Smart Mirror Project

Like many of you I tend to browse Imgur from time to time. I noticed a few times some folks were showing off their build of a Smart Mirror and I thought to myself that would make a great thejimmahknows post! So here we go!

 

  1. Supplies:

    • Some Shopping Pictures
  2. Sizing:
    • Remove the bezel from the monitor/TV to get the correct sizing. Below is the Sharp TV bezel removal..
        
    • I also removed the speakers in the last picture in an effort to reduce the TV’s max width.
    • I measured this TV as 12 inches by 28 inches
  3. Framing
    • Accounting for the sizing obtained in the previous step. I added 3/8 inch to the overall dimensions.
    • Cut the pieces appropriately and glued w/screws to hold the frame together as show below…
    • I also covered the screw holes using a little Wood Fill Puddy to hide them.
    • After it dries, use sandpaper to smooth it out. I went 80 to 120 grit.
  4. The Trim
    • Start the Trim process by using the dimension of the frame you created in the previous step. Account for an approxmet overhang of 1 inch of inside frame.
    • Use a miter saw to cut the 45 degree angles and using glue anchor it to the frame.
    • I would recommend starting with the top pieces of trim..One at a time!!
        and then the bottom one…
    • After the top and bottom pieces have finished glue. Move on to the side pieces. Depending on how straight the furring wood is or if its contorted, re-measure before cutting the side pieces so they fit.
          left and then right, i think….
    • I added some finishing nails for extra holding strength. Use a speed square to set your nails to compensate for the trims overhang.
                                                       
    • Finished Frame and Trim
  5. The Stand
    • A pretty simple design, using some of the spare Whiteboard pieces from the frame construction I cut at 45s to make the supports.
    • I chose to use threaded bolts with wing nuts to easily convert it and hang it directly on the wall.
    • Lastly I used some scrape plywood or MDF board to cut the base. The base size will depend on how tall and heavy you make yours!!
    • A little 2×4 to secure it and we are done with this part!
  6. Time for some Stain!
    • Choose whatever color stain you want and I recommend doing this with gloves and outside!!
  7. Putting the stand together
    • I decided to drill a 1.25″ hole at the bottom of the the frame for future use. If I ever want to hang the frame I can easily re-route the wires through this hole and out the bottom.
    • Putting the Stand and Frame together, using the threaded bolts and wing nuts, make assembling it fast.
    • Drill a small hole behind the trim to route the Infrared sensor for the TV
  8. Inserting the Mirrored Glass and TV
    • Use rubber stoppers or something similar prior to inserting the glass into places. I found these at Home Depot for under $3.
       
    • Insert the Glass in very carefully!!
    • Now lay the TV (without the bezel) on top of the glass)
    • Feed the Infra-red wire through the hole we made in the previous step.
    • Using Velcro strips and some packing tape secure the Raspberry Pi and cabling.
  9. Adding the back
    • Using the Perforated Hardboard, cut the back to fit within the frame. And use Drywall screws to lock it in place.
  10. Let’s boot it up!
    • Please visit https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/noobs-setup/ to learn how to setup your Rasberry Pi for the first time.
    • There really isn’t much at work here, we wil be running Apache2 a very common web server, tell the Rasberry Pi to launch it at login(which we’ve set to auto-login), and it will host some custom HTML and CSS to present us with what we want to see behind the mirror.
    • MichMIch maintains the code with the template on GitHub, grab it here https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror
    • Oh look at the magic!
  11. The Finished Product
    • Tada!
  12. Inspiration (Thank you so much!)