Creating a Smart Mirror from a Lululemon Mirror

The Lululemon Mirror is a two-way mirror with a display panel behind it, designed for workout videos and was recently announced as a discontinued product by the company. We wanted to repurpose this hardware to make it a more functional smart mirror. The process has been documented below, with a full tutorial video to demonstrate the steps followed.

MagicMirror	Mainboard	System & Audio

UPDATE: Two models of the Mirror work now! The instructions below are mostly for the newer units (Rev08) with a BOE display. However, a recent discovery for the models with a LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV display means it will also work. This guide explains how to add a standard TV mainboard into the Mirror to display whatever you want.

To check if your model is compatible, simply lay down your Mirror, unscrew the base (if used) and four screws on the back side. Lift up the metal case and look for BOE or LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV. For newer models with BOE panels, it will look like this:

If your Mirror has a compatible display, read below for the solution we developed. If you have Samsung or any other display, the steps to work with your panel is still a work in progress - see this for more details.

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Before you begin,

By continuing, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the contents of the following disclaimer, and consent to their terms.

The process described in this document could cause irreversible damage to your Mirror, and you should prepare yourself for that outcome before you begin. I accept absolutely no responsibility for the consequences of anyone choosing to follow or ignore any of the instructions in this document, and make no guarantees about the quality or effectiveness of the software in this repo.

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Table of Contents

• Project Goals
• Hardware Versions
• Method
• Step 1
• Step 2
• Step 3

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Project Goals:

The goal is to enhance the Mirror to run other software and to make it a more robust smart mirror. I wanted to use Magic Mirror using a small computer inside the Mirror, plus the ability to stream any music and videos that I want to.

• 43” full HD 1080p IPS display, with 178° wide viewing angle
• LED Backlight, picture-in-picture functionality
• The inverter and the power supply can be reused with no modifications
• The backlight inverter and speakers can be reused to work with the new system

What we don't need:

• Mirror Software: Android-based OS, proprietary launcher. Without any way to jailbreak this system, it isn't very useful to us.
• Camera: Unlikely to work post-modification. mipi csi interface, to get that to work for lulu required an entire team of engineers quite a bit of time and consideration in order to get that exactly how they wanted it.
• The scalar board (with hdmi, usb and the antennas) would require reverse engineering the bios, which is very challenging. It will continue to work for the backlight and other minor functionality only.

Hardware Versions

There are several hardware revisions made to the Mirror. Thanks to @vkasabrukhau for adding much more detail to this historical section below:

This meant to be a mirror shopping guide and market advisory for those who are looking to gauge what this may cost like. To understand what screen models went into what we must lay out the timeline:

• September 2018 - The company “Mirror” starts shipping smart fitness mirrors
• October/November 2019 - Mirror closes $34m Series B round, Lululemon participates via $1m, Lululemon content introduced to the mirror
• July 2020 - Lululemon acquires “Mirror”
• September 2022 - Lululemon explicitly rebrands “Mirror” to “Lululemon Studio Mirror”
• Late 2023 - Lululemon discontinues new hardware sales of the Mirror, partners with Peloton for content

Prices:

• 2018 - 2020 - $1,495
• 2021 - $1,195 – $995
• October 2022 - $795
• Late 2023 - Discontinued

Came packaged with 3 models of display:

• BOE DV430FHM-NN5 - 43”
• Samsung-Celled LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV - 40”, 1920x1080, 700 nit, AG25 (anti-glare, 25% haze), WV (wide view) - it is quite likely that Lululemon sourced these from Display Logic and the panels themselves were built with the same Samsung cells from LTI400HN01
• Samsung LTI400HN01 - 40”, 1920×1080, 700 nit, 4000:1 contrast, 16.7M colors at 72% NTSC, WLED backlight, 8ms g2g, matte with 25% haze, and LVDS 2ch 8-bit over 51 pins at 12V via Panelook

In around 2022 (lining up with the rebrand) online marketing made a switch from describing the screen panel as being “40” to “43” indicating a full shift from both of the Samsung panels to the BOE panel. Some online marketing such as Lululemon Canada remained stale and stayed on a 40” description.

I have been able to get my hands on 2 mirrors - one bought in October 2022 and another bought in 2021. Both have BOE panels that were manufactured in 2021. The screen’s manufactured date is usually engraved on the outer casing of the LVDS port on the back of the display. TYPICALLY if a mirror was bought in late 2021 or soon thereafter it is a relatively safe bet that it will contain a BOE panel but THIS IS NOT GUARANTEED.

The easiest way to distinguish these in the case of a Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace purchase is via date and by measuring in place outright. Ask to see the mirror, check dimensions with a measuring tape directly. 3 inches is enough runway to test. 43” - BOE, 40” - Samsung or Other In the case that the panel is Samsung its ease of modification is a toss up. The two boards - LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV and LTI400HN01 are direct replacements of each other different pin outs and might require more low level work.

• LTI400HN01 seems to be the problem child - a working solution theory is described in Issue #24 of this repo
• LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV has been largely solved for and is effectively the same as the BOE panel in terms of practical repair

In regard to price it is up to each person’s discretion how much they are willing to pay for a mirror. In my experience of surfing Facebook Marketplace nonstop people who bought the mirror later on in it’s lifecycle are more willing to sell for less (less of a discernible loss). Prices online range from $400+ all the way down to $50/$70 and in my case one was obtained for free.

