Development of a YAMUGAG-20 Wireless Exploder for Safe Disposal of Military and Civil Explosives

Abstract

YAMUGAG-20 Exploder is a Radio Frequency (RF)-based wireless exploder system designed and constructed specially for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to overcome the challenges associated with the existing wired exploders used for the disposal of unserviceable ordnances. The Exploder system has three main parts namely, the master transmitter unit, the master receiver/slave transmitter unit, and the slave receiver unit. Each of these units is made up of transceiver module, microcomputer and power source. The microcomputers were programmed using C and C++ programming language of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) software. The exploder is portable and easy to operate. For a typical demolition exercise, the operation of the exploder is such that signals are relayed from the master transmitter unit to the master receiver/slave transmitter unit onto the slave receiver unit to initiate an electric detonator leading to the detonation of the unserviceable ordnances. Functionality, range, power consumption, and system reliability tests were conducted on the exploder to establish its performance and efficiency. The results obtained from the tests indicated that the exploder transmitting at a frequency of 2.4GHz performed satisfactorily up to a range of 1000 meters. Therefore, the exploder has the potential of not only meeting the demolition demands of the NAF but can also be applied for other nonmilitary purposes like mining and related activities.