Smart Mirror with PyPortal

2 x M3 x 7mm Thumbscrews

Aluminum Alloy Knurled Thumb Screws Black 10pcs

2 x M3 Locknut with Nylon Insert

Steel Nylon-Insert Locknut

1 x Acrylic Sheet

1/8in thick acrylic sheet for laser or CNC

1 x Roll of Mirror Film

BDF S05 One Way Mirror Film

Download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal via CircuitPython.org

CAD Assembly

The piece of acrylic snap fits into a recess inside the case. The PyPortal PCB is secured to the case using machine screws. The mirror stand attaches to the case using thumb screws and lock nuts. The back cover snap fits over the case.

CAD Parts List

STL files for 3D printing are oriented to print "as-is" on FDM style machines. Parts are designed to 3D print without any support material. Original design source may be downloaded using the links below:

Mirror-Case.stl
Mirror-Cover.stl
Mirror-Stand.stl
Mirror-Acrylic.svg

Download STL files

Download CAD source

Build Volume

The parts require a 3D printer with a minimum build volume.

122mm (X) x 122mm (Y) x 132mm (Z)

Acrylic Template

Use the DXF or SVG file to laser cut or CNC mill the 1/8in(3.17mm) thick acrylic piece to make the mirror.

Acrylic Dimensions: 96.5mm x 55mm

acrylic-template.zip

Design Source Files

The project assembly was designed in Fusion 360. This can be downloaded in different formats like STEP, STL and more. Electronic components like Adafruit's board, displays, connectors and more can be downloaded from the Adafruit CAD parts GitHub Repo.

CircuitPython is a derivative of MicroPython designed to simplify experimentation and education on low-cost microcontrollers. It makes it easier than ever to get prototyping by requiring no upfront desktop software downloads. Simply copy and edit files on the CIRCUITPY "flash" drive to iterate.

The following instructions will show you how to install CircuitPython. If you've already installed CircuitPython but are looking to update it or reinstall it, the same steps work for that as well!

Set up CircuitPython Quick Start!

Follow this quick step-by-step for super-fast Python power :)

Download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal Pynt via CircuitPython.org

Click the link above to download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal.

Download and save it to your desktop (or wherever is handy).

Plug your PyPortal into your computer using a known-good USB cable.

A lot of people end up using charge-only USB cables and it is very frustrating! So make sure you have a USB cable you know is good for data sync.

Double-click the Reset button on the top in the middle (magenta arrow) on your board, and you will see the NeoPixel RGB LED (green arrow) turn green. If it turns red, check the USB cable, try another USB port, etc. Note: The little red LED next to the USB connector will pulse red. That's ok!

If double-clicking doesn't work the first time, try again. Sometimes it can take a few tries to get the rhythm right!

You will see a new disk drive appear called PORTALBOOT.

Drag the adafruit-circuitpython-pyportal-<whatever>.uf2 file to PORTALBOOT.

The LED will flash. Then, the PORTALBOOT drive will disappear and a new disk drive called CIRCUITPY will appear.

If you haven't added any code to your board, the only file that will be present is boot_out.txt. This is absolutely normal! It's time for you to add your code.py and get started!

That's it, you're done! :)

PyPortal Default Files

Click below to download a zip of the files that shipped on the PyPortal or PyPortal Pynt.

PyPortal Default Files

PyPortal Pynt Default Files

Once you've finished setting up your PyPortal with CircuitPython, you can access the code and necessary libraries by downloading the Project Bundle.

To do this, click on the Download Project Bundle button in the window below. It will download as a zipped folder.

