Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- hardware:baby-mirror [2026/07/20 18:17] – created diamond
+++ hardware:baby-mirror [2026/08/25 19:17] (current) – Sparky
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 # Baby Mirror
-Donated to us by [/dev/hack](https://devhack.net), thanks to the folks over there!
+The Baby Mirror is a [MagicMirror²](https://magicmirror.builders/) smart mirror:
+a Raspberry Pi driving a monitor mounted behind one-way glass. It was donated to
+DMA by /dev/hack, thanks to the folks over there! We use it to display info to
+the space, including a feed of community quotes.
-It sits on top of the tool chest. There's currently plans to mount it just above the tool chest and on the wall.
+## Where it is
-The mirror is a Raspberry Pi with a display driver board. The mirror itself is basically just a big monitor.
+Currently sitting on top of the tool chest. Planned to be wall-mounted above the
+chest.
-## Accessing the Mirror
+## Hardware and software
+- **Board:** Raspberry Pi 3B+ (1 GB RAM)
+- **Display:** monitor + display driver board behind one-way glass
+- **OS:** Debian 13 (Trixie), 64-bit
+- **MagicMirror:** v2.37.0, running under Electron 42.5.2 on Node 24
+- **Networking:** managed by NetworkManager
+Note that the Pi has been updated since it was donated. It is no longer running
+the original /dev/hack image, so do not assume the stock /dev/hack layout or
+tooling. Paths and service setup are documented below and were confirmed on the
+device on 2026-08-25.
+## Finding the mirror on the network
+The mirror is on the DMA **user VLAN** (the `dma.space/hello` network), so you
+must be on that network to reach it. Its address comes from DHCP and changes.
+**The hostname does not resolve.** `smartmirror.user.dma.computer` will not
+resolve even when you are on the user VLAN, because every VLAN's DHCP hands out
+public DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) and the router does not run an internal
+resolver. Do not rely on the hostname. mDNS (`smartmirror.local`) did not answer
+either when this was last checked.
+To find its current address, use one of:
+. The router's DHCP lease table.
+. A sweep of the user VLAN, then look for a host answering SSH with a Debian
+   banner. It was at `10.20.110.92` on 2026-08-25.
+. A keyboard on the Pi itself and `hostname -I`.
+## Access
+- **SSH user:** `localadmin`
+- **Password:** stored in the **infra Vaultwarden** (vault.dma.space) under the
+  `smartmirror` item. That item lived in a personal vault until 2026-08-24 and
+  is now shared to the org, so if you cannot find it, check that you are looking
+  at the org vault. *(Do not paste credentials on this page, the wiki is
+  public.)*
+```
+ssh localadmin@<ip>
+```
+SSH host key fingerprints (verify on first connect):
+```
+  SHA256:3KxeMLQ0FjtB0n0XmRc0ugtDom14vmPNLxVWl/idsEA (ED25519)
+  SHA256:QubQF144eoTKvpVRUvECWkBkMP5zG7dTFgEVft/hJaU (ECDSA)
+SHA256:TfAb3KQ5LukzQ/dXTOH2esfB9q4QgeBNKeidXbsNLJs (RSA)
+```
+All three were confirmed correct on 2026-08-25.
+## Console access
+If the mirror is off the network, you can get a local console with a USB
+keyboard:
+- **Ctrl+Alt+F2** switches to a text console.
+- **Ctrl+Alt+F7** switches back to the MagicMirror display.
+Two things to know before you rely on this. The console keymap is not US and has
+dead keys, so quotes and symbols are hard to type correctly, and `loadkeys`
+cannot help because `/usr/share/keymaps` is not installed. Anything involving
+quotes or a password is much easier over SSH. Also remember to log out of the
+console when you are done, since the space is shared.
+## If the mirror is on but shows no data
+A module reporting "no internet connection" usually means the Pi is up but has
+dropped off wifi. This happened on 2026-08-25 and the device had been offline
+long enough that nobody noticed.
+Wifi is managed by **NetworkManager**, not by a `wpa_supplicant.conf` file.
