3. MM and UBUNTU. Made for each other.
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MM and UBUNTU. Made for each other.

  • Module Developer

    MM and UBUNTU. Made for each other.

    This is not a tutorial. It’s more of a testimonial to the wonderful
    working relationship between MagicMirror and UBUNTU.

    Why?

    I don’t know how many people are using MM with UBUNTU, but I am.

    • I’m not using Pi’s anymore.
    • MM is very happy on ubuntu and runs like a champ.
    • A cheap laptop running ubuntu outperforms any Pi.
    • MMM-voice with Hello-Lucy runs amazingly well.

    The old laptops I’m using this on.

    • MacBook(2005?) = Vanity mirror / Alarm Clock with Hello-Lucy
    • Compaq Presario CQ57 = Alarm Clock / Hello-Lucy
    • Dell Inspiron E1505 = Vanity mirror / Alarm Clock with Hello-Lucy
    • HP G60 Notebook = Alarm Clock / Hello-Lucy
    • ASUS Eee PC Seashell = Alarm Clock / Hello-Lucy

    All of these are 10+ years old. I’ve had no trouble finding them on eBay
    and Craigslist for less than the price of a Pi3.

    Avoid Lenovo ThinkPads T410 & T61

    For whatever reason, ubuntu does not like these two machines. So, I didn’t
    bother with them. I use one now as a server machine under Windows 7.

    There’s no going back

    Seriously, once you’ve experienced MagicMirror with UBUNTU you won’t go
    back to Raspbian, and once you’ve done the same on a cheap old laptop,
    you won’t go back to the Pi.

    • The difference is astounding.
    • No video issues
    • No RAM issues (You can upgrade)
    • No system load issues
    • No heat issues
    • Most laptops have built-in WiFi
    • Most laptops have an integrated microphone

    For what it’s worth

    My recommendations:

    Because I have ubuntu on so many different machines, with relatively
    different specs, I settled on UBUNTU 16.04 LTS for all of them. I did this
    because it runs beautifully on every machine, even my i7 dev machine. The
    installations are virtually identical, making it exceptionally easy to move
    from one machine to another, for any reason.

    So, if you’re interested. Go to the ubuntu website and pick up your free
    version. Installation is fairly easy. They have a wonderful “how-to” guide
    that will help you with the installation.

    Install node. I do it this way for version 6
    curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_6.x | sudo -E bash -

    Install MagicMirror

    Thoughts you will have

    • Mykle was so right

    Peace!

    3

  • And what are your solutions for GPIO related stuff like temperatur sensor or PIR-Sensor (infrared or radar).
    Do you always use the laptop screen or how does this look?

    0 1 Reply
  • C

    @Mykle1 was so right…LOL

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  • B

    Habe you compared the Laptops Power consumption with the raspberries? 😉

    For sure it runs way better, but if you use just normal stuff, it is absolute not necessary imho.

    Most of us use the mirror on the wall, without tons of cables (execpt Power) viewable. With a Laptop you have to be more tricky.

    But nice to know that it runs easily With Ubuntu 😃

    0 1 Reply
  • Module Developer

    @kruemel said in MM and UBUNTU. Made for each other.:

    And what are your solutions for GPIO related stuff like temperatur sensor or PIR-Sensor (infrared or radar).
    Do you always use the laptop screen or how does this look?

    I don’t need a GPIO solution for temperature sensors. My thermostat already tells me that information. PIR sensor for motion? Not necessary. A simple usb webcam will do the trick. You can use the laptop display or you can use an external monitor when the laptop board supports that. I haven’t seen one that doesn’t.

    1 1 Reply
  • Module Developer

    @barnosch said in MM and UBUNTU. Made for each other.:

    Habe you compared the Laptops Power consumption with the raspberries? 😉
    For sure it runs way better, but if you use just normal stuff, it is absolute not necessary imho.
    Most of us use the mirror on the wall, without tons of cables (execpt Power) viewable. With a Laptop you have to be more tricky.

    You’re not just running a raspberry. You’re also powering a display. I have not compared but I am sure there is a nominal difference. If there is a difference, the performance boost outweighs the cost difference.

    Normal stuff? There are single modules that the Pi struggles with. I don’t accept stuttering transitions, RAM inadequacies, system overload and heat issues just to use a Pi.

    I don’t know how you speak for “most of us”, but ok. Disassemble the laptop. Fits behind mirror as easily as a Pi. Only the power cord showing. How is this different from a Pi mirror? It’s not.

    1
  • P

    Raspberry pi is fine to mount a prototype, but with MM and Kalliope shows freezing moments …
    On the laptop: everything is easy and the answer is immediate.
    My next MM with Kalliope (voice) will be in a mini PC. More expensive, yes, but it compensates the normal fluency that these app requires

    0

  • @Mykle1 How do you did the wake up with a webcam?
    Let’s say a notebook has always an integrated webcam on top of the display. How do you wake the screen up like a PIR-Sensor does?

    0 1 Reply
  • Module Developer

    @kruemel

    How do you wake the screen up like a PIR-Sensor does?

    I use voice commands with Hello-Lucy to put my displays to sleep and to wake them up. I use this on my Pi mirror. https://github.com/alexyak/motiondetector

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  • M

    @Mykle1 Using old laptops makes sense to me too. But i do have one question; how do you manage heat and fan noise? I’m concerned that an old laptop gets hotter than a Pi behind a mirror and if its using a HDD and has a fan it must either get noisy or hot (if you disconnect the fan)

    0 1 Reply