De-meh-lition: GE Motion-Tracking LED Security Spotlight

Welcome to the fourth text-based entry in this ongoing series! Today we're going to examine this new entry in "products we've sold with some semblance of awareness of their surroundings," this motion-tracking spotlight, which is very good at pointing itself right in your face automatically so you get to see those little purple burn-in spots floating around for a while whenever you turn it on.

What you'll need

You'll need, in no particular order:

• One (1) GE Motion-Tracking LED Security Spotlight
• A tool kit, or at least a couple of small screwdrivers
• Electrical tape (not pictured)
• Snacks

We need more power!

The first thing you may notice about this light is that GE apparently expects you to install it in a wall, like you would a normal light fixture. That's not how we roll here in the Demehlition Department¹. How am I going to test this thing's components if I can't plug it in?

My colleagues here helpfully found and cut off the cord to a fish pump we weren't using. You probably have something similar sitting around. Peel apart the wires and strip the ends with either wire strippers, or in my tool-deficient case, carefully applied scissors.

Twist the ends of each cord together with an end of the cords on the light. You'll want to make sure they don't separate too readily.

Then, wrap each one in electrical tape. I didn't have electrical tape, so I used these fantastic "Made in U.S.A." flag stickers instead. They're non-conductive, so it's safe, but I don't recommend this for any sort of long-term solution.

Plug it in, and it wo- OW DAMNIT MY EYES

Okay, this thing is bright. Let's avoid looking straight at this from now on. On the upside, it seems to work just fine. Time to make it stop working!

The top

Let's start with the top here, which is half solid plastic and half spider entry point. There's four screws here, but the top assembly won't come off just yet. Just set the screws aside in a small container, such as a rinsed out bowl previously meant for diced pears.

Next, you'll want to remove is this heat sink in the back. There's six screws here, pretty deep in. They don't quite come out all the way, so you'll want some tweezers to get them out. If you don't have tweezers, a plastic fork, such the one I just used to eat diced pears, will do just fine.

Once the screws are gone, the heat sink and attached LEDs will come out. Go ahead and unscrew the LED panel from the heat sink if you like; it will make things easier to maneuver². Just don't leave it plugged in for too long with the heat sink detached.

Speaking of plugging it in, let's see what the LED's look like without the lenses in front of t-FRIGGING HELL AGH

Yep, still bright. Also note the easily accessible solder joints on this. It'd be easy to desolder this panel and put something else in its place (or attach the panel to something else).

Now that the heat sink is off, you can use a a flathead screwdriver and push from underneath to pry off the top. You can see the lens assembly, as well as the open space on top of it where countless spiders will probably make their homes.

I'm just kidding, of course. The spiders are much more likely to stay in your indoor light fixtures, out of the elements. Probably the ones right above your bed.

Sensors

Let's tackle the stack o' sensors next. Turn over to the bottom and remove all the screws here. You can then yank the cover right off.

Inside, we see the incredible technology that allows the spotlight to track intruders! It's exactly the same technology that powers other motion sensing lights!

Wait, what?

How this works

Okay, let's detach the cords, unscrew the second one and take a look at what's going on here. If you do some experimentation, you'll notice that the light never tracks you precisely, instead, it has three positions: left, middle, and right. If one sensor sees something, it turns toward that sensor. If both sensors see something, it sits in the middle. Motion "tracking" might be a bit of a misnomer here, but it's still neat, and the lights are bright enough that it doesn't matter if it's pointed straight at its target.

By the way, notice that thing sticking out to the left with the squiggle on it? That's the bit that detects ambient light so your spotlight won't turn on and waste energy during daylight ours.

Detaching the second sensor's cords allows you to take out the screws holding the power and motor assembly in place. Pull this out, and you now have access to the main board, but more importantly...

What's the point of the camera-looking thing?

With the main board out of the way: we can answer the question that's been bugging us³ this entire time: what's the deal with the seemingly pointless lens in the middle? Fortunately for us, it's just held in by a pair of screws, so we can unscrew it and slide it right out.

When you get it out, you'll see...it's a fake lens! Wow, this is pointless.

Around this time, @moose came by to tell me the lens is there to act as a fake camera to make intruders think they're being recorded. Handy feature, and certainly cheaper than an actual security camera.

MYSTERY SOLVED.

Anyway, back to...

The main board

There's three things notable about this board:

1. There's a bunch of stuff held in place with terrible glue.
2. The outputs (LEDs, motor) are detachable.
3. There's not a whole lot you can work directly here, but it's a pretty nice pre-made control board if it fits your purposes.

The large gear slides out of its slot readily, allowing you to pull the motor assembly out. You could start using the remote to play with the motor, but it refuses to work if you don't have the sensors plugged in. Plug them all back in, and now you have a motor and lights (or anything else you choose to solder here) you can control with a remote. I personally suggest multicolored LED's so you can have a remote control party light, so the party focus is always on the most exciting people. Whatever you decide to do, have fun, and be safe!

¹Current employees: me, @matthew
²And, if you're not careful, cover your fingers in thermal paste
³Me