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    A New Chapter for MagicMirror: The Community Takes the Lead
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    Display not bright enough

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    • X Offline
      xdenneboom
      last edited by xdenneboom

      Hi guys,

      After a long search for the right parts and waiting for them to ship, I finally finished my first MM.
      I’ve used:

      • A deep ikea frame 50x70 https://www.ikea.com/nl/nl/p/hovsta-fotolijst-donkerbruin-30396325/
      • Large piece of two way mirror I found online and had cut in 4 pieces of 50x70
      • RPi 3B
      • 15" display from a (super) old monitor that had model no b156wx01
      • LCD controller that fit the display model no.
      • currently ducktaped everything to the back panel. Planning on using velcro.

      Now that the mirror is in place, i’d like to follow up with improvements on issues that I encountered. Hope you guys have tips

      Learnings

      1. The most important one for me: The display is by far not bright enough. So bad that I can’t even see it’s on during the day. Now I understand this can be the mirror too, but I was hoping to fix that with a brighter display. Adjusting the brightness on the display only makes the picture more white. Can this be related to the power adapter I’m using? Might a higher voltage/wattage help here?
        If not, i’d like to order a new display, but I have no idea on what to look for when searching for a more powerful display. Will an LED display do the trick?

      2. I need 2 power supplies. 1 for the Pi. 1 for the display. Does anyone know of a display that charges by USB? Or does anyone have tips for only needing 1 power supply?

      3. The frame is not made to hold glass this heavy. I have to be very careful. I, unfortunately do not have the right tools at reach to build my own (sturdy) and clean frame. I really prefer something as thin as the Ikea frame. Knowing how difficult it is to find a good piece of two-way glass for a decent price. I have 3 left. If anyone can make/ or has a good spare frame 50x70 cm I’m willing to trade one of my two-way mirror glass pieces for a frame. I’m located in the Netherlands.

      Pics
      0_1577369456359_Schermafbeelding 2019-12-26 om 15.10.23.png
      will post more soon (when it’s dark :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat: )

      FoziF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • FoziF Offline
        Fozi Project Sponsor @xdenneboom
        last edited by

        @xdenneboom I have an IKEA frame, too (Ribba), but mounted a second one behind a he first too gain more depth. Here is my mirror where you can see how I managed the power supply for the display and the RPi.
        Regarding the brightness of your display try to enhance the contrast instead of the brightness only.

        HowTo: Replace PIR Sensor with a RCWL-0516 Microwave Sensor

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • R Offline
          rabbit83ka
          last edited by

          @xdenneboom I also have an IKEA Ribba Frame 70x50 cm² with the same setup (Chinese controller board controls 24’’ LCD-Screen from an old TV). For Power Supply I use a 12 V DC external adaptor and a step down converter to get the 5V for the Pi from the 12V supply of the frame.

          I reinforced the Frame on the top inside with a small latch, glued the glass in the frame to improve stability and took some wooden latches to mount the display on the original backplate (see picture). 0_1577389644465_IMG_1267.JPG

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • M Offline
            MadScientist
            last edited by

            Hi there,
            what you want is a display with high contrast. I think VA panels have the best. At least on paper.

            To power my mirror I use a 12V power supply for the LCD and a buck converter to reduce the 12V to 5V for my RasPi. That’s a dirt cheap solution which is working really well for more than 2 years.
            There are also really, really cheap universal LCD controller boards that run on 5V only (around 4-5€, up to FullHD resolution, 30 pin LVDS, 2-CH, 8-bit) You configure them via jumpers. Although they have only a VGA output. Which means you’ll need an additional VGA to HDMI adapter (usually less than 3€). T

            And of course: In bright conditions you should pick a mirror with a higher transmission rate. In darker conditions a lower transmission rate will do. What mirror have you got?

            FoziF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • FoziF Offline
              Fozi Project Sponsor @MadScientist
              last edited by

              @MadScientist said in Display not bright enough:

              Hi there,
              what you want is a display with high contrast. I think VA panels have the best.

              I can fully confirm the better contrast on VA panels compared to TN panels.

              HowTo: Replace PIR Sensor with a RCWL-0516 Microwave Sensor

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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