A 10 ohm quarter watt resistor with 12V applied across it. It passes 1.2A which means it dissipates 14.4W which is over 57 times its rated power. As such it smokes then bursts into flames. (Yay!)
(Note the use of a traditional quarter watt, 10 ohm carbon film resistor. These burn better than metal film ones.)

12 thoughts on “Resistor as igniter.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Alex says:

    Wer kommt hier auch noch von AM?

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Anton Art says:

    niiiiice

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Sikandar shaikh123 says:

    how much time it take to ignite

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bill Dady says:

    That takes me back – one of the first things I did after building my first power supply lol

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Slot1Gamer says:

    what about with 240v? 😛

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bigclivedotcom says:

    Yes. 8 Alkaline AA cells or 10 rechargeable AA cells should provide 12V with enough current to ignite the resistors.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars geten says:

    Do you think 8 AA-batteries in series will ignite one a 10ohm 0.25w resistor? I'm designing a swall portable ignition system that will be running on this.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bigclivedotcom says:

    Dude, you have 220V at your disposal at the dryer socket. 🙂
    Here in the UK our mains voltage is 230V as standard so things tend to make bigger bangs when they fail.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bigclivedotcom says:

    When mains voltage is used (not recommended) the resistor will usually fail with a bang as demonstrated in some of my other videos. Lots of fun in itself, but not ideal for firework ignition.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Stan Gibilisco says:

    I tried a similar experiment and got a considerably more violent result!

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bigclivedotcom says:

    @frosty956 I've tried a few different brands of quarter watt carbon film resistors and they all work. They do go open circuit, but get white hot and emit flames in the process. You can't just keep re-using them, you need a new one each time.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Erik Fasterling says:

    can you re-use it??

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.