a s--t ton of the MJG firewire initiators!

My local pyro buddy keeps telling me he's putting a shipping container on some property he owns so we can apply for our 54's. No joy just yet though.

You dont need the 54 for the MJG ematch though. Plus they can ship it. Am I mistaken?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You dont need the 54 for the MJG ematch though. Plus they can ship it. Am I mistaken?

I'm going to plead ignorance on this one. To the best of my knowledge e-match is 1.3G only, and firewire initiators are 1.4G.

I just hopped on their website and it looks like they sell a product called a "J-Tek Match" which they claim is their "professional grade" product, and they require you to send in a copy of your 54 to purchase it.

https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/9/5/j-tek-igniter

[Mattp]

Great show bazerk..definitely excited to see if you blow up a drone this year.. lol .. hey at 20:25.. was that the mortars in an entire milk crate rack flying out of the crate as they went off?? .. sure looked like it.. i wouldve shit my pants.. thank god they all went straight up!!!

[Bazerk]

I'm just a lowly 1.4 pyro weenie who's not allowed to have the real e-match. But I do have a s--t ton of the MJG firewire initiators!

My local pyro buddy keeps telling me he's putting a shipping container on some property he owns so we can apply for our 54's. No joy just yet though.

You dont need the 54 for the MJG ematch though. Plus they can ship it. Am I mistaken?

[Bazerk]

Indeed they did, lol. I have fixed that problem so it hasnt happened again. 25 2in tubes fit in those crates perfectly and its easy to stack and carry which is why they are popular for this. In saying that, the bottom of a milk crate acts like a spring board if its not situated on a piece of wood or concrete which is what happened in that video. I ended up cutting a piece of three quarter inch plywood and putting it in the bottom of the crate and now the problem is solved. We had 5 drones in the air for this years fourth of july. It will happen eventually, lol. Would you like to see this years video?

[Bazerk]

I'm going to plead ignorance on this one. To the best of my knowledge e-match is 1.3G only, and firewire initiators are 1.4G.

I just hopped on their website and it looks like they sell a product called a "J-Tek Match" which they claim is their "professional grade" product, and they require you to send in a copy of your 54 to purchase it.

https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/9/5/j-tek-igniter

https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/6/5/mjg-firewire-initiator

Check that one. I dont believe you need a license for these bud. I use these as well as the 1.3 versions from Lynch.

[Mattp]

Wow.. thats a good thing to know.. i was always hesitant to make milk crate racks. I feel theyre so light. .. but is just so easy to do.. lol..i actually just put one together.. yup.. 25 perfecty. But i will have to go and put a piece of wood in bottom now.. thank you for that heads up!!! ohhh.. i thought i remembered you having more drones last year.. didnt realize that link was to 2016..and yes. I would watch again if you put up the link

[Rick_In_Tampa]

https://electricmatch.com/pyrotechnics/see/6/5/mjg-firewire-initiator

Check that one. I dont believe you need a license for these bud. I use these as well as the 1.3 versions from Lynch.

Correct. Those are the firewire initiators I bought. No 54 required! Had only 1 not fire last year.

[displayfireworks1]

Cobra Fireworks Firing Systems sells these Initiators (don't call them igniters) for less money than buying them direct from the manufacture MJG. Plus, on March 23 they are 10% less than the already guaranteed lowest price.

[MtnViewPyro]

Yes!!! I’m going to definitely take advantage of the 10% off and stock up.

[Icooclast]

here's a question about cobras, specifically the talon igniters: what should i look at getting length wise? i see there is a foot fuse all the way up to like 6 0r 7. so, what is a good way to decide what length igniters to get and does the length factor in to how long it takes to ignite the fuse once it receives the signal?

[vegassalute]

ROFLMAO... Quite possibly the funniest comment I've ever read in here.

Just wait and see my friend. Just wait and see. Cobra mods are like Lays potato chips. You're can't buy just 1... or 2.... or......

Ed is totally out of out of control. He is also my inspiration! I hope to be at his level one day.

Couldn't agree more Rick! I'm sitting in my office right now starring at 6 18Ms stacked up and 4 36Ms in their shiny yellow impact cases. My hope (God willing) is to double that count this year! There is no such thing as enough! I hope to be emailing Scott someday telling him the channel screen needs to be one digit larger! #CobraAddiction

[Bazerk]

here's a question about cobras, specifically the talon igniters: what should i look at getting length wise? i see there is a foot fuse all the way up to like 6 0r 7. so, what is a good way to decide what length igniters to get and does the length factor in to how long it takes to ignite the fuse once it receives the signal?

