David merges an impressive 65-inch touchscreen and a retro arcade machine into the single concept of a "magic mirror". Initially drawn to the potential of magic mirrors but craving more interactivity and size, David meticulously plans out the functionality to take advantage of a plethora of inputs and outputs, including RS 232 control and motion sensing.
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At the heart of the project lies the Raspberry Pi 5, serving as David's primary tool for driving the device's functionalities. However, configuring the Pi 5 and setting up the PINN (PINN is not NOOBS) operating system presents unexpected challenges. Undeterred, David adapts to the Pi 5's unique requirements, navigating differences in available operating systems and navigating driver support issues (due to using an early build of the operating system with the Pi 5 still being new to this alternative operating system) to ensure smooth operation.
David uses a perf board to solder the electronics to handle the motion sensing from a PIR, and adds wiring, a ribbon cable, and angled headers to help in mounting the components with the Raspberry Pi. He also uses an RS232 converter to convert the UART on the Raspberry Pi to RS 232 for serial communications. The PIR sensor is used to detect the presence of a person and to turn the screen on and off, and a cron job is used to turn the screen off at night and back on in the morning. The magic mirror displays a calendar, weather forecast, and other information. David uses RetroPie to play games on the screen, but he has trouble getting the screen to display horizontally - do you have any tips for David to correct this? Please comment them below!
Despite encountering hurdles along the way, David creates a functional 'magic mirror' that can also function as an impromptu gaming setup! (just, when he gets that orientation sorted) with the capacity to add further functionality as and when needed!
Downloads and Links:
- PINN GitHub: https://github.com/procount/pinn
- Download RetroPie
- Python code mentioned in the video will be available and this page will be edited when it is.
Bill of Material:
| Product Name | Manufacturer | Quantity | Buy Kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi5 8GB, BCM2712, Arm Cortex-A76, 8GB RAM, MicroSD, Wifi, HDMI, Power button | Raspberry Pi | 1 | Buy Now |
| USB Cable, Type A Plug to Type A Plug, 500 mm, 19.7 ", USB 2.0, Grey | Multicomp | 1 | Buy Now |
| Audio / Video Cable Assembly, HDMI Micro Plug, HDMI Plug, 3.28 ft, 1 m, White | Pro Signal | 1 | Buy Now |
| PIR MOTION SENSOR, 2.5M, 5.5VDC, WHITE | Panasonic | 2 | Buy Now |
| Oktopad, Eurocard, Epoxy Glass Composite, 1.6mm, 100mm x 160mm | Multicomp Pro | 2 | Buy Now |
| Converter, RS232 to TTL, DB9, -40 °C to 85 °C | Seeed Studio | 1 | Buy Now |
| Computer Cable, RS232 Socket, RS232 Socket, 3.28 ft, 1 m, Beige | Pro signal | 1 | Buy Now |
| Mounting Wire Kit, Multicore, Multicolour, 8 x 5m, 2 x 10m 24 AWG | Velleman | 1 | Buy Now |
| Flash Memory Card, MicroSD Card, UHS-1, Class 10, 128 GB | Hama | 2 | Buy Now |
| PCB Receptacle, Elevated Strip, Board-to-Board, 2.54 mm, 2 Rows, 40 Contacts, Through Hole Mount | Samtec | 1 | Buy Now |
| Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler | Raspberry Pi | 1 | Buy Now |
Additional Parts:
| 65" Television |
| Metallic Mirror Film |
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