detonator

thumb|Top: small nonel detonator with 2 ms delay for chaining nonel tubes; middle: class B SPD detonator; bottom: class C SPD detonator thumb|Inserting detonators into blocks of C-4 explosive

A detonator or blasting cap is a small explosive device or small quantity of explosive, which can be combined with a fuse, used for detonating a larger charge of high explosive. Detonators come in a variety of types, depending on how they are initiated (chemically, mechanically, or electrically) and details of their inner working, which often involve several stages. Types of detonators include non-electric and electric. Non-electric detonators are typically stab or pyrotechnic while electric are typically "hot wire" (low voltage), exploding bridge wire (high voltage) or explosive foil (very high voltage).