Independent display controller based on PIR sensor.

Beh

This is not really a module for the MagicMirror application itself, but I wrote it for my own mirror and I want to share it, if anybody has use for it.

I wanted a turn-off-my-display-control that is independent from the MagicMirror application. It turns off the display after a given countdown time from the last time a motion was detected by a PIR sensor.
So every time a motion is recognized, the countdown is set to the maximum countdown time. When no motion is noticed for that time, the display is set to sleep. When then a motion is detected, the display is turned on.

I also provide a systemd service file, if you want to use it as a service.

If you have use for it, I put it on GitHub:
[card:deg0nz/MagicMirror-Display-Controller]

NOTE:
If you’re looking for an integrated (and probably easier to use) solution, please take a look at paviro’s awesome PIR-Sensor module.

bibi

@Beh Thx for sharing! One question : what are the physical settings to apply to the sensor itself pls? (Jumper & the 2 knobs)

Beh

Example configurations for wiring are shown here:

http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2013/01/cheap-pir-sensors-and-the-raspberry-pi-part-1/

and here:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/parent-detector/worksheet/

I can’t really tell you the jumper and knob configurations, because I’m using a simple sensor like this:
https://www.amazon.de/Keyestudio-Pyroelektrische-Infrarot-Bewegungssensor-Bewegungs-Sensor-Arduino/dp/B01GCRQJ0Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1478275900&sr=8-9&keywords=PIR+sensor

Maybe you look in the PIR HOWTO thread or ask a question there:
https://www.amazon.de/Keyestudio-Pyroelektrische-Infrarot-Bewegungssensor-Bewegungs-Sensor-Arduino/dp/B01GCRQJ0Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1478275900&sr=8-9&keywords=PIR+sensor

bibi

@Beh i see thx! maybe it’s better to use your one to somehow bypass these settings which are a bit frustrating. i did’t really get the systemd option (i am new) but as i understood it’s like a crontab, correct?

Beh

@bibi No, it’s more like having it added to the autostart (like on windows). Then it’s running as a service in the background, which can be controlled via systemd’s systemctl command.

bibi

hi @Beh ! unfortunately your module is not working for me :( could you please help me to figure out why? i have bought the same PIR sensor and plug it in the gpio 14 (physical pin 8) thx!

bibi

it’s solved ;-) thx anyway

bibi

@beh hi! i was wondering if there was an easy way to add a fading effect when the mirror goes to sleep and wake up? would be interesting in this as well? thx

Beh

Hi @bibi, I hope, I understand that right.

I don’t think that this is very easy. Because the script just turns the HDMI port of the RaspberryPi to on and off. So a fading effect wouldn’t be quite easy I think

bibi

@Beh i understand this. No problem and thx for reply! :)

shashank

@bibi hi can anyone help me with screenshots the file path where to enter the below commands to start it at boot time

cp ./pir_sensor.service /lib/systemd/system

systemctl daemon-reload

systemctl start pir_sensor.service

bibi

@shashank hi! unfortunately you will not find the cmd line in the github to enable the service at boot time. As far as i have checked, the systemd should already run at boot but for strange reasons it was not the case for me. Therefore, i had to issue the command : sudo systemctl enable pir_sensor.service
good luck!

Beh

Ok, maybe I forgot that in the readme file, or it worked straghtaway on my Pi.
I’m going to add sudo systemctl enable pir_sensor.service to the readme file!

thanks for the hint :)

McSorley

Sounds more effective than mine. I set an infinite loop to check for motion every second and if no motion is detected for 600 seconds the display goes to sleep.