What ematches / initiators / augmentation do you use to light your motors.

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Ravenex

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I am starting a research / development project to make a head end ignition (HEI) closure. Eventually I would like to offer it as an item for purchase to be used under research launch rules. My overall goals are to make the unit as safe as possible, to make it easy to use/rebuild and to make it as versatile as possible. To make it as safe as possible I plan to design the closure with a built in circuit with a shunt and electrostatic discharge protection. I am also considering a fuse element that would blow in the case of a faulty wire or altimeter putting current through the shunt. In order to make the closure as versatile as possible I want to verify it can be safely used with a wide range of ignition methods. I plan to test as many of these as possible with and without my closure, shunted and not, to determine the sensitivity to electrostatic discharge.

I am looking to compile a list of the types of ignition sources and augmentation people use so that I can perform these tests. I will compile the list in the second post of this thread, please check the list before posting a new method to avoid duplication. Also please highlight if your posting a new method so that I can separate that from the rest of the discussion this thread may generate. If something about your ignition method would fall under rules for research discussions, such as specific chemical mixes, please send those in a message.
 
Several commercial options from electricmatch.
https://electricmatch.com/rocketry
Several options from Rocketflite.
https://www.rocketflite.com/
Several options from Quickburst.
https://quickburst.net/qb/
I also use pyrodex pellets and get a similar result as CTI pressed pellets (due to current ammo shortages, these may be hard to source)
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/pyrodex-pellets?searchTerm=Pyrodex+Pellets
Depending on the motor size, I also make my own with 34AWG magnetwire and 40AWG nichrome using silver solder.
 
U might want to ask in the staging/cluster section. There will be many more astute folks over there that may use a HED igniton closure.
 
For my O-M flight I used the igniter from the CTI M2020, in parallel with an eMatch, and both of those were embedded in a grain from an E28 White Lightning motor. This HEI assembly resided in the top of the M and performed the ignition of the sustainer.
 
I light my AeroTech motors with the igniters they come with. In 20+ years of mid-power rockets, I have NEVER had one to fail.
 
Once you make energetic materials for sale, you open a whole can of worms. Starting with an ATFE manufacturer's license, local laws, insurance, etc. Make them for your own use and you may share the info without running into the problems. For low current starters, I just dip Firewires in Quickburst ProCast. I've got a sequence of posts in the 18 mm motors thread on making tiny starters for my 18 mm D grain motors.
 
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