I would highly recommend not getting buyers anxiety and feeling pressured to snag the first 2022+ mirror for whatever price. Depending on the seller these are often obtainable for right around the $100 mark. The older the mirror the higher the risk of a difficult panel and hence the lower the price. $200+ typically tends to not make sense due to risk carried by the panel inside as well as accommodating components. Hardware to get custom display working tends to be around $30-$60 depending on which panel you get and the controller/TV board you choose to put inside. Compute that needs to work inside is another cost worth weighing depending on the kind of software/onboard processing you’d like it to run.

All in all for $100-$200 with the right board the mirror is a decent deal if worked out for the market price of the casing, the screen inside, the speakers it comes with, and the quality of the mirror itself.

• Mine is Rev08, ordered November 2022. Photos uploaded to this repo are my own.
• My Panel is a BOE DV430FHM-NN5 which is the same panel as this HV430FHB-N10. The good news is, this panel is used in several TVs made by Vizio, ONN and Samsung.

Another compatible model uses the LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV Panel and datasheet. This panel is the replacement for LTI400HN01. As noted in Issue #8 user avitascmor found a solution to use this controller to plug into the LVDS port.

For detailed instructions for users with the LM40SAMFHD700AG25WV panel, see these instructions

Other models of the Mirror have different panels:

• Many users have a Samsung LTI400HN01 full specs and datasheet connected via LVDS
• User r/themiggymigs provided these photos: https://imgur.com/a/uST7AOL
• RevP1 User r/AYfD6PsXcndUxSfobkM9 photos: https://imgur.com/a/bHYqefX | https://imgur.com/a/3JF6CdK | https://imgur.com/a/gHpoa2T

Method

What you'll need: A Phillips head screwdriver, TR10 and TR6 screwdrivers, wire cutters, a replacement TV mainboard, and whatever device you want to control the new Mirror (such as a Rasperry Pi, chromecast, a computer, or anything else).

Optional, but helpful if you have a BOE panel: This remote for initial setup as you'll want to connect the Vizio mainboard to wifi. After that, the Vizio phone app works well too. You will also need a power cord for the Vizio mainboard if you don't already have one, like this.

Watch the full video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9asyi3-GeVE

Before you begin, make sure the Mirror is in initial setup mode (factory reset). This ensures the backlight stays on and doesn't time out after a few minutes of inactivity. On newer models with the BOE panel, hold down the little blue button at the top until it triggers a complete factory reset. On older models, one suggested method is to remove it from your network by either kicking it off from the router, changing the Wi-Fi password, or removing the RF cable connecting the Wi-Fi antenna to the mainboard (RF cable removal may be irreversible).

Step 1

First we have to remove what we don't need. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the 4 screws on the back of the Mirror (and the 4 securing the bottom stand, if used) Unscrew the scalar board: TR10 - three screws connecting it to the plastic frame from the Mirror. Then, use a TR6 for five screws to remove the board from the plastic shield. Disconnect the LVDS from the scalar board and the panel. Disconnect the ethernet cable from the scalar board and remove it from the Mirror. We'll use that space below (next to the power insert) for any HDMI and USB cables we want access to instead. Disconnect the audio from the scalar board as well. We'll connect them later to the new mainboard's speaker port for audio output.

Part.1.-.teardown.mov

Step 2

Now we can start adding the hardware we want. For the BOE panel, a quick search on eBay for "HV430FHB-N10" (https://bit.ly/420wajv) provides a lot of options for compatible mainboards. Note: you will want a mainboard that comes with LVDS Cable, Ribbon Cables, Power Switch Board and IR Remote if possible. (The LVDS connector on the tconn board is an ffc, this is why the Vizio mainboard LVDS cable is needed.) You don't need the TCON board that comes with most mainboard kits as the one on the Mirror can remain in use. Add the mainboard panel by securing it to the panel with compatible screws. Connect the LVDS cable to the panel. If you discarded the camera in the previous step, you can place the IR receiver in that location so a remote control can communicate easily with the panel The power button wire can fit through the small reset hole at the top of the Mirror, and you can secure the botton on top of the Mirror. The wifi antena for the new board should be secured to the side of the Mirror for best connectivity. Replace the scalar board, it won't fit perfectly due to the size of the IR receiver, but two screws can keep it in place well enough. The speakers will work if you use the speaker out port on the mainboard. You can re-use either the Left or Right audio connector from the scalar board, carefully trimming the sides so it will fit the mainboard port. Then, simply merge all of the audio cables so that black, red, orange and blue cables from the two speakers are propertly connected to the corresponding wires leading from the mainboard's speaker port. All set - connect power and HDMI to test!

Part.2.-.Building.mp4

Step 3

Finally, add the system you want your Smart Mirror to run. If you get a Vizio mainboard like I did, the TV interface will be sideways - it's meant to be a TV, after all. But it's a smart TV with built-in Airplay, Miracast, and other functionality, which is helpful. You can run HDMI, USB, and any other cables you need through the old ethernet port area on the bottom of the Mirror. One option is to run Magic Mirror (https://magicmirror.builders) on a Raspberry Pi or equivalent device. I found a Chromebook for $20 online and compared the specs to a Pi. Removing ChromeOS and putting Linux on it, we gutted the laptop and placed the motherboard, battery and power supply into the Mirror to run Magic Mirror. Another option is to connect a computer externally via HDMI. Route the cables, connect your system, and you may want to configure power to run through the main port at the base as we did, otherwise you'll have multiple power cords coming out the back of the Mirror.

Part.3.Final.Steps.mp4

Final Notes:

Many other options are possible with the Mirror. Feel free to place suggestions in the issues section of this repo and I'll add them here. For those who do not have a BOE panel, it would be great to know what ideas you have to make your hardware work too.

For anyone looking to modify the scalar board in other ways beyond what has been accomplished, here are a few images I took of it:

Scalar Board front	Scalar board LVDS	Scalar board back