Bauhn LED Galaxy Projector
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There are times when we go to Aldi to get true necessities in life. I’m not just talking about staples like bread, milk, and eggs, but also things that really are important in day-to-day living. Skillets for cooking. Kitchen utensils. Even an air fryer, in my opinion, has value in food preparation. Aldi sells a lot of products, both as regular everyday buys and limited buys, that prove useful in navigating life’s basic needs.
This is not such a product.
Our interest in this particular device began — as it often does for most regular Aldi shoppers — when we first set eyes on the weekly ad. “Ooh,” my wife said, which 90% of the time is a precursor to describing some exotic new Aldi Find, “Aldi is selling a galaxy projector.”
My first thought was: what is that? In my head, all I could think about were planetariums or perhaps a scene out of Star Trek.
Did we need it? Nope. Were we going to buy it to find out what it was?
Of course we did.
The Bauhn LED Galaxy Projector is an Aldi Find. That means it’s only in stores for a short time. If you can’t find it, that means it’s sold out and you won’t be able to get one until Aldi brings it back, if Aldi does actually bring it back. The grocer doesn’t ship products online.
At post time, Aldi sold this device for $14.99. There is, to my surprise, a large market for these on Amazon, with nearly all of them more expensive than this Bauhn model. So from that perspective, the Aldi device is a good deal.
According to the box, the projector is made in China. The projector comes with a one-year warranty serviced by Customer Care USA, a common Aldi warranty provider.
The packaging information notes that the projector has “12+” sky combos, adjustable brightness, a timer mode, and is sound activated. The contents of the box include a remote, AAA batteries for the remote, a USB cable, the projector, and a stand. A manual and warranty card are also included.
The instructions (written in a pretty small font, I’m sorry to say) give some basics on how to operate the device, which is helpful because the remote has a lot going on. There are separate buttons to control color scheme, brightness, a moon element, and the stars, just to name a few. The remote also has timer functions for 1-3 hours, but the manual notes the device auto shuts off after 4 hours if the timer isn’t set.
The projector itself has three buttons on its surface that perform some of the more major functions.
The projector connects to a power source by way of the USB cable, which for most people is as simple as repurposing an existing phone charger plug. (By happenstance, at post time Aldi is selling just such an adapter.) I was able to power the device using a socket, a laptop, and an old Aldi power bank.
Once you’ve plugged in the projector and placed the batteries in the remote, you’re ready to roll. The projector sits on a magnetic base that helps keep it in position, but you can still rotate it to fit your space.
A few things jumped out to me. One, while this isn’t exactly an accurate starscape — I mean, the stars are green — it is kind of cool. The settings essentially consist of three layers in the form of stars, clouds, and moon, and you can toggle them on and off to fit your mood. What’s more, there are some extra wrinkles built in, like the ability to have clouds change color or for the stars to fade in and out. The projector even has a sound mode that allegedly has elements “sway” with any music you happen to be playing, although I wasn’t quite certain if this mode does everything it claims to.
One other note: this thing is bright. It glows a faint light when off, but when on it casts a substantial glow on the ceiling. I was impressed at how visible it was even in the daytime.
At night or in the dark, it’s even cooler. The clouds flow on command and the stars sparkle. It fills up a room with something altogether different than most other room accents.
The Verdict:
While it won’t win any awards for astronomical accuracy, the Bauhn LED Galaxy Projector does win its share of points for style. This compact little device throws a beautiful sky onto whatever surface you want — a ceiling, most likely — transforming a bedroom or other living space into an ethereal wonderland. The remote offers a number of different customizable features, and while some are better than others, the final product is pretty fun. Better still, it’s cheaper than other models out there and even has a warranty to back it up.
You don’t really need this — it’s not a necessity — but as far as wants go, this is pretty cool.
Would listening to “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd accentuate the experience? 😉
Have you figured out how to just have one solid color on? We have tried 1 million different combinations but it just keeps changing colors.
I think it’s the button that says “MIX2” on the bottom of the circular pad.
I haven’t had this projector for very long, but I’m liking it so far! It’s a lot smaller and quieter than a similar projector I got off Amazon for about the same price a few years ago. The sphere design makes it so easy to aim it, I had to prop my old projector up on a book or pad of post-its to get it to the right angle.
Is there a way to stop the stars from going in and out and just stay solid and on?
I’d like to know that too. I can’t figure out how to stop them from fading.
Is there any difference besides the color of the casing?
My store today had two pink ones that were fine and several white ones that the boxes were badly crushed.
I went pink.
They should all operate the same regardless of color. I’d definitely be wary of any in a crushed box, though. Sounds like a shipping mishap.
Do you charge it or does it have to be plugged in constantly to work?
Same question. The adapter keeps twisting this thing away from where I’m trying to aim it.
I figured out the sound. If you press sound button then play music loud enough, it will go along with the rhythm.
Okay. The instructions are not very good. Here it is translated into English.
This features three projectors:
A Class 1 green laser to create the stars. This is why the color can’t be changed. They can be turned on and off with the remote, but no other settings can be manually adjusted (see Microphone.)
An LED “cloud” projector that can change colors and swirl at different speeds.
A simple small projector of a single picture of a crescent moon with a bit of clouds near it.
_The Remote_
-= Button numbers are from instructions – Function. (Settings) =-
1 – Power (On/Off)
7 – Enable setting that makes clouds change fairly abruptly through all 10 color settings; both single and mixed. (Turn On Only)
2 (MIX1) – Select if clouds shift between only single colors or mixed colors. (Monochrome has 4 colors it shifts through. Mixed has 6.)
4 (MIX2) – Manually select fixed color(s) for the clouds. Set it and they won’t change. (All 10 monochrome and mixed color settings are available).
3 – Adjust the brightness of the clouds. (4 setting levels.)
9 – Adjust the swirling speed of the clouds. (4 settings levels. The lowest has no motion at all.)
8 – Microphone. Causes only enabled projectors, except the moon, to change to music beats or loud noises. Cloud colors will change.
This is the only settings that will change the brightness of the stars or make them fade in and out. If you’re not sure if it’s on, tap the ball gently. (On/Off)
5 (Laser) – Stars (On/Off. No other settings available.)
10 (LED) – Clouds (On/Off)
11 – Crescent moon projection (On/Off)
6 (1H) – Enable Shutoff Timer (1 hour)
12 (2H) – Enable Shutoff Timer (2 hour)
13 (3H) – Enable Shutoff Timer (3 hour)
_Buttons on projector_
1 – Same as button #1 on remote. Power, but a long press only. (On/Off)
2 – Same as button #4 on remote. Select fixed color(s) for the clouds. (All 10 monochrome and mixed color settings are available).
3 – Same as button #8 on remote. Microphone. Causes only enabled projectors, except the moon, to change to music beats or loud noises. (On/Off)
I mostly like this, but might be returning it. I wanted to enjoy the moon, but it looks cheap and out of place with the rest of the projections. The clouds projected with it even look out of place.
Also, and I don’t know if my unit is broken, but it seems like it has no battery and must stay plugged in to run. Unfortunately, the adapter plugged into the side keeps sliding this in a different direction then where I am trying to aim it.
Thanks for transcribing the manual. The unit doesn’t have an internal battery so it has to be plugged into a power source.