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F.O.A. MG - The Belt-Fed Dart Launcher

This is the belt-fed dart gun that I built because: why not? It took me a few months to design and model. Printing actually went quickly compared to designing. The gears took the longest. It was a "eureka" moment when I realized I could build a transmission into the thing. The motor spins at about 12 kRPM, but the feed drive needs to turn at about 50 rpm. That kind of reduction wasn't easy in such a tight space. I didn't realize the torque would be such an issue. During testing, I split 4 or 5 different drive shafts before switching to aluminum. The whole firing system needs a redesign. It does work, but I think a redesign would really let it shine.

Successful Test!!

This was the most successful test fire we did.

Accelerators

A quick test of the accelerators

Firing system and belt feeder test

A quick test of the reciprocator, and belt feed

Nylon Gears

This little gear system reduces speed and puts out some torque!

Fully Assembeled

This is the FOA-MG in the wild. It's like an "I-Spy" picture. Can you find 3 fans, 9 foam darts, and all my spare time?

The Project

This is a full view of the blend file for this project. It involved creating the device, as well as the belt which held and fed the darts.

Dart Accelerators

These are the "dart accelerators". It's a series of rollers, all geared to the same motor, designed to feed darts through. The wheels were printed with TPU, and the gears were printed with nylon. They were locked together on a wood dowel as an axle.