The present invention relates to a hot-wire detonator emulator that has the capability of monitoring switching in a simulated, mock, or inert improvised explosive device (IED) powered by direct current. One purpose of the inventive emulator is to function as an energetic witness substitute by replacing the detonator in an actual IED, thus enabling bomb technicians to conduct bench top and field analyses of IEDs, and to assess the effectiveness of render-safe procedures by, for example, illustrating how a detonator would react in a render-safe procedure.