![]() ![]() To be clear, this guide is not about this. If you plan to build a Magic Mirror and have it on one of your walls at home, the classic way of doing this is to build a custom frame, then place a TV and a Raspberry Pi behind a too-ways glass ( like this one on Amazon). Installing the Magic Mirror software on a Raspberry Pi How to build a Magic Mirror frame If you’re reading this, I’m sure you already know what a Magic Mirro looks like, so let’s jump directly into the interesting part of the content. It’s “magic” because it’s a mix between a TV dashboard and a mirror, connected to numerous APIs to display everything you are interested in, nothing like the one in Harry Potter □ As we will learn later, building a Magic Mirror isn’t as complicated as you might think, but the idea was really innovative at the time.Īnyway, in short, a “magic” mirror, is like any mirror, but you’ll add interesting data on it, like a clock, your calendar or the weather forecast for the next few days. Michael Teeuw is the original inventor of the Magic Mirror project, and you can find many resources about it on its website. It is such a beautiful realization once completed, and still something futurist to put in your house, that it peaked the interest of many makers. ![]() Like playing classic games on Retropie or watching Netflix with Kodi, building a Magic Mirror is a project that helped popularize the Raspberry Pi. The first third of the book teaches you the basics, but the following chapters include projects you can try on your own. It’s a 30-day challenge where you learn one new thing every day until you become a Raspberry Pi expert. If you’re looking to quickly progress on Raspberry Pi, you can check out my e-book here. You are welcome to use this guide as a buffet, and skip parts if you already know them or are seeking something specific. I’ll also give you some tips to optimize your setup overall. In this guide, I’ll give you a brief introduction about the Magic Mirror project, then we’ll see the best installation method (several are available), and then I’ll take some time to explain the configuration that is not especially intuitive (like tweaking things and adding new fun modules). If you are interested in this project and need more information, keep reading! This is why I decided to write the ultimate installation guide to set up a Magic Mirror. After trying it myself, I noticed that the official documentation is a bit complex for beginners to follow, and other guides don’t help that much. Later, I'll connect the speaker via bluetooth and set it next to the mirror or something.Building a Magic Mirror is one of the most popular projects on Raspberry Pi, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better documented. It's not as loud or clear as the bluetooth speaker, but it will work for now. In this photo, you can also see the space where I was going to put my bluetooth speaker - I measured things (slightly) incorrectly and it won't fit, so I'm going to use the monitor's built-in speaker. This one cost me about $8, so I don't have very high hopes for it. If you can find a flush mount microphone that's good, go ahead and do that. I didn't want to drill a hole in the face of the mirror and ruin the look, although that would probably be the best location for a microphone. The microphone itself is flexible, so if it doesn't pick up sound properly I can always pull it out further and curl it around the bottom of the mirror. I put it in the bottom of the mirror where you won't see it. Next, I drilled a hole for my microphone. Eventually I want to install a power outlet behind the mirror, but for now I can be lazy and power it this way. I used my dremel and a multipurpose bit to cut a small slot at the bottom to run a power cord through. The total cost for this project (including the wood, monitor, Raspberry Pi, and mirror) was around $300-350. The box/frame houses all the components, including the microphone, and looks pretty. The Raspberry Pi is a small, credit card-sized computer that powers the whole thing, displaying the Magic Mirror interface and running Jasper, the voice-control system. I also recommend a monitor with built-in speakers, but this is optional. ![]() I recommend an LED monitor for minimal power consumption, maximum crispness, and to prevent mirror glow at night. Order the thicker mirror option (3/16") to prevent a "funhouse mirror" effect. I ordered my mirror through Tap Plastics ( this one). The two-way mirror is made of acrylic and sits flush over the monitor, allowing the graphics on the monitor to shine through while maintaining a mirror effect. The attached highly technical drawing illustrates how these components work together. There are four major components to the voice-controlled smart mirror. ![]()
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