Download Project Bundle

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Liz Clark for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import sys
import time
import board
from analogio import AnalogIn
from adafruit_pyportal import PyPortal
cwd = ("/"+__file__).rsplit('/', 1)[0] # the current working directory (where this file is)
sys.path.append(cwd)
import openweather_graphics  # pylint: disable=wrong-import-position

# Get wifi details and more from a secrets.py file
try:
    from secrets import secrets
except ImportError:
    print("WiFi secrets are kept in secrets.py, please add them there!")
    raise

# Use cityname, country code where countrycode is ISO3166 format.
# E.g. "New York, US" or "London, GB"
LOCATION = "New York, US"

# Set up where we'll be fetching data from
DATA_SOURCE = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q="+LOCATION
DATA_SOURCE += "&appid="+secrets['openweather_token']
# You'll need to get a token from openweather.org, looks like 'b6907d289e10d714a6e88b30761fae22'
DATA_LOCATION = []


# Initialize the pyportal object and let us know what data to fetch and where
# to display it
pyportal = PyPortal(url=DATA_SOURCE,
                    json_path=DATA_LOCATION,
                    status_neopixel=board.NEOPIXEL,
                    default_bg=0x000000)

display = board.DISPLAY
#  rotate display for portrait orientation
display.rotation = 270

#  instantiate the openweather_graphics class
gfx = openweather_graphics.OpenWeather_Graphics(pyportal.splash, am_pm=True, celsius=False)

#  time keeping for refreshing screen icons and weather information
localtile_refresh = None
weather_refresh = None

#  setup light sensor as an analog input
analogin = AnalogIn(board.LIGHT)

#  analog scaling helper
def getVoltage(pin):
    return (pin.value * 3.3) / 65536

#  timer for updating onscreen clock
clock = time.monotonic()
#  timer for keeping backlight on
light_clock = time.monotonic()
#  timer for checking the light sensor
switch_clock = time.monotonic()
#  variable to scale light sensor reading
ratio = 0
#  storing last light sensor ratio reading
last_ratio = 0

while True:
    # only query the online time once per hour (and on first run)
    if (not localtile_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - localtile_refresh) > 3600:
        try:
            print("Getting time from internet!")
            pyportal.get_local_time()
            localtile_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

    # only query the weather every 10 minutes (and on first run)
    if (not weather_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - weather_refresh) > 600:
        try:
            value = pyportal.fetch()
            print("Response is", value)
            gfx.display_weather(value)
            weather_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue
    #  every 0.1 seconds check the light sensor value
    if (time.monotonic() - switch_clock) > 0.1:
        #  read the light sensor and scale it 0 to 3.3
        reading = getVoltage(analogin)
        #  calculate the % of light out of the maximum light
        ratio = ((ratio + pow(1.0 - reading / 3.3, 4.0)) / 2.0)
        #  create a comparison ratio with the last reading
        power_ratio = last_ratio + pow(last_ratio, 2.0)
        #  if the comparison ratio is less than 1
        if power_ratio < 1:
            #  and the current ratio is larger
            if ratio > power_ratio:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()
        #  otherwise (if in a darker room)
        else:
            #  if there's a difference greater than 0.003
            #  between the current ratio and the last ratio
            if ratio - last_ratio > 0.003:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()
        #  update last_ratio
        last_ratio = ratio
        switch_clock = time.monotonic()
    #  after 10 seconds, turn off the backlight
    if (time.monotonic() - light_clock) > 10:
        pyportal.set_backlight(0)
    #  every 30 seconds update time on screen
    if (time.monotonic() - clock) > 30:
        gfx.update_time()
        clock = time.monotonic()

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Liz Clark for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import sys
import time
import board
from analogio import AnalogIn
from adafruit_pyportal import PyPortal
cwd = ("/"+__file__).rsplit('/', 1)[0] # the current working directory (where this file is)
sys.path.append(cwd)
import openweather_graphics  # pylint: disable=wrong-import-position

# Get wifi details and more from a secrets.py file
try:
    from secrets import secrets
except ImportError:
    print("WiFi secrets are kept in secrets.py, please add them there!")
    raise

# Use cityname, country code where countrycode is ISO3166 format.
# E.g. "New York, US" or "London, GB"
LOCATION = "New York, US"

