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What the Tuya smart mirror prototype does
The concept combines a small screen and controllable ring light behind or alongside a mirror surface. Touch keys provide local control, a PIR sensor detects motion, and a Tuya-connected device can be controlled through a phone app. The project also includes battery power and wireless charging. These are features described by the guide; it does not publish independently tested performance or battery-life results. Tuya’s project overview.
The intended result is a custom embedded device, so the work spans both electronics and firmware: choosing components, configuring a Tuya product, implementing device functions, and displaying information. The screen example includes time, weekday, year, day, and battery information.
Parts and hardware to plan
Tuya’s materials cover the controller and power system, touch controls and motion sensing, and the ring light, plus the mirror and its structure. The list is a project guide rather than a validated bill of materials for every build; check the interfaces, electrical requirements, dimensions, and mechanical fit of the parts you choose. See the guide’s hardware sections.
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- Display and controls: a screen, touchpad or touch keys, and a PIR sensor.
- Lighting: LEDs and an LED driver for the ring light.
- Physical build: mirror surface, frame or body structures, and connectors.
Display example and selection checks
The guide names a Spotpear MF219, a 2.19-inch UART LCD with 240 × 376 resolution, but explicitly allows the builder to prepare a screen of their choice. It is an example, not a required or universally compatible part. Before selecting a display, confirm its controller interface works with your chosen module, that its dimensions fit the enclosure, and that its resolution and legibility suit viewing through or around your mirror surface. Check its power needs as well. Display details in Tuya’s guide.
Configure the Tuya product
The documented platform setup creates a custom product using the Wi-Fi-Bluetooth protocol, defines device functions, selects a panel, and chooses a chip platform. The guide describes standard functions for switch, mode, brightness, and battery/PIR state, alongside a custom PIR control. Use the functions that match the behavior you actually implement; platform configuration alone does not make the hardware perform those functions. Tuya product-configuration steps.
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One detail in the documented flashing sequence is especially important: the firmware identifier configured on the platform must match the uploaded firmware name. The guide says a mismatch can prevent firmware flashing from succeeding. Because the document dates to 2021, verify the current Tuya platform labels and workflow before following its exact sequence.
Develop and flash the embedded firmware
The guide’s implementation uses a BK7231N chip, Linux, Tuya’s Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE SDK, and a template application. Its application is divided into display, touch-key, PWM, device, and mirror-control components. The documented sequence is to configure the product, develop the application against the SDK, compile it with the SDK build script, and download the resulting code to the board. Embedded-development details.
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Do not assume that the named chip path, SDK repository, build script, APIs, or module availability remain current: the guide was last updated October 28, 2021. Confirm the supported module and current development instructions in Tuya’s official documentation before sourcing hardware or adapting the sample. The guide does not compare alternative chips or report comparative performance.
Display data and assets
The sample screen code provides functions for showing time, weekday, year, day, and battery information. Tuya’s guide says screen icons are compressed into a .bin file and written to the screen chip. These implementation details are tied to the example’s display path; verify that the same asset format and procedure apply to a different screen.
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Understand the motion-light behavior
In the guide’s code example, PIR motion triggers the light when the relevant switches are on. The off timer is set to 600 seconds in that code. This is a programmed example setting, not a measured response time, battery-life figure, or guarantee about behavior in another firmware build. PIR behavior in the code example.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Plan the build in a practical order
- Define the desired behavior. Decide what information the display will show, how the three white-light modes should work, which controls should be available locally and in the app, and how motion should affect lighting.
- Select compatible hardware. Choose a display, module, sensors, light driver, battery and charging components, and mirror structure. Check interfaces and power requirements before committing to the enclosure.
- Set up the Tuya product. Configure the protocol, functions, panel, and chip platform for the device path you intend to use; keep the platform firmware identifier consistent with the firmware name.
- Implement and verify the firmware. Build the display, touch, PWM, device, and mirror-control behavior for a currently supported SDK and module. Test the app functions and motion rules on your own hardware rather than assuming the example’s code settings guarantee a particular result.
- Integrate the physical assembly. Fit the screen, lighting, touch controls, sensor, charging hardware, battery, and mirror into the frame, then verify operation and charging in the completed arrangement.
Tuya’s guide supplies a useful architecture and a concrete example, but it does not establish present-day component stock, current platform support, or compatibility for substitute parts. Confirm those points with current official documentation and the component maker before purchasing or building.
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