Fixing Gemmy Outdoor Projector LED Light
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 02. 2020
- I now recommend using 3W LEDs when making the replacement, such as these:
amzn.to/3FGCiBP
An LED light failed on this Gemmy kaleidoscope projector LED light (the kind you use for Christmas and Halloween) after very little use. Fortunately there's no need to scrap it when we can easily repair with a new LED.
The construction of these lights is actually pretty simple and they cost just enough that it's worth repairing them rather than throwing them out. Plus it's a great way to practice those soldering skills.
The little pieces of plastic seem to determine what kaleidoscope pattern you end up seeing, so it could be a fun experiment to 3D print your own designs.
I also used thermal paste to ensure a good connection between the back of the LED and the copper on the PCB (for heatsinking):
amzn.to/2Skrlzn
And when you screw it all up and don't want to admit it to your partner, grab a new one here:
amzn.to/3byhuxE
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
WARNING: ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE INFORMATION IN THIS VIDEO IS ACCURATE OR SAFE AND TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY HARM OR DAMAGE THAT COMES FROM UTILIZING THIS INFORMATION. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER TRAINING BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY REPAIRS.
Thanks v. much! Helpful to have the listing for the replacement bulbs! Great for all of us trying to fix whatever breaks!
LEDS received from across the ocean. Installed and damn...nearly blinded myself. Hardest part was putting the electronics back in the holder. Thanks again for the repair video !
Woohoo! Congrats Mike, nicely done!
This method 100% worked for me. I would also search other color LED bulbs in case you want to have a direct replace instead of white. Thank you so much for this video!
That's great, nice work!
Found your CZcams video on these Gemmy lights, when searching for the LED board. YEAH ! LEDs tested - two bad. New ones ordered. Thank You j!
Great to hear! Good luck on the repair, it's not too bad.
ADDENDUM: I now recommend using 3W LEDs rather than 1W when making the replacement. 1W seems to burn out prematurely and I seem to have better success with 3W. See video description. Glad this video is still helping people very year!
Well. Yours was the answer I was looking for alright. 😄 Seems to me it isn’t worth messing with them unless you are really attached to them. I Know my husband is not going to go to that much bother. Thank you all the same as this Was very interesting And informative. Merry Christmas🙂
Haha fair enough! No point in getting all the equipment to fix it if you're not already into soldering and electronics.
Nice job. That thing is bright!
Thanks! And yes other than this one failing so early I actually do really like these lights.
Finally a way to fix these lights I am a huge fan and collector of Gemmy lights and animatronic items I can fix the animatronics no problem but I could never for the life of me get any of my lights working again And thanks to your video I’m able to get my lights working thankfully I didn’t throw them away Thanks for the awesome video
You're very welcome and glad to hear you can fix them now :) hardest part was figuring out which LED is the correct replacement!
I may need your help Mr Halloween Christmas Ghost Boi - I have a Winged Angel of Death who in the process of fixing the broken wing apparatus, some of the animatronic wires got disconnected in the main box and I don't know which ones go to what. Is this something that you may be able to assist with?
So glad I found this as the star wars model no longer made. Will revise once complete.
Awesome! Yea it sucks if you can't replace a light you love anymore. You got this!
And thank you do much u make this video
I have several lights that stopped working. I was thinking about fixing them. Thank you for the video. I know now I will not be doing that. I got some free lights for you to fix if you want them
Fair enough :) Not sure the shipping costs would be worth the lights but thanks for the offer.
This is great and helpful. I thought it what I was looking for but I needed to know how to get the plastic lens off mine. It might be different than this one as it looks like I have to break the snaps to take it off. Mine just projects Christmas presents, but the wheel stopped turning.
It's possible but check carefully before you start snapping things. Sometimes screws are very hard to find, or hidden behind plugs. I've learned that the hard way many times. Good luck!
Excellent work I’ll have to rewatch this if any of my lights stop working
Same thing happened to me! Brand new out the box and not working. So glad to find this video. Just isn’t worth the effort for me
Sorry to hear Janise! Hopefully you can return it.
I think I'd just replace it Lol!
But great info!
Just fixed mine today. The bulbs are in series and are POLARIZED. So if one goes out, all three will not light until you replace the culprit(s). Make sure you have the + and - leads correct or the replacement will not light at all.
Nice work!
@@MattInglot Thanks to you!
They aren't "bulbs", they are "light emitting diodes" (aka LEDS). All LEDs have an anode and a cathode + and - respectively for forward bias) because their original purpose is to block the flow of current in one direction (rectification). They are how you convert AC to DC among other things. So any time you use a diode, you have to be aware of its polarity.
