I was searching for a tutorial that found a simple way to insert an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and batteries into a Nerf dart, so it will be lit as it is shot, and continues to stay on even after it landed, for simple finding in the dark, and an artistic feel if many of these LED darts are made in many colors. I couldn't find one, so decided to make my own!
Tools:
-Hobby cutting knife
-Electrical Tape
Parts:
-3mm LED
-2 Button cell batteries
(AG12 386 fit perfectly for me)
-Nerf dart
(The one for the Raider and
Longshot worked for me)
Anatomy of the Nerf dart
A Nerf dart cut in half:
Step One: Prepare the dart
Start off by measuring about half an inch from the top of the Nerf dart (not the orange rubber, measure from where the rubber meets the foam down) and cut around the foam in a circle. There will be the rubber down the tube of the dart as shown in the picture above, but just cut around it. Don't worry about the rubber, just carefully pull it out from both the larger part of the Nerf dart, and the smaller piece you just cut out. Notice that the smaller foam piece will be used later! so do not cut it up or throw it away, just pull the orange rubber out of it slowly, and put it aside for now. Your cut up dart should look something like this:
Step Two: Prepare LED
Take your 3mm LED and bend the leads into a little holder for the button batteries. It should be relatively simple to do this, even using your hobby knife to twist into a little circle. Make sure It doesn't really matter which way you make the leads into a holder because you can flip the batteries if the anode is onto or on bottom. The leads should be long enough to do this. Make sure your holder is not too large, it should fit perfectly, or even slightly smaller over the foam dart, without sticking out. Take a look:
And insert batteries to test the light. Also take a small piece of electrical tape and put around the side of the longer lead so that the batteries don't touch the side of the lead, causing a short. Your LED holder with batteries inserted should look something like this: (note the electrical tape)
Step Three: Combining everything
Wrap the LED leads and batteries in electrical tape. It should be strong enough for you to be able to throw it around, with the LED staying on. Now you can bring back both the long and short foam pieces from the dart. Try to line them up and see that everything can fit together nicely:
Tape the LED holder with batteries to the large foam dart. Try and make sure the tape is not too long, as not to cause the dart to become too wide.
Finally, tape the top smaller foam piece to the battery holder, trying to leave as much foam viewable as possible, for the more foam you see at the top, the more you see glowing. Note that you might have to cut a little piece of the top smaller foam's one side in order it fit it around the LED lead, like this:
The final product:
The batteries should last for hours if not longer, depending on their quality. As for the dart itself, the shooting distance is decreased (significantly), but i was able to shoot it about ten or so feet. Considering you use smaller batteries, possibly assemble the dart differently, it's very possible that you can make it shoot like an ordinary dart. Finally a video of the dart and a sample of shooting the dart from a Maverick. I did try it also with the Raider blaster, the dart only went about a foot or two, and the second time shooting the dart didn't even leave the barrel. Looks like the Maverick is the best gun to use for the dart.
If anybody creates this, modifies it, or makes it better please send me links to your videos or pictures, ill be more then happy to post your revision of this!!!