# Set up where we'll be fetching data from
DATA_SOURCE = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q="+LOCATION
DATA_SOURCE += "&appid="+secrets['openweather_token']
# You'll need to get a token from openweather.org, looks like 'b6907d289e10d714a6e88b30761fae22'
DATA_LOCATION = []


# Initialize the pyportal object and let us know what data to fetch and where
# to display it
pyportal = PyPortal(url=DATA_SOURCE,
                    json_path=DATA_LOCATION,
                    status_neopixel=board.NEOPIXEL,
                    default_bg=0x000000)

display = board.DISPLAY
#  rotate display for portrait orientation
display.rotation = 270

#  instantiate the openweather_graphics class
gfx = openweather_graphics.OpenWeather_Graphics(pyportal.splash, am_pm=True, celsius=False)

#  time keeping for refreshing screen icons and weather information
localtile_refresh = None
weather_refresh = None

#  setup light sensor as an analog input
analogin = AnalogIn(board.LIGHT)

#  analog scaling helper
def getVoltage(pin):
    return (pin.value * 3.3) / 65536

#  timer for updating onscreen clock
clock = time.monotonic()
#  timer for keeping backlight on
light_clock = time.monotonic()
#  timer for checking the light sensor
switch_clock = time.monotonic()
#  variable to scale light sensor reading
ratio = 0
#  storing last light sensor ratio reading
last_ratio = 0

while True:
    # only query the online time once per hour (and on first run)
    if (not localtile_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - localtile_refresh) > 3600:
        try:
            print("Getting time from internet!")
            pyportal.get_local_time()
            localtile_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

    # only query the weather every 10 minutes (and on first run)
    if (not weather_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - weather_refresh) > 600:
        try:
            value = pyportal.fetch()
            print("Response is", value)
            gfx.display_weather(value)
            weather_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue
    #  every 0.1 seconds check the light sensor value
    if (time.monotonic() - switch_clock) > 0.1:
        #  read the light sensor and scale it 0 to 3.3
        reading = getVoltage(analogin)
        #  calculate the % of light out of the maximum light
        ratio = ((ratio + pow(1.0 - reading / 3.3, 4.0)) / 2.0)
        #  create a comparison ratio with the last reading
        power_ratio = last_ratio + pow(last_ratio, 2.0)
        #  if the comparison ratio is less than 1
        if power_ratio < 1:
            #  and the current ratio is larger
            if ratio > power_ratio:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()
        #  otherwise (if in a darker room)
        else:
            #  if there's a difference greater than 0.003
            #  between the current ratio and the last ratio
            if ratio - last_ratio > 0.003:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()
        #  update last_ratio
        last_ratio = ratio
        switch_clock = time.monotonic()
    #  after 10 seconds, turn off the backlight
    if (time.monotonic() - light_clock) > 10:
        pyportal.set_backlight(0)
    #  every 30 seconds update time on screen
    if (time.monotonic() - clock) > 30:
        gfx.update_time()
        clock = time.monotonic()

Upload the Code and Libraries to the PyPortal

After downloading the Project Bundle, plug your PyPortal into the computer's USB port with a known good USB data+power cable. You should see a new flash drive appear in the computer's File Explorer or Finder (depending on your operating system) called CIRCUITPY. Unzip the folder and copy the following items to the PyPortal's CIRCUITPY drive.

lib folder
fonts folder
icons folder
openweather_graphics.py
code.py

Your PyPortal CIRCUITPY drive should look like this after copying the lib folder, fonts folder, icons folder, openweather_graphics.py file and the code.py file.

