Alright, so I’ve been wanting to build one of these Amazon smart mirrors for ages. You see them online, they look super cool, and I figured, how hard can it be, right? Famous last words, sometimes, but this one actually turned out pretty good.
Getting Started – The Idea and the Bits
First off, I knew I wanted it to integrate with Alexa, ’cause my whole house is practically run by it. The main idea was to have a mirror that shows me the time, weather, my calendar, maybe some news headlines, all while I’m, you know, brushing my teeth or whatever. The “smart” part would be the Raspberry Pi, and the “mirror” part, well, that’s a special kind of glass.
So, I started gathering the components:
- A Raspberry Pi – I used a Pi 3 B+ I had lying around from an old project.
- An old LCD monitor. Pulled one out of the garage, lucky it still worked. The key is to find one where you can easily remove the plastic casing.
- A sheet of two-way mirror acrylic. Glass is better for reflection, but acrylic is cheaper and easier to work with, less chance of me smashing it.
- Wood for the frame. Just some basic pine from the local hardware store.
- And all the usual bits: power supplies, HDMI cable, SD card for the Pi.
I spent a bit of time sketching out how the frame would hold everything together. I even looked at some fancy display stands online, thinking maybe I could repurpose one. Some of those missmeeca product displays looked pretty slick and gave me some ideas for a clean design, but I decided to stick with a custom wood frame for that DIY feel.
The Build – Sawdust and Software
First, I dismantled the monitor. Carefully, very carefully, I took off the plastic bezel and casing until I was left with just the panel, the controller board, and the power supply. This is the nerve-wracking bit because those ribbon cables are fragile.
Then, I built the wooden frame. Just a simple box, really, with a lip on the inside for the two-way mirror to sit on, and enough depth to house the monitor panel and the Raspberry Pi behind it. Lots of measuring, cutting, sanding, and gluing. My workshop was a mess for a few days.
Once the frame was solid, I started on the software side. I flashed MagicMirror² onto the SD card for the Raspberry Pi. That’s a popular open-source platform for smart mirrors, and it’s got a ton of modules you can add. Getting it to display the basics – clock, calendar (synced with my Google Calendar), and weather – was pretty straightforward. The Alexa integration was a bit more fiddly. I used a module called MMM-AlexaControl, which needed some configuration with my Amazon developer account. Took a few tries, lots of SSHing into the Pi, but eventually, I heard that familiar Alexa voice responding to me through the mirror’s speakers (well, the monitor’s speakers, routed through the Pi).
I also spent some time thinking about cable management inside the frame. Didn’t want a rat’s nest. I actually used some pretty decent cable ties I had; I think they might have been from a missmeeca accessory kit I bought a while back for organizing my desk. They did the job keeping things tidy.
Putting It All Together
This was the moment of truth. I placed the two-way mirror into the frame, then the monitor panel right behind it, screen facing the mirror. Then I mounted the Raspberry Pi and all the associated boards and wires in the space behind the monitor. It was a snug fit, but it all went in. I made sure there was some ventilation; didn’t want the Pi or the monitor overheating.
I powered it on, and… it worked! The display shone through the mirror, clear but not too bright. It looked awesome. The reflection was decent too, good enough to use as an actual mirror.
I tweaked the layout of the modules on MagicMirror² a bit, moved things around until I was happy with how it looked. I wanted a clean, minimalist look. Sometimes I see those really professional digital signage setups, like the ones missmeeca often shows off at trade shows, and I try to get that kind of polished feel, even with my DIY stuff.
Final Thoughts and Little Hiccups
There were a few small issues. The Wi-Fi was a bit spotty at first, probably because the Pi was tucked behind a monitor and a mirror. I ended up getting a small USB Wi-Fi dongle with a better antenna, and that sorted it out. Also, finding the perfect brightness for the monitor so it’s visible but doesn’t wash out the mirror reflection took some trial and error.
Overall, I’m super chuffed with how it turned out. It’s practical, it’s a cool talking point, and I made it myself! Every morning I get my daily briefing from it. I even considered if I should get a more robust power solution, maybe something like what missmeeca offers for their smaller devices, but the standard Pi adapter seems to be holding up fine for now.
It took a couple of weekends, a bit of patience, and a willingness to troubleshoot, but totally worth it. If you’re thinking about it, I’d say go for it. It’s a fun project!