+There is no `/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf` on this box, and editing
+`wpa_cli` network blocks will not work, because NetworkManager owns the
+supplicant.
+From a console on the Pi, the fix that worked was simply restarting the service:
+```bash
+sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
+```
+It reconnected and picked up a DHCP lease immediately. If that is not enough:
+```bash
+nmcli device status
+sudo nmcli device wifi rescan
+nmcli device wifi list
+sudo nmcli --ask device wifi connect dma.space/hello
+```
+`nmcli device wifi connect` can report that the network cannot be found when the
+scan cache is stale, so always rescan first. Using `--ask` prompts for the
+password instead of taking it on the command line, which avoids both shell
+quoting and the console keymap problem.
+## How MagicMirror is managed
+MagicMirror runs as a **systemd user service** under the `localadmin` account.
+The unit lives at `~/.config/systemd/user/magicmirror.service`, is enabled at
+boot, and starts `/home/localadmin/scripts/start_mm.sh`. The systemd unit and
+the `/dev/hack` start script are not alternatives to each other; the unit runs
+the script.
+```bash
+systemctl --user status magicmirror.service
+systemctl --user restart magicmirror.service
+```
+**Logs.** `journalctl --user` does not work on this device and reports "No
+journal files were found", because the per-user journal is not persisted. Use
+either of these instead:
+```bash
+systemctl --user status magicmirror.service --no-pager
+sudo journalctl _UID=1000 -n 40 --no-pager
+```
+## Configuration
+MagicMirror config lives at:
+```
+/home/localadmin/MagicMirror/config/config.js
+```
+Modules are configured in the `modules: [ ... ]` array in that file. Installed
+modules live under `/home/localadmin/MagicMirror/modules/`.
+**Always back up and validate before restarting.** A malformed `config.js` stops
+MagicMirror from starting and leaves the mirror blank.
+```bash
+cd /home/localadmin/MagicMirror/config
+cp config.js config.js.bak-$(date +%F)
+# edit, then check that it parses before restarting:
+node -e 'require("/home/localadmin/MagicMirror/config/config.js"); console.log("OK")'
+systemctl --user restart magicmirror.service
+```
+To roll back:
+```bash
+cp config.js.bak-<date> config.js
+systemctl --user restart magicmirror.service
+```
+## Displaying the community quotes feed
+Quotes come from `#.offtopic > quotes` in Zulip, published as an Atom feed:
+```
+https://portal.dma.space/api/feeds/quotes.atom
+```
+The feed is public and needs no token. Confirm the mirror can reach it before
+relying on it, and **test with GET, not HEAD**. The endpoint is GET-only and
+`curl -I` returns 405 even when the feed is perfectly healthy:
+```bash
+curl -sS -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' https://portal.dma.space/api/feeds/quotes.atom
+```
+The display uses MagicMirror's built-in
+[`newsfeed`](https://docs.magicmirror.builders/modules/newsfeed.html) module.
+This is the block currently in `config.js`:
+```js
+{
+    module: "newsfeed",
+    position: "bottom_bar",
+    config: {
+        feeds: [
+            {
+                title: "DMA Quotes",
+                url: "https://portal.dma.space/api/feeds/quotes.atom"
+            }
+        ],
+        showSourceTitle: false,
+        showPublishDate: false,
+        showDescription: false
+    }
+},
+```
+`showDescription` is deliberately `false`. Each entry carries the whole quote in
+its `<title>` and has no `<summary>` or `<content>`, so there is no description
+to show. For the same reason, do not add `ignoreOldItems`: quotes are posted
+infrequently and the newest entry is often weeks old, so filtering by age would
+empty the bar.
+The large centred text on the mirror is the separate `compliments` module, not
+the quotes feed.
+## Editing safely
+This is a **production device** on the space's network. Coordinate before making
+changes, back up `config.js` first, validate that it parses, and restart the
+service to apply. If the mirror comes up blank after a change, restore the
+backup and restart.
+## Known issues
+- The wifi dropout described above has not been tested across a reboot. The
+  NetworkManager profile should persist, but a silent recurrence is possible.
+  If the mirror goes dark again, check wifi first.
-TODO