Fireworks 2023 + Behind the scenes

2023 was our biggest year yet and even though the weather did not cooperate very well we still managed to have an amazing show as well as a smaller show a few days before! I also break down the process of setting up the fireworks and some of the reasoning for the layout! Hope you enjoy and can’t wait for this years show!

Electric Vehicle Presentation

This is a presentation I created for a NYU guest lecture explaining the concepts behind an EV conversion. Thank you to Cody Chu and NYU for having me!

Fireworks 2021

For 2021 with the help of some friends I built a dock to use for a fireworks show! It did not go quite as expected but we had a lot of fun!

The floats and hardware are from Great Northern Dock Company. the rest is built with treated 2x6s and deck board. We placed aluminum foil down between the fireworks and the dock which helped keep the whole dock from burning down!

Datsun 260Zero

Warhammer 40k

Warhammer 40,000 is a table top war simulator that requires the construction and painting of models in order to build an army to play against your opponents. The game relies on using 6 sided dice in order to determine how many hits your opponents take and other aspects of the game. The goal of the game is to complete objectives (usually securing points by moving models onto the numbered circles above) and to secure victory points.

Models come in parts on plastic sprews that are snipped off, glued together based on instructions, then attached to a base. Sand is glued on the base to create a more realistic effect. The assembled models are then base painted like shown above. The models have example painting schemes but you are allowed to exercise creative discrestion. The models here were spraypainted blue then hand painted white on specific panels to create a better effect. From this point other details are added slowly such as gold accents, brown leather, and silver weapons. after all the base colors are added a wash is used to deepen the contrast and create realistic shadows. After this a dry brush technique is used to create the appearance of dirt and worn panels. Additionally edge heighlighting can be used to make panels really show. Tufts of fake grass are used to further sell the effect of the base and make for a realistic depiction of a battle scene.

These models are a part of the Ultramarines faction of the Adeptus Astartes, they focus on well roundedness and are the most representative faction of the game.

These models are the Necron faction and they have special rules that allow them to resurrect models that have been defeated.

In total I painted the entire Indomitus box set including 24 Ultramarines and 36 Nectron models, each model has its own personality and details that required a lot of attention. Additionally I magnetized the bases so that they would attach to the custom box I created to allow for ease of transportation.

Terrariums

Terrariums are miniature ecosystems that allow you to create micro-biomes that are self governing. The process of creating one is fairly simple. it starts with a lidded container that is relatively big. The layers go volcanic stone, a mesh screen, charcoal pellets, a sandy substrate, then layer of dirt and landscape features, then you can add any moss or small plants you have collected out in nature. The last piece is a small insect called springtails that eat fungus and dead plants that help complete the cyclical nature of the biome and allow it to sustain itself almost indefinitely with only the occasional watering once every few months. The only other work you will need to do is occasionally trim the plants and clean the inside of the glass.

2022 Fireworks Show

For 2022 we decided to go all out for our fireworks show! I enlisted the help of friends and family to get everything ready below are some of the photos highlighting the technology and techneques we used!

We used liquid nails to glue the fireworks to boards that we used both to protect the docks and to organize the show ahead of time. I created two additional floating platforms that attached to the swim dock I made the year before. Additionally the fireworks were layed out in a linear pattern to prevent boxes that have caught fire from burning fireworks that have not been set off yet and to allow us to see how much of the show has gone off and if there are any boxes that failed to go off.

We set up a test launch using the remote ignition system I will explain below and were able to fly FPV drones to practice before the actual show!

The remote ignition system is from Cobra and allows for 18 different fire groups. The remote and main unit are both battery operated and allow for ignition from hundreds of feet away. The system works by clipping an ignitor to the fuse and then inserting the wire leads into the speaker connectors in the main unit.

We can see the boards screwed to the 3 floating platforms. The staging was done in 14 different firegroups between all 3 platforms. We were able to time different fireworks by connecting them together with fuse wire that burns at a specific rate per foot and using the provided duration of the firework to measure out fuse.

Each of the firegroups were then linked to the cobra box in order. Making sure each connector was in the correct order was essencial to the success of the show. Over all we only had 3 or 4 boxes fail to go off and had 2 small fires on the platforms which were easily put out with a bucket and did not result in any spontanous ignitions. The whole assembly was then dragged out onto the lake by our boat and an ancher set, about 200 feet from the shore. My friends and I then stayed on the boat and started the show!

My thanks to everyone who helped record the event!

My friend Marcus captured the video on the boat as I drove and the Drone footage was captured by my other friend Cody! Over all the event was a huge success and I had an amazing time setting everything up and the show lasted around 40 minutes in total! looking forward to out doing myself this year!