secrets.py

You will need to create and add a secrets.py file to your CIRCUITPY drive. Your secrets.py file will need to include the following information:

secrets = {
    'ssid' : 'YOUR-SSID-HERE',
    'password' : 'YOUR-SSID-PASSWORD-HERE',
    'aio_username' : 'YOUR-AIO-USERNAME-HERE',
    'aio_key' : 'YOUR-AIO-KEY-HERE',
    'openweather_token' : 'YOUR-OPENWEATHER-TOKEN-HERE',
    'timezone' : "America/New_York", # http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones
    }

secrets = {
    'ssid' : 'YOUR-SSID-HERE',
    'password' : 'YOUR-SSID-PASSWORD-HERE',
    'aio_username' : 'YOUR-AIO-USERNAME-HERE',
    'aio_key' : 'YOUR-AIO-KEY-HERE',
    'openweather_token' : 'YOUR-OPENWEATHER-TOKEN-HERE',
    'timezone' : "America/New_York", # http://worldtimeapi.org/timezones
    }

We'll be using OpenWeatherMaps.org to retrieve the weather info through its API. In order to do so, you'll need to register for an account and get your API key.

Go to this link and register for a free account. Once registered, you'll get an email containing your API key, also known as the "openweather token".

You will also need your Adafruit IO username and key. Check out this guide for getting started with Adafruit IO if you haven't used Adafruit IO before.

How the CircuitPython Code Works

This code was adapted from the PyPortal Weather Station project. The code has been modified to rotate the display so that it is vertical and to turn on the display's backlight when it senses movement in front of the light sensor.

You'll want to update LOCATION at the top of the code to the location that you want to receive data for. Weather data is retrieved via the OpenWeatherMap API.

# Use cityname, country code where countrycode is ISO3166 format.
# E.g. "New York, US" or "London, GB"
LOCATION = "New York, US"

# Set up where we'll be fetching data from
DATA_SOURCE = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q="+LOCATION
DATA_SOURCE += "&appid="+secrets['openweather_token']
# You'll need to get a token from openweather.org, looks like 'b6907d289e10d714a6e88b30761fae22'
DATA_LOCATION = []

# Use cityname, country code where countrycode is ISO3166 format.
# E.g. "New York, US" or "London, GB"
LOCATION = "New York, US"

# Set up where we'll be fetching data from
DATA_SOURCE = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q="+LOCATION
DATA_SOURCE += "&appid="+secrets['openweather_token']
# You'll need to get a token from openweather.org, looks like 'b6907d289e10d714a6e88b30761fae22'
DATA_LOCATION = []

Setup the PyPortal

The display is rotated using display.rotation. OpenWeather_Graphics() is a helper class from the openweather_graphics.py file. That file takes care of the graphics on screen and parsing the OpenWeatherMaps JSON feed to display the weather data.

# Initialize the pyportal object and let us know what data to fetch and where
# to display it
pyportal = PyPortal(url=DATA_SOURCE,
                    json_path=DATA_LOCATION,
                    status_neopixel=board.NEOPIXEL,
                    default_bg=0x000000)

display = board.DISPLAY
#  rotate display for portrait orientation
display.rotation = 270

#  instantiate the openweather_graphics class
gfx = openweather_graphics.OpenWeather_Graphics(pyportal.splash, am_pm=True, celsius=False)

# Initialize the pyportal object and let us know what data to fetch and where
# to display it
pyportal = PyPortal(url=DATA_SOURCE,
                    json_path=DATA_LOCATION,
                    status_neopixel=board.NEOPIXEL,
                    default_bg=0x000000)

display = board.DISPLAY
#  rotate display for portrait orientation
display.rotation = 270

#  instantiate the openweather_graphics class
gfx = openweather_graphics.OpenWeather_Graphics(pyportal.splash, am_pm=True, celsius=False)

Setup the Light Sensor

The light sensor is accessed with board.LIGHT. The getVoltage() helper is used to scale the analog input from 0 to 3.3.

