Getting started with MM - ?

sdetweil · Dec 10, 2019, 4:08 PM

@ember1205 All of that is possible, and what I do.

the calendar and weather are built in, all you have to do its provide the url to the calendar and a (free) api key for the weather. see the config section of the doc thru the readme.

as for photos from the local disk or server… I use the MMM_ImagesPhotos module and there is also the MMM-BackgroundSlideshow module, as well as modules for google drive and dropbox directly.
see the 3rd party list for those that have published links to their modules

to use a server folder, you need to mount the server folder to the pi, and then link ( see the ln command) a folder in the module folder to the server drive…
(the MM internal web server root starts at MagicMirror/modules, so the folder needs to be below that)

for multiple different windows, this will be a little more work, as the current modules all do a photoframe background image thing. (as I recall)

the position: keyword in the config entry for a module can locate it into different areas of the screen, but I haven’t tried that with these modules…

most modules need help when U want to run multiple copies at once

ember1205 · Dec 10, 2019, 4:10 PM

@sdetweil

Thanks for the comments - good to know that I’m not blazing any trails here! :)

sdetweil · Dec 10, 2019, 4:15 PM

@ember1205 there are a ton of talented folks involved with MM, so I am sure someone can help with just about anything u can want to do.

I modified the MMM-ImagesPhotos module because I didn’t like the photo distortion the system provides (both stretched or clipped images), I wanted a fill color, and I also wanted the inter photo flash to go away.

ember1205 · Dec 10, 2019, 4:23 PM

@sdetweil

Thanks!

Is there a “How to get started” sort of guide somewhere that I should use as a starting point? I see mention specifically of Raspbian, but what other minimum requirements are there? Pi2? Pi3? Pi4? Any recommendations for specific Micro SD cards based on longevity, wear, and price for this effort? Or, should I just go with a DLC type of card if I can find what I need at a reasonable cost?

sdetweil · Dec 10, 2019, 4:30 PM

@ember1205 any of the above work, and laptops, desktops, and just about any other single board computers (SBC’s) I run MM on linux, ubuntu, raspian, and macOS, on virtual machines (VMWare player is free for single instance), and VirtualBox, and Windows 10 virtual env.

i usually look at the sd card speed vs price… faster is better. I have had 3 fail over time. (2 in the same week, but bought at different times)
I’ve had trouble flashing OS images onto cards bigger than 32gig

see the show off section for info from other users…
https://forum.magicmirror.builders/category/12/show-your-mirror

I use network connection to access and edit files on the sbc… using bitvise (free tool) that gives both a windows file type interface for edit, and a command shell thru ssh … so I use my windows machine as the work system .

BD0G · Dec 10, 2019, 5:47 PM

I started with a Raspberry Pi Zero Wireless. It was possible to run MagicMirror and the modules on the device , but I found that it was a bit under powered. It was very inexpensive though from Adafruit. I switched to a Raspberry Pi 3 Plus and it works well. Class 10 MicroUSB cards are what you want (manufacturer is less relevant) to run and no less than 16 Gig so that you have room to add more modules as you develop your Magic Mirror.

Another thing is that even though the Micro SD cards can take a few abrupt power offs they will need to be shut down gracefully using either a sudo shutdown -now or using the GUI to perform a shutdown.

People have had thier Micro SD cards fail after too many presses of the power button or removing power from the Raspberry Pi abruptly.

Fingers crossed I have not experienced this to date.

ember1205 · Dec 10, 2019, 5:52 PM

@BD0G

Thanks. I have a Pi2 and Pi3, so I can use those. I also have some different cards that I can use for initial testing and such, but I’ll look for something a bit more “durable” in terms of the card itself.

Why would a card fail from a power-off? I could see file corruption, but straight up failure? And, since I don’t actually have adapters with a power button, my choices would only be a cord pull or graceful shutdown. The last time I was testing some functionality for a Pi, I ended up building a simple web system that allowed me to connect from any device and click/tap to initiate a shutdown. I could certainly go that route again if need be.

sdetweil · Dec 10, 2019, 5:55 PM

@ember1205 said in Getting started with MM - ?:

Why would a card fail from a power-off?

i don’t know… but I have 2, fairly new, (month) both 32 gig, differnt vendors, that are completely dead now… not accessible.

BD0G · Dec 10, 2019, 5:59 PM

Yup. What @sdetweil posted. They will fail catastrophically at some point if they are abruptly powered off too many times. Do I know why? No.

Dont worry there is a great module MMM-RemoteControl that allows one to access thier MagicMirror and perform a shutdown. This module allows any LAN/Internet connected device -phone, tablet, desktop, laptop to access a webpage that will display many functions that one can perform on the MagicMirror . Like turning a module on or off. Shutting down the mirror gracefully , etc.

ember1205 · Dec 10, 2019, 7:06 PM

@BD0G

Thanks - I’ll keep that module in mind and be sure to load it.

I wonder if the card failure is the result of a disk write operation being in effect at the time of power-off and the level of corruption actually ends up causing the card to be converted into a permanent read-only device (with the corruption). I have seen a SSD drive fail like this, although I don’t believe that it had anything to do with powering off.

At any rate - I’m usually good about having things like this plugged into a UPS and shutting them down properly. :)