I used to go short to save money and quickly realized that it wasnt worth it. Iu se 10ft every time because it allows you the freedom to reach out to multiple boards and it also allows you to keep the module away from cakes and boards that very often catch fire after the show. Not good to melt your mods. Definately get the pelican cases also.

[Bazerk]

Cobra Fireworks Firing Systems sells these Initiators (don't call them igniters) for less money than buying them direct from the manufacture MJG. Plus, on March 23 they are 10% less than the already guaranteed lowest price.

I completely forgot about that Dave. I bought all of mine from Scott last year. Good call! I remember asking myself how it was possible that a retailer could sell them for less than the manufacturer. Either way, its the way to go!

[Icooclast]

I used to go short to save money and quickly realized that it wasnt worth it. Iu se 10ft every time because it allows you the freedom to reach out to multiple boards and it also allows you to keep the module away from cakes and boards that very often catch fire after the show. Not good to melt your mods. Definately get the pelican cases also.

thanks for the info. those are some good points to think about.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I hope to be emailing Scott someday telling him the channel screen needs to be one digit larger! #CobraAddiction

Lol... From your lips to the pyro God's ears my friend!!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I completely forgot about that Dave. I bought all of mine from Scott last year. Good call! I remember asking myself how it was possible that a retailer could sell them for less than the manufacturer. Either way, its the way to go!

We talked to the MJG owner at PGI last year about that very thing. What he told us was they don't want to be in the business of shipping out 1 box here, 2 boxes there, etc. They don't have the time or manpower for that. So they prefer to use someone like Scott Smith to be their sole distributor. Makes sense.

[rkmcdon]

It is no sorcery sir. The video linked below was done with just 4 cobra mods. I used one as Channel 1 for the center location and used the other 3 on channel 2 for left, center and right locations. I am also attaching the excel file showing the firing list so you can see what I did. Basically, I start by getting the burn times of every firework I am using so that I can time everything while attempting to not have any down time (dead sky). In this video, where there is dead sky, it is intentional. I will say that I did end up with a bunch of 200g cakes that came into my possession after I had written the script which is what the first 5 minutes of this show started with. These were fused together using quick match in sets of 4 and manually firing each fuse with 1 cue on a 5th module. So the remaining 14 minutes of the show was done using only 4 mods. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Lastly, invest in the Corba Show Creator when you do get the cobra gear. Its $60 for 2 years and worth every penny!


https://youtu.be/UyU1D60HTZ0
2899

Terrific show. Thanks for the video link and your excel sheet. It looks like others have posted the sale this weekend, which i'm pretty excited about. If they repeat the 18r2 with 1 mod for $399, i will have a cobra system for this 4th.

I really appreciate all the info and assistance here.

[CMiller]

It is no sorcery sir. The video linked below was done with just 4 cobra mods. I used one as Channel 1 for the center location and used the other 3 on channel 2 for left, center and right locations. I am also attaching the excel file showing the firing list so you can see what I did. Basically, I start by getting the burn times of every firework I am using so that I can time everything while attempting to not have any down time (dead sky). In this video, where there is dead sky, it is intentional. I will say that I did end up with a bunch of 200g cakes that came into my possession after I had written the script which is what the first 5 minutes of this show started with. These were fused together using quick match in sets of 4 and manually firing each fuse with 1 cue on a 5th module. So the remaining 14 minutes of the show was done using only 4 mods. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Lastly, invest in the Corba Show Creator when you do get the cobra gear. Its $60 for 2 years and worth every penny!


https://youtu.be/UyU1D60HTZ0
2899

I see by your spread sheet, there's a lot of Lynch products!

[Bazerk]

I see by your spread sheet, there's a lot of Lynch products!

I love me some Lynch. Great family and have good pricing and good product. I will be driving there again this year for the demo night. Also, just so everyone knows, that isnt an excel spreadsheet, that is a screen shot from within the Cobra Creator Software.

[MontanaMike]

here's a question about cobras, specifically the talon igniters: what should i look at getting length wise? i see there is a foot fuse all the way up to like 6 0r 7. so, what is a good way to decide what length igniters to get and does the length factor in to how long it takes to ignite the fuse once it receives the signal?

I always use the 5m Talons, as already stated they work well to keep your mod far from your board. The only consideration is if you're wiring 4 talons on one cue, the extra wire provides a bit of resistance so it cuts the current available to each Talon, so if you're planning a lot of that, then you might want to think about shorter wires. But we've never had a problem with the 5m length.

The length of wire does not change the time it takes to light the fuse.