@@FredDeckerNC how do you know the polarity?
The board itself usually has the + and - printed on it. To check Led polarity -check it with a 3 volt power source if it isn’t marked. The Leds will only light up if you have it correct.
Can you please make a video showing how you take it apart and put it back together? Would also love links for ALL the tools and products you used ( the tool to test the LED, thermal paste, soldering tool, etc.) I’m a newbie and don’t have these things on hand!
I have a couple of these that have gone dim I'm going to take a shot at replacing the capacitors on the board and see if that works I'll let you know if it works.
If you get it fixed would love to know! I think someone else in the comments had this issue too.
Where can I get a replacement remote for this? My light has 10+ options and is stuck on one because my remote quit working.
Did you ever figure this out? My remote is broke and mine is stuck on green.
Highly informative...however, would you mind sharing how you removed the lens portion?
There are 3 pocket holes in the case with torx screws in them. I forget the size (you could scroll through comments maybe it's listed somewhere), but basically you want a really long torx screw driver. The allen key style torx sets work great for this, just make sure to get long ones.
good
What size screwdriver to use on screws holding the outer plastic cover?
Mine came out with a torx 10 screw driver
I cannot get to the 3 mounting screws, and remove them from the black piece. Did you use a hex driver to remove them?
They are torx. I used a torx key set, those ones that look like Allen keys but are torx bits. You can find tonnes by searching on Amazon. You want a nice long one because the pocket holes are pretty deep
Matt - Excellent video and thanks for sharing. I have a couple that I need to fix as replacing them can get costly. I was curious though, I have one in particular that the motor runs just fine, but all of the lights go out after a couple of minutes. I can let it "rest" for a day and the same thing happens. This is the purple and orange Fire and Ice light. Is this the cause of 1 bulb not working that all of them would go out? I checked with the multimeter and the power going to the board itself gets power, but none of the lights do. I have to wait a while before I can test again with the multimeter to see if the lights come back on. Let me know your thoughts.
I can only think of two things: if it consistently goes out after a couple minutes and you don't see voltage, it sounds a lot like the AC=>DC converter might have something overheating causing it to stop working. Or possibly a loose connection that just happens to get loose after a few minutes. It seems that this is another possible weak point of these lights. Unfortunately trying to fix any of that means working with mains voltage, so I would honestly trash it and live to see another day rather than risk hurting yourself.
The power supplies are known as "LED Drivers". You could fix them (usually the large capacitor fails and blows gunk out the white case and into the entire assembly) or buy replacements from China. Look for the 9-18V 4W version that will fit in the case.
Great video. Yes, these lights fail often. Question - I have one in which the motor spins and the leds light, but they are very very dim (barely light).. What could that mean and/or what would be the possible fix?
Another commenter made a good point that dim LEDs could mean bad capacitors. However that requires working on circuitry that touches mains power, so my advice would be to toss it unless you know exactly what you're doing.
@@MattInglot I have the same issue with dim LEDs. Not worth the effort diagnosing this for the $20 or whatever these things cost nowadays. Thanks for the video though. Only one I could find about this exact light. Might want to add "N1W3LED-2" to your video description for more hits. There are zero hits for that on Google and Bing and that's what's printed on the circuit board.
One other related question. If I have a white light that dims, and a blue one that does not , can I swap the LED parts to get a working white one? If so, which parts, and does this require soldering? I have extra blue ones I picked up for a few dollars on Halloween day.
I wouldn't suggest it since putting blue leds into a white light will give you a blue light, so you're back where you started (if I understand what you are saying correctly).
Two questions... Mine flickers on and off... So it's almost like a loose connection..
Any ideas? Also is it hard to take apart? Did you have to use a Dremel tool and cut the thing open? Thanks
No idea why it's flickering (and I would be curious how consistent the flicker is, frequency, etc...). It is easy to open there are 3 screws hidden in the pocket holes. You need a torx key. I forget the size, but if you have a set of them you should be able to find one that fits. Make sure it's a long set not a short set so that they can actually reach. No dremel or destruction required (unlike the shredder I've been trying to get into without destroying).
T10 or 11 torx
We have one of these that works and is bright when it is first turned on. After a few minutes, it dims significantly, but keeps working. If I unplug it, the light keeps emitting for 1-2 seconds, then flashes bright, then off. All LEDs seem to be on, just the dimming issue. Suggestions?
