Exploring the Inner Workings of a Christmas Laser Projector: A Teardown

The Post-Holiday Retail Scene

In the realm of major retailers, December 26th marks a significant transition. The festive tunes shift from Christmas melodies to the more universally appealing Top 40 hits. Store decorations, embodying the holiday spirit, are unceremoniously discarded into compactors.

Anything remotely tied to the season goes on a drastic clearance. The most commercialized holiday season concludes, making way for business as usual.

Conventional Methods and Limitations

Traditionally mundane, post-Christmas deals on decorations have taken a technological turn in recent years. Among the advancements are addressable RGB LED strands, effects controlled via Bluetooth, and, more recently, laser technology. Laser projectors, with their ease of use and efficiency, have gained popularity as a preferred Christmas decoration.

Amidst the aftermath of the Great Holiday Unloading, a surprising find emerged at Home Depot—a NEWFEEL Holiday Multi-Color Light Projector priced at approximately $270, reflecting a 75% reduction from the regular price. A deal too enticing to ignore, this projector beckoned further exploration into its inner workings.

Upon disassembly, the projector revealed a not-so-common feature: three lasers. While typical projectors feature red and green lasers, this one added a blue laser to the mix (440 nm). What stood out was the presence of only two laser apertures in the front, suggesting an internal beam combiner allowing two lasers to share a single window. The choice of a beam combiner over redesigned cases hinted at cost-effectiveness.

Removing the back cover exposed a noteworthy design element—the external heatsink. The "knuckle" on the mounting stake, initially perceived as a design choice to reduce material, turned out to be intricately linked to the primary laser heatsink. This connection facilitated heat dissipation outside the airtight body, albeit not flawlessly.

Further disassembly unveiled a sled housing all internal components, thoughtfully designed for accessibility. Connectors were used instead of direct soldering, simplifying the stripping down process. Notably, motorized optics occupied the front, while the rear housed the primary heatsink containing blue and green lasers. The red laser occupied a smaller heatsink, strategically positioned for the beam combiner to merge red and green beams from the same aperture.

Inviting Suggestions for Future Teardowns

As this Christmas laser projector teardown comes to a close, we welcome suggestions from readers for future teardown explorations. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.