The Sparkular is a DMX-controllable device that is capable of projecting up to a five-meter fountain of sparkles. This new product debuted at LDI 2016 and was named Best Debuting Product: Special Effects category. Since its inception, it has been used on the largest stages, from presidential campaigns to the 2016 American Music Awards.
A Novel Effect
Developed by Showven, a China-based company, and distributed by Sparktacular in the U.S., the Sparkular machine works by heating up small “grains,” made of a mixture of zirconium and titanium, which are loaded into the machine from small pouches. These pouches come with a safety interlock system which must be used to unlock the machine for firing, which helps prevent unauthorized persons from firing an unapproved or unauthorized substance.
The devices themselves are small rectangular boxes with a control surface on the rear and PowerCON in and pass-throughs for daisy-chaining several units together. There’s also a power switch and a reader for the safety interlock included with each pouch of granules, along with 3-pin DMX ins and pass-throughs.
To use, the granules are loaded into the machine, and each 200-gram packet gives the operator approximately 10 total minutes of firing time, in 90-second increments with a cooldown time, which means no reloading the device after a single shot. These grains produce cool sparks, with demonstrators at LDI showing how cool they were by holding their hands or pieces of paper in the path of the projected sparks. It does not use flames or a pilot light to ignite the effect. The effect also produces 80 percent less smoke than a traditional gerb, and leaves virtually no odor in the air. And due to the cool nature of the sparks and the lack of smoke and odor, they’re the perfect effect to use indoors.
Controlling the units can be done by either DMX or by a dedicated Sparkular controller. The operator can control the height (up to about 16 feet or five meters), and the volume of sparks, by adjusting DMX values. This allows designers to create truly stunning effects; no longer does every effect have to be a single-shot pyrotechnic device. Chases, effects, bumps, and any other programming tricks can be used with the Sparkular, just like any other intelligent fixture. The machines produce a fair bit of noise when creating the spark effect, but this is not unexpected. Each machine runs on 110-120VAC, and is rated at 3.3A of power.
To help comply with local laws and regulations, the company provides a screening service for companies wishing to purchase the effect. After screening, they provide a full training course that teaches setup, operation, and maintenance of the machine. They then interface with local fire departments all over the country, and provide both operators and fire departments paperwork, machine serial numbers, and information on the company using the effect. While many states and municipalities are using this system, it’s important to check with local laws and regulations when advancing a show using the Sparkular.
At a Glance
Cool Sparks Flying
The Sparkular is a truly innovative indoor fountain display effect — freeing productions from the hassle of multiple of shot type of effects. The visuals it produces are stunning to stare at and safe to touch, with no use of gunpowder or traditional pyro techniques.
The Sparkular
PROS: Innovated effect that can be used indoors. Odorless. Smokeless. Minimal heat. Easy to program effects
CONS: Must run on 110-120V power
- SPECS
- Wattage: 663W
- Voltage: 110-120V
- Size: 10” x 10” x 14”
- Housing: Black Aluminum w/rounded edges
- Weight: 22 lbs.
- MSRP: Contact Dealer
- More Info: www.sparkular.co
