Let’s talk frames!

dxfan227

Coming down to the last few details before we get into what I consider the card part. Actual construction!

So how do we make a frame that will hold glass mirror? What’s the best way to attach the lcd to the back of that mirror?

Screwyoudriver

Take a look in this topic, plenty of ideas!
https://forum.magicmirror.builders/category/12/show-your-mirror

bhepler

@dxfan227 - The most common way is to make a box that is sized to go around the outside of the monitor. Buy your glass to be the same size as your monitor, including the monitor bezel. Then build a frame face that will look good and be the edge around the mirror that the viewer will see. The frame face will be slightly smaller on the inside circumference (say around 1/2" on all sides) than the mirror & monitor. Attach this frame face to the frame with nails, screws or whatever. Viewed from the back of the mirror towards the front, this will give you a lip to place the glass and then you lay the monitor up against the glass.

A couple chunks of wood placed at the back on the monitor and screwed into the sides of the frame will keep the monitor in place. The frame face will keep the glass in place. That should do it.

justjim1220

I am working on using a flatscreen TV.
Taking off the frame holding the screen, installing one-way film, then putting the TV back together.

I also am not using RasPi. I plan to use Windows or Ubuntu (most likely gonna try both) on a laptop, taking the motherboard out of the laptop casing and installing it to the inside of the TV.

tcsabina

Why a laptop, instead of a RPi?
More heavy (need stronger frame),
More noise (from laptop fans)
More power consumption ($$$),
More heat => need proper ventilation,
Windows => I guess you cannot use the MM framework

broberg

@tcsabina said in Let’s talk frames!:

Why a laptop, instead of a RPi?
More heavy (need stronger frame),
More noise (from laptop fans)
More power consumption ($$$),
More heat => need proper ventilation,
Windows => I guess you cannot use the MM framework

If you are building with real glass the extra weight of a laptop shouldn’t be an issue for a well made frame.

Open circulatuion on the back and the cooling shouldn’t be an issue, fan noise shouldn’t be an issue either when surrounded by a frame l with slots for cooling).

Power consumption should be a non issue, since the laptop screen probably are more energyconservative then a regular monitor. But yes, it will be slightly higher.
But with the built in battery you won’t be affected by power outages as much as a pi (which most likely will kill your raspberrys SD-card sooner or later)

You can use MM on windows, think even mykle did a guide on that?
But then again, if that’s an issue Linux works on laptops as well

If you dissmember a laptop, flip the screen and space the backbone a bit, then you would have a solid foundatiob to build a small mirror, without the need of buying a seperate driver board for the screeb or getting a raspberry or other small computer to run it.

And most laptops would probably have better performance to run graphic-heavy stuff like animations etc that the pi doesn’t handle so well.

Mykle1

@broberg said in Let’s talk frames!:

You can use MM on windows, think even mykle did a guide on that?
But then again, if that’s an issue Linux works on laptops as well

You’re absolutely right. I did a single, Windows based, laptop mobo vanity mirror. However, I only make/use ubuntu based mirrors now. I’ve become quite accustomed to ubuntu. Uses less resources than Windows and MM runs beautifully. Turns an old laptop board into a Super Pi. Most have WiFi, ability to drive external monitor, integrated microphone and webcam.

AImirror

@dxfan227 Have you started your mirror construction?