To light multiple motors at once, such as in a cluster, you need a “clip whip.” You can make clip-whips for two, three, or four motors, more if you dare.
For each ignitor, you will need:
- 2 copper micro-clips (with flat jaws; they grip ignitors better than alligator clips); Radio Shack sells these in packets.
- A length of 20 or 22 gauge 2-conductor speaker wire. I use the kind with one copper and one nickel lead in clear plastic insulation. The exact length is not important, 10-18” is good; all whips in a set should be about equal. Because this is a small gauge of wire, excessive length is excessive resistance.
- Solder.
I use “match-point” or “tape” solder, which can be melted in a match flame. (Heat the wire in the flame and slowly add solder by touching it to the hot part so that it melts into the connection.) If you have a soldering iron, then use what suits you.
Split each end of each lead about 2” at each end, and strip about 1/2” of insulation off every wire end. Refer to the illustration above. Crimp and solder a pair of micro-clips on one end of each set. Then gather all the loose copper ends; twist and solder together. Do the same with all the loose nickel ends.
On the pad, hook a pair of micro-clips to each ignitor. (If there are more leads than ignitors, such as if you are firing a two-engine cluster with a three-lead clip whip, just make sure the extra set does not short out.) Hook your regular launch system clips to the free twisted, soldered ends. Countdown and launch!
Submitted by: Peter W. Clay