Any way to fix it when it lights up but doesnt project
So did your last just not light up at all? Mine does this thing where it lights up fully and works fine (motor works) for a few seconds, up to maybe a few minutes and then it dims down to a point where it’s barely visible. Well more accurately, 2 of the 3 LED’s are dim and one is dim and intermittently flashing. This sound like a bad LED? Wouldn’t expect a LED to work fine for a period if it was defective, but I’m not as familiar with LED behavior and my multimeter is old and doesn’t have a diode mode.
Mine didn't light up at all because an LED blew out. If all the LEDs are dimming, I would expect they are not getting enough power, which could mean there's a lose connection where something is hanging on by a thread, or more likely something wrong with the AC=>DC convertor where it works fine when cold, then heats up, and then something no longer works. Sadly replacing LEDs here is unlikely to fix the problem and troubleshooting further requires working with mains power so I would strongly urge you to dispose of the light and just buy a new one. Sorry.
Can you tell me what voltage the DC power ends up being? I'm assuming 12v power is needed for these. Thanks.
I *think* it was 12V, but double check with your multimeter. Note that these lights plug directly into 120V, and that's what the motor seems to run off of. So if you are thinking of using some other 12V supply to power it, the whole thing isn't 12V.
The voltage is not very important, the current is. Those are constant current led drivers (aka "buck converters", aka switching mode power supplies), so the voltage varies based on the current it is designed to maintain. Do NOT substitute another kind of power supply. They appear to have used two different versions, both rated at 350mA 3W. They put out about 10VDC with 3 LEDS attached to them since each LED in series drops about 3.3V (3.3V x 3 ~ 10V). So my guess is any small enough sizewise, 9-18V constant current power supply at 300-350mA will work fine.
The idea is that LEDs brightness is controlled by current. And too much current will fry them. So a constant current source will keep them at the same brightness even if the input voltage varies a bit or the diodes age. 350mA may be overdriving them a bit to get that super brightness, which is why they may not last 100,000 hours. But I've had ones going for 9 years for 31 nights at Halloween and 31 nights at Christmas. (so 6 hours x 62 x 9 = 3348 hours so far).
These power supplies use an output transformer rather than a simpler/cheaper transformerless design which makes them a bit safer since the output is isolated from the input. Chanzon out of China is one supplier of all the electronics you would need to fix or build the same light. If you order from AliExpress or eBay (which also gets shipped from China usually) the parts are pretty cheap. Used to be great before the 2016 administration cancelled the cheap shipping China got from us ;) Not being political, just saying how crazy it was before to buy things for little to no shipping cost from China. It is still usually very inexpensive compared to US suppliers, but now you may have to pay $3 shipping on top of a $5 order. Shop around.
An note about the motor. The motors are standard 120V "synchronous" motors like are in a microwave. Synchronous means that they sync to the frequency of the AC power supply, 60Hz (cycles per second) in the US and spin with internal gears at a set multiple of that frequency (usually about 5 RPM). So you just buy one that has the revolutions per minute to match the one that burns out and has the same spindle diameter. It is a TYC-40C 120V motor. The problem is, the "C", I believe, means center post, which is almost impossible to find unless you rip them out of other Gemmy broken products and they are expensive, like $12 bucks or more. So if the motor goes, you are probably just out of luck.
It’s around 6.23 volts if the light Is Working. If not and the Leds are drawing no amp, the board is unregulated so the voltage will spike to like 16 volts.
how did you take the top off?
There are torx screws you have to unscrew. You can see these long pocket holes in the body of the light, you need to get a torx screw driver (I forget the size) into each one and unscrew those screws. That gets it open.
Mine is making a really loud noise. I'm assuming that is an issue with the motor. Any ideas on how to address this?
I wish I did, but that's the problem with troubleshooting something you don't have your hands on - if it's not an issue I've fixed (in this case, busted LEDs) then I have no idea. Thinking through it logically there's really three main possibilities I can think of:
i) Something is just interfering with the spinning wheel, like a loose piece of plastic or something like that. That's your best case scenario because you can remove it/bend it/whatever to fix the issue and you're good to go.
ii) Some component on that power board is broken and causing the issue. From what I remember the motor runs directly off 120V AC so there's very little I can think of that would cause that.
iii) Motor itself is bad. Not much to do except buy a new light and move on with life, unless you're like me and just like tinkering.
I would also test it on a different outlet that's on a different circuit (eg bring it indoors and plug it in somewhere) to rule out any issues there.
Lastly keep in mind this runs off mains power, so if you aren't comfortable with how to troubleshoot the light safely the safest and smartest choice is to buy a new one.
