Smart Mirror
A functional smart mirror and a localized information hub for daily-use metrics.
Objective
Build a smart mirror for daily-use information at a glance.
Project Overview
A wall-mounted smart mirror built with a Raspberry Pi 4 and a two-way acrylic mirror, running the MagicMirror² platform to display time, weather, calendar, and news at a glance.
Build Roadmap & Milestones
The project was engineered through the following build and stabilization milestones:
Concept & Optical Sourcing
Evaluated two-way acrylic mirror transmittance, viewing angles, and frame dimensional tolerances.
Frame Assembly & Initial Build
Built the custom wood chassis, fitted the 18.5" 1080p display, and set up the initial Raspberry Pi bench.
Circuit Isolation & Pi 4 Rebuild
Redesigned the internal power wiring with isolated 110V power supplies and upgraded compute to a Raspberry Pi 4.
MagicMirror² Customization & Wall Mount
Configured localized calendar, weather, and news feeds on Linux with automatic startup and wall installation.
Build Details
- Display: 18.5” 1080p portable monitor behind a two-way acrylic mirror in an 11x17 frame
- Compute: Raspberry Pi 4 (1GB) — upgraded from a Pi 3 after the original build shorted out
- Software: MagicMirror² with calendar, weather, and news modules
Lessons Learned
This was one of my first DIY tech builds. It taught me the basics of Linux, web-based UIs, embedded power management, and integrating hardware into a polished product. The first build ended with a fried monitor and Pi after accidentally shorting the 110V circuit — so the rebuild was an exercise in doing things right the second time.
Project Log
2 entries-
2025-07-19 #smart-mirror
Improved Smart Mirror Build
I recently built a smart mirror using a Raspberry Pi 4 and a two-way mirror. The project is uses MagicMirror² software, which provides a customizable interface for displaying information like time, weather, ... -
2025-07-17 #smart-mirror
First Smart Mirror Build
I built my first smart mirror using a Raspberry Pi 3+ and an old monitor I have lying around a year ago. After the PI stopped working I opened it back up to figure out why it stopped working. In process of doing so ...