#  setup light sensor as an analog input
analogin = AnalogIn(board.LIGHT)

#  analog scaling helper
def getVoltage(pin):
    return (pin.value * 3.3) / 65536

#  setup light sensor as an analog input
analogin = AnalogIn(board.LIGHT)

#  analog scaling helper
def getVoltage(pin):
    return (pin.value * 3.3) / 65536

The Loop

In the loop, pyportal.get_local_time() is called every hour to get the internet time from Adafruit IO. The weather data feed is updated every 10 minutes with gfx.display_weather(value).

while True:
    # only query the online time once per hour (and on first run)
    if (not localtile_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - localtile_refresh) > 3600:
        try:
            print("Getting time from internet!")
            pyportal.get_local_time()
            localtile_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

    # only query the weather every 10 minutes (and on first run)
    if (not weather_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - weather_refresh) > 600:
        try:
            value = pyportal.fetch()
            print("Response is", value)
            gfx.display_weather(value)
            weather_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

while True:
    # only query the online time once per hour (and on first run)
    if (not localtile_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - localtile_refresh) > 3600:
        try:
            print("Getting time from internet!")
            pyportal.get_local_time()
            localtile_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

    # only query the weather every 10 minutes (and on first run)
    if (not weather_refresh) or (time.monotonic() - weather_refresh) > 600:
        try:
            value = pyportal.fetch()
            print("Response is", value)
            gfx.display_weather(value)
            weather_refresh = time.monotonic()
        except RuntimeError as e:
            print("Some error occured, retrying! -", e)
            continue

Read the Light Sensor

Every 0.1 seconds, the light sensor's value is read. The reading is scaled with getVoltage(). The code calculates what percentage out of the maximum amount of light is being read. This value is held in ratio. power_ratio holds the value of last_ratio plus last_ratio to the 2nd power.

power_ratio is used to compare the current ratio against to see if a substantial change in light value is being read by the sensor. This allows for the project to work in rooms with various levels of light.

#  every 0.1 seconds check the light sensor value
    if (time.monotonic() - switch_clock) > 0.1:
        #  read the light sensor and scale it 0 to 3.3
        reading = getVoltage(analogin)
        #  calculate the % of light out of the maximum light
        ratio = ((ratio + pow(1.0 - reading / 3.3, 4.0)) / 2.0)
        #  create a comparison ratio with the last reading
        power_ratio = last_ratio + pow(last_ratio, 2.0)

#  every 0.1 seconds check the light sensor value
    if (time.monotonic() - switch_clock) > 0.1:
        #  read the light sensor and scale it 0 to 3.3
        reading = getVoltage(analogin)
        #  calculate the % of light out of the maximum light
        ratio = ((ratio + pow(1.0 - reading / 3.3, 4.0)) / 2.0)
        #  create a comparison ratio with the last reading
        power_ratio = last_ratio + pow(last_ratio, 2.0)

Turn on the PyPortal's Screen

If the ratio is larger than power_ratio when power_ratio is less than 1, then the PyPortal's backlight is turned on.

#  if the comparison ratio is less than 1
        if power_ratio < 1:
            #  and the current ratio is larger
            if ratio > power_ratio:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()

#  if the comparison ratio is less than 1
        if power_ratio < 1:
            #  and the current ratio is larger
            if ratio > power_ratio:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()

If power_ratio is less than one, then the PyPortal's backlight is turned on when the difference between ratio and last_ratio is greater than 0.003.

#  otherwise (if in a darker room)
        else:
            #  if there's a difference greater than 0.003
            #  between the current ratio and the last ratio
            if ratio - last_ratio > 0.003:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()

#  otherwise (if in a darker room)
        else:
            #  if there's a difference greater than 0.003
            #  between the current ratio and the last ratio
            if ratio - last_ratio > 0.003:
                #  turn on the backlight
                pyportal.set_backlight(1)
                light_clock = time.monotonic()

Reset Clocks

After 10 seconds, the PyPortal's backlight is turned off. Every 30 seconds, the clock time on screen is updated with gfx.update_time().