Smart mirror

For this project, I repurposed an old laptop display to create a smart mirror powered by a Raspberry Pi. The mirror displays real-time information such as weather updates, time, and news, providing a functional and interactive addition to my workspace.

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Story behind project

I first came up with the idea to build a smart mirror during my freshman year of college. I’d just gotten my hands on a Raspberry Pi, and all that was left was to construct the mirror and its frame. The problem was, every online tutorial I found used desktop monitors, which needed a thick, custom-built wooden frame to encase it—something that required machining. Since I had no clue how to machine a wooden frame, that approach wasn’t going to work, and I had to shelve the project for a bit.

Then, the summer after my freshman year, things changed. My mom bought a new laptop, and I noticed how slim the display was on her old one. That’s when it clicked: instead of wrestling with a clunky monitor, I could extract just the display from the old laptop and slip it into a picture frame. I bought a frame from a local crafts store, ordered the rest of the components online, and put together my own custom smart mirror. Back then, I hadn’t come across any other smart mirrors designed to be this thin and compact—small enough to sit neatly on a desk.

Parts listed