I got the same one except mines green blue and red lights, but what mine does is that it’s not as bright as how it was when I first got it, can anyone help me if you know something about it I’d appreciate it
Several comments have asked about the remote and changing the colors. Mine is stuck on Red and I want it to be multi color again. Is it the remote (new battery) or the receiver on the light? Thanks!!
hey Chris mine doesn't have a remote, so truthfully I don't know. It could easily be either of these, but it could also be a problem with just that color LED burning out. Something to think about. Unfortunately most of these outdoor decorations just don't seem to last very long from my experience.
Open your phone camera, point the remote at your phone and see if you see the infrared light that is invisible to your eye, but not the CMOS detector in your phone. If you do, then it is likely the light and not the remote.
Sir can u tell me how u open the cover of bulb ??
There are three deep holes in the side of the plastic that lead to screws. The screws are torx (I forget the size, sorry). Because of how deep the holes I used my torx key set rather than a screwdriver. A set like this should probably work: www.amazon.com/SATA-Tamperproof-Precision-Formed-Chamfered-Impact-Resistant/dp/B07V1JWFFX/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=torx+keys&qid=1605890546&sr=8-5
Make sure you get LONG ones and not SHORT. I'm not sure that short ones key reach.
What kind of screw is holding that together
Very good video where can i buy these bulbs
They are linked in the video description.
I had a Home Depot fire and ice light I previously bought that was literally right out of the package this year and it lasted all of 4 days. Mine has all leds on but barely lite. They flash brighten up when power is disconnected for a second.
It would be helpful to mention what the voltage going into the whole led board should be -to eliminate driver circuit issues.
I’m reading 16.4 volts which seems high, but I’m assuming that is because this is an unregulated driver board. Since all my leds are weakly lite, I’m not sure if it is the leds or the power supply.
I wouldn’t even bother with this except these lights are getting harder and harder to find super cheaply as in years past post Halloween.
When I do a diode test, each Led lights up but are all still weak. When I did a diode test with the power On, the other Leds light more brightly when I do the test on one particular Led. I’m thinking this may be because I’m bypassing a bad diode with the probes? Anyone?
@@p.granger8824 I actually dealt with this in another light this year. One bad LED can absolute make the others go dim as it turns out. To test which one you can just power the LEDs individually. The diode tester on your multimeter only delivers enough current to barely light them up, but if you have a benchtop power supply you can set the current limit to something reasonable like 20ma, and then power each LED individually to find the culprit. That's how I found mine.
If you don't have a current limiting power supply then a battery and resistor can accomplish the same.
Thanks. Now I just need to find some SM Leds. The ones on this light look smaller than the ones in the video, they are also square with no dome. Maybe I can just retro in another type if they fit under the lenses.@@MattInglot
Any thoughts on hacking a lost remote for this?
Can you place these outside for a long time and can they get wet?
They are outdoor lights.
My BIG LOTS SNOWFLURRY stops turning when it gets cold. Say 40 or lower? Works fine at around 70 deg F.
How can you tell if the remote emiter is bad or if it’s the receiver?
Point the remote at your phone camera and see if you see the infrared light that is made visible by the camera sensor
Do you know why all 3 of my leds light up but are not bright enough? They don’t project. Is it the leds that went bad?
Probably something to do with the power supply/led driver. Capacitors have come up in the comments as a possibility. However it's hard to recommend messing with that as you're working on mains voltage at that point and could get hurt.
I have a Gemmy projector with a moving spider that seems like it got stuck? The spider no longer moves. Any ideas on how to fix that?
I've never had one of the lights you describe but I looked at a video of it and I'm going to guess it's probably a similar concept to the light in this video, just the spider part probably spins very slowly. So that means there's probably a motor just like in the light in this video and for some reason it's not spinning.
So here's the hard part: why is it not spinning? You'd have to open up the light and find out. Your best scenario is that one of the wire connections to the motor failed and broke off. If you know how to solder then that's an easy repair. HOWEVER that motor probably runs directly off mains power, so you have to understand how to do this safely, including never touching anything inside while it's powered on. Repair at your own risk.
The other possibility is that the motor itself failed, or something jammed (in which case the motor has probably burned out by now if this was running while not moving, so either way you've got a failed motor). In that case you'd have to try to find a replacement motor that matches the specs of this one. I personally wouldn't bother. Toss it in the trash or use it without the moving effect. But technically it could be fixed.
@@MattInglot Thank you for your response! I appreciate it!!
Mine spins but nothing shines on the house. It was working when i first plugged it in, then an hour or so later zero Lights projecting on the house. Could all 3 have blown at once???
