MagicMirror Forum
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Unsolved
    • Solved
    • MagicMirror² Repository
    • Documentation
    • 3rd-Party-Modules
    • Donate
    • Discord
    • Register
    • Login
    A New Chapter for MagicMirror: The Community Takes the Lead
    Read the statement by Michael Teeuw here.

    My 1st Smart Mirror Quest

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Show your Mirror
    7 Posts 4 Posters 7.7k Views 3 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • DæmonEyesD Offline
      DæmonEyes
      last edited by DæmonEyes

      So I came across smart mirrors about 2 years ago and planned on building my own one day, but only recently decided to make it a reality. My goal was to build a good MM while trying to minimize cost where ever possible.

      0_1551367108302_20190227_115342.jpg

      So I wanted a decent size mirror which I could use in my room and felt 12" x 24" was just big enough, but the good frames for that size were harder to find. I’m sure those with wood work experience and the tools could have made their own custom frame for less, but I got an 18" x 24" frame and then added 4" poplar boards to turn it into a shadow box frame. I filled in the 3" gaps on either side with black poster board cut outs.

      0_1551298084587_20190218_172605.jpg

      0_1551298186607_20190227_115219.jpg

      For the monitor I used the screen from my 1st laptop (it’s about 10 years old) and got the appropriate LCD control board for it with a 3V power adapter.
      But then the next issue I had was that my monitor was really heating up on the bottom third in the back. I mean it was so hot in that region that I could not even touch it there for more than a second at a time. So I ordered a pack of self-adhesive heat sinks and they have worked impeccably. In the future I do plan on getting a PIR sensor if I can program it to only turn off the monitor when I’m not in the room, but keep the RPi running 24/7.

      0_1551298397070_20190221_184248.jpg

      And as you can see from the pictures, I really love duct tape. I even used it to make bands to hold everything in place.
      A plus point of keeping the bottom open is that the backlight from the monitor acts as a nightlight which was an unexpected surprise. I was going to add LED strips, but cancelled that plan when I saw this.

      0_1551299453195_20190226_002721.jpg

      Hardware:
      Raspberry Pi 3 B+ $38
      Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Case with Fan, 3 Pcs Heat Sinks, 5V 3A Power Supply $17
      LCD Controller Board $25
      12V 3A Power Supply Adapter $10
      12" x 24" Acrylic See-Through Mirror, 3mm $37
      1.5ft HDMI Cable $5
      Easycargo 10pcs 20mm Heatsinks $10
      Sandisk 32GB microSD $7
      Poster Frame 18’‘x24’’ $12 (had a 60% off regular price coupon from T-mobile Tuesdays)
      2 x Black Poster Board 20x30 $6
      Two 1/2 in. x 4 in. x 4 ft. S4S Poplar Board $12
      Sawtooth Hangers $3

      Total: $182

      Thanks to @MichMich for developing this awesome software.
      Special thanks to @sdetweil who was like Gandalf to me on my MM quest where he helped me when I was stuck at the dreaded Unable to install dependencies while trying to install MM and again guiding me when I was trying to further customize my MMM-Compliments module.
      Also special thanks to @Mykle1 who introduced me to his MMM-EasyPix module! I have been loving it.

      0_1551297939472_20190227_115838.jpg

      3rd Party Modules used:
      Weekly Schedule
      EasyPix
      Dark Sky Forecast
      Quote of the Day

      0_1554510787425_20190405_192923.jpg

      And here is an amateur edited video of the final outcome.

      Mykle1M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
      • DæmonEyesD Offline
        DæmonEyes
        last edited by

        Decided to change up the decor and added two Star Wars LED lamps that are plugged in to the USB ports on the RPi. I can control them with the remote they came with.

        https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MC7GDJ6/

        0_1554554003261_20190405_193448.jpg

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • S Offline
          sdetweil
          last edited by

          nice work!!

          Sam

          How to add modules

          learning how to use browser developers window for css changes

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Mykle1M Offline
            Mykle1 Project Sponsor Module Developer @DæmonEyes
            last edited by

            @DæmonEyes

            Well done, mate. :thumbsup:

            Create a working config
            How to add modules

            DæmonEyesD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • bheplerB Offline
              bhepler Module Developer
              last edited by

              Nicely done! I love the happy surprise with the monitor LED. And good job with the heat sinks.

              DæmonEyesD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • DæmonEyesD Offline
                DæmonEyes @Mykle1
                last edited by

                @Mykle1 @sdetweil Thanks, as mentioned, couldn’t have done it without help from both of you!

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • DæmonEyesD Offline
                  DæmonEyes @bhepler
                  last edited by

                  @bhepler Thanks!
                  I kept the bottom open thinking it would help with air circulation (and wasn’t worried about light entering from the bottom), but this was a great bonus.
                  Hehe I actually thought I had gone overboard with that many heat sinks, but I haven’t turned my monitor off even once yet and the back of monitor is still cool as a cucumber!

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • 1 / 1
                  • First post
                    Last post
                  Enjoying MagicMirror? Please consider a donation!
                  MagicMirror created by Michael Teeuw.
                  Forum managed by Sam, technical setup by Karsten.
                  This forum is using NodeBB as its core | Contributors
                  Contact | Privacy Policy