Posts made by ottobot

The only pi that I am able to power from a USB port on a display is the pi zero. Like broberg said, you’re best bet is to buy OEM one

Before I go crazy on google, does anyone know if there are any decent apps that I could use on an old iphone 4 as a dashboard for a magic mirror? I’d be happy with maybe just time and weather. I have tons of scrap two way acrylic that would fit into picture frames and even more old smartphones sitting in a box. I would love to put them to use and maybe give small magic mirrors as gifts to people.

I saw something about speculum on github but it looked like it was for android. I also have no problem jailbreaking my old iShinies if there is a solution on cydia.

@SoleLo If you’re going to recess the cabinet into the wall, you could make a cheap box out of 2x4’s a few inches bigger than the medicine cabinet to run all of your wiring into and keep it in the wall. Then just pop in some cleats to mount the medicine cabinet into. The displays that I try and use have USB ports on them that give out enough power to run a pi zero so the only cable/cord you would need would be power to the display itself. you could probably just use some cable staples to fasten the cord to the hinge side and keep it fairly clean looking.

@wizz I was mentioning the vga adapter if you went with one of the cheaper monitors that don’t have hdmi input…

i just bought one off of newegg today for $33 plus a dvi to hdmi adapter. dvi to hdmi is cheaper than vga to hdmi. Also, if you have a microcenter close to you they usually have refurb monitors for like $35

edit: I also picked up a small hdmi tv from the pawnshop for $30. You can also find some decent screens at the goodwill.

@Sultan91 Just ordered one. I’ll let you know in 12-20 days how it turns out ;)

@broberg LOL. I’m a cheap bastard and don’t like letting things go to waste. Same reason that I won’t use a pi3 for my mirrors. It’s still cheaper to use a zero even after the adapters and everything. I just wish I could find someone that has them in stock for less than $20 atm.

@Sultan91 It’s definitely a little pricey, but sometimes convenience outweighs cost. I can get 4608 square inches of 3mm for $0.04 per square inch, but that doesnt account for waste. Or I can get 288 square inches for $0.17 per square inch. Sometimes I can find a frame at the goodwill where the cost can be justified because I don’t have to spend the time and money making a custom frame.

@broberg Yeah, I started with the 1mm and it was more like a funhouse mirror so I bought the 3mm and it worked great. I also didn’t want to let the 1mm that I bought go to waste so I attached it to a piece of glass to keep it firmly in place and it worked out pretty well.

Not sure where you are located, but I am in the US and have used this comapny: https://www.amazon.com/12-Acrylic-See-Through-Mirror/dp/B017ONH3EG/ref=sr_1_1?m=A25VKIYYECJBLT&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1487807733&sr=1-1
and can definitely recommend them. I’ve bought both the 1mm and 3mm and would suggest the 3mm. I’ve found a supplier for full sheets (48"x96") for $202 where I live.