They are connected in series so if one dies then the other 2 won't light up either (exactly as shown in the video). But if you're going to the trouble of replacing them, you may as well replace all 3 at the same time.
Mine will be bright for a while, then goes half-bright. I suspect that the board is not supplying the full 12V. I am going to get into the innards of the light one more time! thanks for great video, Matt.
I had mine for 3 years and the lights barely died lol
I just want to know how to change the colors.
If you find different color LEDs that match the same specs as the ones I linked in terms of voltage and current, they *should* work (of course if you mess up you might destroy your light). If the LEDs have different specs then it gets more involved as you have to make the appropriate modifications to the light's circuit, which is all technically doable but at that point why not just buy a light in the color you want.
Where is the link for the lights
The link I put in the description seems to be sold out, these look similar to me: www.amazon.com/6000K-6500K-300mA-350mA-Intensity-Components-Lighting/dp/B01DBZHR1U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=High+Power+Led+Chip%2C+Super+Bright+Intensity+SMD+COB+Light+Emitter+Components+Diode+1W&qid=1602359324&sr=8-1
Use at your own risk.
The real problem with this instruction video is you don't show how to take apart the unit - in particular the transparent plastic cover - or indeed put the thing back together again. Its virtually useless without STEP 1.
Completamente de acuerdo, vine al vídeo por lo mismo
The tops generally come off with 3 or 4 screws coming from the back. The problem is, a lot of the time these are not standard screws and the spacing is pretty small. You need some decent small screwdrivers and maybe star pattern heads.
The screws inside are small Phillips.
The rotating lens is removed by placing a knife blade against the compression ring and prying up a couple legs.
can i change the color of the light anywhere
You could probably replace them with color LEDs. Without going too far down the electronics rabbit hole, you could try to find a color LED with the same voltage drop and current rating as these ones. I haven't done the search so I don't know how easy or difficult that is. You would probably want to replace all 3 if you do this, and of course, you do so at your own risk.
I have Applights models where you can change the color and effect of them. The only issue is that you have to be within Bluetooth range to control them.
I just couldn't stop looking at those silly huge warning labels which were not removed those things go in the bin right after the twist ties when I by lights.
Way less lazy than me ;)
@@MattInglot Great video by the way; I guess one good thing about being anal retentive is that it counter acts my impulse to be lazy Haha.
Take the plastic wheel off. You can hot glue it back on. Don’t be a slave to a little snap ring
😂
The snap ring was easy to pop off but the plastic diffuser wheel was held on to the motor’s shaft so tight that it needed a vice and gentle tapping to remove. Unfortunately for me, the problem with the three LEDs is most likely something on the circuit board; probably a faulty power supply. All three LEDs will illuminate but very dimly. Could be a capacitor, but my desire to probe around with the damn thing plugged into the wall was not up to the task
@@teodelfuego sorry to hear! Thanks for the tip on getting the wheel off, maybe it will be useful to others.
Would you be willing to accept a repair commission?! 😅
Sorry I don't offer repairs, but hope you can find someone that can help!
Can I send you mine for repair? :)
Haha sorry no :) I don't do repair services and by the time you are done paying someone to do this you could have just bought a new light. Unfortunately that's kind of the disposable model of these things.
Mine just blinks
Any interest in fixing 2 of ours?
I'm afraid I don't offer it as a service but thanks for asking.
You failed to show how it went back in.
I have no idea to be honest. The smart thing to do would be to take photos or carefully examine it at each stage of deconstruction. I just end up awkwardly wrestling with it for 15 minutes until finally it somehow all fits.
Light failed out of the box.
I live 25 km away from the store. Not worth the carbon footprint to return it right away. I couldn't find the receipt anyway. I got them to replace the ones I bought last year that died. Because this problem is so common the manufacturer should be made to either replace or repair the projectors. If they die after one or two seasons. This is just so much more e-waste into our landfills. Or we ship them offshore and pollute some small poor country. Because the manufacturer bought the lowest, poorest quality product. I've had some of these for over a decade. I run them 10 hours a day for a month. They still work. Some of these newer models fail out of the package. If the maker was held responsible for the returns and shipping cost it would make quality job 1. I think the stores have realized how poorly made these are and stopped carrying them. Walmart didn't have any this year. Canadian Tire hardly had any. They've started selling a unit that screws into a light socket. I see my local HD (25 km away) is out of stock. I guess they're sick of marking them down after Christmas.
Right! You used to see these all over like at Lowe’s and Home Depot. I bought them for $5-$6 after Halloween. Now these stores don’t even carry them. Since I’m not paying $25 for these cheap lights, I’m trying to maintain what I’ve got.