MagicMirror:
The Idea & The Mirror
Being a guy while visiting a shopping city with your girlfriend may cause your mind to drift away while walking thru Macy’s. Or at least, this happened to me while i was visiting New York last january. Long story short: while wandering around I noticed a mirror with an illuminated sing on it. This is something i could built myself. Only better. I wanted my own Magic Mirror!
MagicMirror:
The Monitor
After I solved the mirror issue, it was time to get my hands on a monitor to incorporate into the Magic Mirror project.In my journey searching the right monitor for my Magic Mirror, I had to make some difficult decisions. Did I want to buy a new monitor or should I use a cast-off? What size did I need? Wat was the thinness possible monitor to get? How would I be able to move the control buttons? And was the monitor bright enough to counter my personal shiny appearance?
MagicMirror:
The Casing
After measuring the dimensions needed for the new casing, DIY happiness could start. Using pine wood I create a strong and steady frame. For the bezel holding the mirror and monitor in place I used wooden floor plinths. Reason for this is that they were the exact perfect size (30mm width), and have a rounded bezel.
MagicMirror:
Install The Hardware
The Magic Mirror started began to take shape. I ordered a mirror, found the right monitor and finished the sleek white casing. It was time to start the installation of the hardware.
MagicMirror:
Installing the Raspberry Pi
So, now that all the hardware is done, it’s time to install the Raspberry Pi. To meet all the needs for the Magic Mirror, the Raspberry needs the following features:Wifi connectivity90 degrees screen rotation to match the portrait screen orientation.A local webserver to host the interface.A browser running full screen to display the interface.
MagicMirror:
Production of the Interface
So, I found the right type of mirror, bought the monitor, built a new casing, installed the hardware and configured the Raspberry Pi. Now it’s time for the final part of the project: the development of the interface.
MagicMirror:
Fixing the Magic Mirror Calendar
This week I received some reports that the Magic Mirror calendar section stopped working. Since the mirror gracefully hides the calendar data, I didn’t really notice it on my own Magic Mirror. Of course, this must be fixed.
MagicMirror:
Magic Mirrors around the World!
This weekend it’s exactly one year since I’ve finished my Magic Mirror project. After posting it to my blog, this little fun experiment turned out to be a huge inspiration to many of my blog’s readers. The GitHub repository got starred 275 times, the project page got over half a million page views, but most incredible: I received lots and lots of links to photo’s and blogposts of makers who built their own Magic Mirror.
MagicMirror:
What happened to the weather?
I recently noticed that the weather on my Magic Mirror stopped updating. After a reboot, the issue got worse: it didn’t display any weather forecasts at all. Soon, more users notified me of this issue, so it was time for some further investigation.
MagicMirror:
MagicMirror², a huge announcement.
When I built my MagicMirror 2 year ago, I could have never predict the popularity of the project. With over 2,5 million pageviews on my blog, 1250 stars and almost 500 forks of the GitHub repository and a growing list of MagicMirror builders, the MagicMirror project deserves some extra love. Time to announce something awesome!
MagicMirror:
The Toon MagicMirror Module
A few weeks ago I got in touch with Eneco, one of the biggest energy suppliers of Holland and makers of the Toon smart thermostat. They were pretty excited about my Magic Mirror project and had a nice challenge for me.
MagicMirror:
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who has the biggest of them all?
When I initially started my Magic Mirror project, it was just to see if it was possible. It was never meant to be an open source project, let alone a commercial project. When the project eventually got more famous, it wouldn’t take long for the first commercial opportunities …
MagicMirror:
Empowering the MagicMirror² Ecosystem.
With the launch of MagicMirror v2, the foundation was laid for the creation of the MagicMirror² ecosystem. But to be honest, I could have never hoped that so many enthusiasts would develop and release their own MagicMirror² modules. Time to create some order in the chaos.
MagicMirror:
Mirror, Mirror on the wall ... What will happen this fall?
With over a hundred contributors, more than 1750 commits, and literally hundreds of 3rd party modules, the MagicMirror project I started years ago still doesn’t fail to amaze me. Time for a quick update!