If you are using pyrotechnics as part of a trap device, the charge must be at least 10 metres from the trap mechanism to prevent the 'scout' from being injured should the trap be fired. A number of electrical trigger switches can be easily made to fire pyrotechnics traps
NEVER trap the inside of a box with a pyrotechnic!
With a couple of drawing pins, some electrical wire, a bit of plastic (from a washing up bottle) and a length of fishing line, a peg can be turned into a superb trip wire switch. By connecting the electrical wire to the two drawing pins and pushing the pins into the jaws of the peg, you have a simple connector. To insulate the two pins place the piece of plastic between them and tie the fishing line to it. By stringing the line across a path to be taken by the adventurers, the plastic insulator will be pulled out when the trip-wire is disturbed thus connecting the circuit and firing the device
This device is easily made, and again is used with a trip wire. If the wire is pulled or cut the trap will operate. All you need is a sheet of wood about 6" square, five 2" (un-galvanised) nails, a tension spring, a 4" length of dowel, some electrical wire, a trip wire and some silver foil.
Four of the nails are hammered into the wood and left with about a 1" clearance, they should be arranged as the corners of a 3" square, the last nail is placed near the edge of the sheet in line with the middle of one side of the square and the spring is fitted to it. Wrap the dowel in the silver foil and tie the trip-wire around the dowel leaving a short length of free wire to tie the spring to the dowel. Adjust the trip wire until the dowel is in the middle of the 3" square. Fix the electrical wire to the nails as shown below and tie the other end of the trip-wire in place, the trap is now set.
Ideal for underfoot traps, can easily be concealed with mud or lose leaves. The items required to make the pad are as follows: two sheets of thin plywood (the size depends upon how big a pad you want), four small cubes of soft foam, two strips of silver foil and some electrical wire.
The foil strips are glued onto the sheets of plywood in the same position and the wires connected to them. The four foam cubes are glued into the corners of one of the sheets and the other sheet is placed on top of it, so that the two foil stripes are at 90 degrees to each other. This prevents the strips from not making contact when the pad is operated. All that remains to do is to hide the pad and connect up the battery and the pyrotechnic device as shown in below.
