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    A New Chapter for MagicMirror: The Community Takes the Lead
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    PIR sensor behind glass?

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    • yo-lessY Offline
      yo-less Module Developer
      last edited by

      Sure, I guess I’d have to play around with its sensitivity, will keep you updated on the outcome of my tests

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • RedNaxR Offline
        RedNax Module Developer
        last edited by

        Pir isn’t really an option behind glass. There’s a cam based solution which works through the mirror.

        That said, my mirror is full sized and the pir peeks out the bottom… You’d never know it’s there unless you know where tot look…

        CatoC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • CatoC Offline
          Cato Module Developer @RedNax
          last edited by

          @RedNax Can you share a picture? 😊

          RedNaxR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • RedNaxR Offline
            RedNax Module Developer @Cato
            last edited by

            @Cato No problem… anyone care to donate to the WWF Panda?
            There’s a PIR sensor on the bottom of the mirror, out of eyesight. It detects … well… hot legs :D

            0_1472494907761_rednaxmirror.png

            yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • yo-lessY Offline
              yo-less Module Developer @RedNax
              last edited by yo-less

              @RedNax Your mirror looks really cool.

              Our mirror will be mounted pretty much at eye level so having the sensor at the bottom of the frame won’t be an option for me, but I’m already experimenting with covering the sensor with plastic stuff ^^.

              Is there an xkcd module I’m not aware of?

              And may I ask where you got your glass? Some of the pictures I’ve seen look like you can still see the monitor behind the glass but with your mirror that doesn’t seem to be the case.

              RedNaxR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • RedNaxR Offline
                RedNax Module Developer @yo-less
                last edited by RedNax

                @yo-less Thanks!

                The mirror is from a dutch webshop… At night, when there’s no other illumination you do see the backlight of the screen shining through… In the daytime it looks like the picture.
                I’ve been pondering altering the backlight/brightness of the screen according to ambiant lightlevels… unfortunately this is only controllable by navigating the screens menu as opposed to discrete buttons…

                Oh, and yes… there is: https://github.com/RedNax67/DailyXKCD

                It’s forked from the original author… Ive added the random comic on non comic days…

                yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • yo-lessY Offline
                  yo-less Module Developer @RedNax
                  last edited by

                  @RedNax Alright, is that the case with all types of glasses? I guess it would be?

                  RedNaxR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • RedNaxR Offline
                    RedNax Module Developer @yo-less
                    last edited by

                    @yo-less It think all mirrors suffer from this… You need enough brightness to show things in the day… Which will be overkill at night…

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • yo-lessY Offline
                      yo-less Module Developer
                      last edited by

                      @RedNax Apparently some monitors seem to allow for external commands to change the light levels:
                      http://lifehacker.com/5985364/change-your-monitors-brightness-without-fiddling-with-its-buttons

                      They seem to have to support DDC/CI and if there is a tool for Windows PCs there should be some way to get the same thing done on a Pi?

                      cowboysdudeC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • cowboysdudeC Offline
                        cowboysdude Module Developer @yo-less
                        last edited by

                        @yo-less said in PIR sensor behind glass?:

                        Can a PIR sensor be covered by anything at all or does any kind of material automatically block motion detection?

                        You really can’t cover a PIR it just won’t work… BUT you can remove the ‘dome’ and incorporate into the frame a little better OR you can just put it into the frame with the ‘dome’ on it and make it decorative…

                        yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • cowboysdudeC Offline
                          cowboysdude Module Developer @yo-less
                          last edited by cowboysdude

                          @yo-less changing the brightness would be really nice… having it automatic would be better… you know at a certain time of night it dims automatically… but there is this…

                          https://github.com/xflux-gui/xflux-gui

                          yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • yo-lessY Offline
                            yo-less Module Developer @cowboysdude
                            last edited by

                            @cowboysdude Thanks for the link. Does f.lux have access to the monitor’s brightness settings? As this has nothing to do with my original question I will start a new topic concerning the brightness issue at night.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • yo-lessY Offline
                              yo-less Module Developer @cowboysdude
                              last edited by

                              @cowboysdude We might just drill a tiny hole into the frame of the mirror and put the PIR behind it without its Fresnel cover. Will experiment with that idea some more.

                              yawnsY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • yawnsY Offline
                                yawns Moderator @yo-less
                                last edited by

                                @yo-less said in PIR sensor behind glass?:

                                @cowboysdude We might just drill a tiny hole into the frame of the mirror and put the PIR behind it without its Fresnel cover. Will experiment with that idea some more.

                                That’s the approach I was thinking of. Which PIR will you use?

                                yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • yo-lessY Offline
                                  yo-less Module Developer @yawns
                                  last edited by

                                  @yawns I’ve got the HC-SR501 / D-SUN RCW-0506 and it’s working as it should.
                                  I paid €8 for two sensors and shipping to Germany. The one in use even survived my failed attempts at connecting it to the correct pins :).

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • cowboysdudeC Offline
                                    cowboysdude Module Developer
                                    last edited by

                                    I just like the camera… it’s a personal choice :) But drilling a hole will work too!! I don’t see a thing wrong with that!

                                    yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • yo-lessY Offline
                                      yo-less Module Developer @cowboysdude
                                      last edited by

                                      @cowboysdude I’m just not comfortable with the idea of a camera in my bathroom (or any other room, for that matter). Raspbian is a pretty open platform and I don’t want others to take control of any cameras I might have installed in my home. And it’s not like all sorts of people wouldn’t be interested in spying on other people.

                                      Have started experimenting with the PIR sensor, it’s looking good so far, will let you guys know about my progress.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                      • D Offline
                                        dmcinnes Module Developer
                                        last edited by

                                        Another possibility: I ordered a couple of these $2 microwave radar motion detectors to see if they will work behind my glass. Still waiting to receive them though:

                                        http://m.ebay.com/itm/1pc-5-8GHZ-Microwave-Radar-Sensor-6-9M-Smart-Switch-for-Home-Control-/131864712562?txnId=1245760396003

                                        More details:
                                        http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/04/04/tiny-microwave-radar-module-detects-movements-up-to-9-meters-away-for-2/amp/

                                        yo-lessY 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                        • yawnsY Offline
                                          yawns Moderator
                                          last edited by

                                          Wow, the microwave approach sounds good. Will this work behind the mirror?

                                          D 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • yo-lessY Offline
                                            yo-less Module Developer
                                            last edited by

                                            @dmcinnes Thanks for your link, I’m using a radar module in a Pi-independent LED lighting control unit that a friend of mine put together (So I have no clue how his circuits actually work, but they do and that’s great :D), which is why my first impulse was to use a radar motion detector as well.

                                            I couldn’t find any that operated within the voltage specifications of the PI’s pins. Your link lists a working voltage range of 5.5 - 18 V DC, but the Pi only offers 5 V DC, doesn’t it?

                                            So are you planning on using an external power source for your module?

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0

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