This Raspberry Pi Nerf blaster is insanely over-engineered

If you’ve ever wanted to create the Nerf blaster of your dreams, no one understands you better than maker and developer JustFPV1, as he’s known as over at Reddit. Using one of our favorite microcontrollers, the Raspberry Pi RP2040, he’s engineered an insanely cool Nerf gun that shoots darts with crazy accuracy and more features than you can shake a dart at. He’s dubbed the creation Stinger and considers it the “world’s most advanced Nerf blaster.” It’s required months and months of work to get it where it is today and we’re beyond impressed.

Stinger has been souped up with a really high FPS that JustFPV1 suggests is well above 200. This is thanks to a dual-stage brushless drivetrain that helps match the motor RPMs for exceedingly accurate response times in the range of less than 100ms to fire when triggered. It’s also capable of detecting jams.

It features an HD screen that you can use to adjust settings and rotate through menu options with the help of a joystick. You can also store up to 5 unique profiles on Stinger to make it easy to swap between preferred settings. According to JustFPV1, the screen isn’t glued to the body and isn’t very difficult to remove and change, if desired.

The body was built from scratch, as well. JustFPV1 goes on to explain that the sides are made from laser-cut brushed aluminum which not only makes for a solid, durable build but also doubles as a heatsink for the motors. The stock is made with carbon fiber and has flexibility for modding with various mounts. Don’t let the materials throw you off, though, JustFPV1 assures it’s not very thick at all with the widest wall measuring 28mm.

As we mentioned before, Stinger features an RP2040 microprocessor. JustFPV1 is using it to power his custom PCB which is connected to all of the hardware (motors, etc) including an IR gate that helps detect magazine loads. In addition, there are some safety features put into place like a gyroscopic sensor to help avoid firing when Stinger is aimed down or upward.

Overall, this is one heck of a build that looks just as fun to put together as it does to use once it’s assembled. If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project in action, you can check out a demo video shared on YouTube and read more about it in greater detail in the project thread shared to Reddit.