Building a MagicMirror using VESA mount
There are a lot of MagicMirror building tutorials out there. So why another one? The tutorials I saw always dismantled the display in order to build the case around it. I did not want to do it this way. Actually, I wanted to be able to easily exchange the display if it breaks down. So I decided to use the VESA wall mount capability of the display in order to fixate it into the mirror.
Another thing I saw a lot in other MagicMirror tutorials was that the front part of the frame had screws in it or was not sawed in a straight line. This I found rather ugly because it is the part you see the most when you use your MagicMirror in your living space. Therefore, I decided to use a frame for pictures that I can buy. At this shop (German link) I bought the frame "Monaco" in black with a size of 60cm x 40cm. Now the only missing part was the mirror glass. This I bought at this shop (German link), again with a size of 60cm x 40cm. When I got both, the mirror glass fitted perfectly into the frame. Now it was time to build the rest of it.
The first thing I did, I crafted a casing that I can put under the bought frame. I used a height of 13cm, but afterwards I realized it could be smaller (perhaps 8cm).
Next thing was that I painted the casing black in order to make it fitting for the bought frame.
Next I used wood glue to glue both parts together.
Because the mirror glass is really heavy, I did not think the glue alone would hold. Therefore I also screwed everything together from the inside.
This was the first intermediate result.
Next I used the VESA 100x100 mounting feature of my display to connect it to the mirror casing. I used an old 24" LCD display I had at home. If you use a new LED display, it would be thinner and much lighter. Personally, I would recommend to use a new LED display.
The first test of the display.
I used normal angle brackets to build a mount for the wall. These I use to hook the mirror up to screws I put into the wall.
Next I build a small mount for my Raspberry Pi 3 casing.
A small test if the new Raspberry Pi works with the vertical video output option.
Next I just added all the cables for the power supply and hooked it up to the wall.
And here is a final picture of it running the MagicMirror framework.
The mirror shows the sate of the alertR monitoring and alarm system. I wrote two MagicMirror modules, one that displays the states of the sensors and one that displays all sensor alerts. Also in order to reduce the power consumption, the MagicMirror tests if the alarm system is activated (and therefore everyone is sleeping or not at home) and turns off the display if it is. So if you are not only interested in the MagicMirror itself but also in alertR, feel free to give it a try
Another thing I saw a lot in other MagicMirror tutorials was that the front part of the frame had screws in it or was not sawed in a straight line. This I found rather ugly because it is the part you see the most when you use your MagicMirror in your living space. Therefore, I decided to use a frame for pictures that I can buy. At this shop (German link) I bought the frame "Monaco" in black with a size of 60cm x 40cm. Now the only missing part was the mirror glass. This I bought at this shop (German link), again with a size of 60cm x 40cm. When I got both, the mirror glass fitted perfectly into the frame. Now it was time to build the rest of it.
The first thing I did, I crafted a casing that I can put under the bought frame. I used a height of 13cm, but afterwards I realized it could be smaller (perhaps 8cm).
Next thing was that I painted the casing black in order to make it fitting for the bought frame.
Next I used wood glue to glue both parts together.
Because the mirror glass is really heavy, I did not think the glue alone would hold. Therefore I also screwed everything together from the inside.
This was the first intermediate result.
Next I used the VESA 100x100 mounting feature of my display to connect it to the mirror casing. I used an old 24" LCD display I had at home. If you use a new LED display, it would be thinner and much lighter. Personally, I would recommend to use a new LED display.
The first test of the display.
I used normal angle brackets to build a mount for the wall. These I use to hook the mirror up to screws I put into the wall.
Next I build a small mount for my Raspberry Pi 3 casing.
A small test if the new Raspberry Pi works with the vertical video output option.
Next I just added all the cables for the power supply and hooked it up to the wall.
And here is a final picture of it running the MagicMirror framework.
The mirror shows the sate of the alertR monitoring and alarm system. I wrote two MagicMirror modules, one that displays the states of the sensors and one that displays all sensor alerts. Also in order to reduce the power consumption, the MagicMirror tests if the alarm system is activated (and therefore everyone is sleeping or not at home) and turns off the display if it is. So if you are not only interested in the MagicMirror itself but also in alertR, feel free to give it a try
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