raspberry pi magic mirror stop screen from sleeping

How to Prevent Your Raspberry Pi Magic Mirror from Sleeping or Rebooting

Are you tired of your Raspberry Pi Magic Mirror shutting down or rebooting unexpectedly? This is a common issue many users face, especially when running the Magic Mirror 2 (MM2) on their Raspberry Pi. In this article, we'll provide you with some troubleshooting tips and solutions to help you prevent your Magic Mirror from sleeping or rebooting.

Initial Setup

Before we dive into the troubleshooting process, make sure you've installed MM2 using the one-liner curl installation script on a brand new Raspbian 'Stretch lite' installed Raspberry Pi 3. If you're new to setting up your Raspberry Pi, check out our previous article on 'raspberry pi magic mirror setup' for more detailed instructions.

Common Issues

One common issue users face is that their Magic Mirror stops running and the screen goes black. This can be due to various reasons such as power management or overscan settings. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Check Power Management: Make sure your Raspberry Pi is not set to sleep or hibernate. You can do this by issuing the following command: `vcgencmd displaypower 0` to turn off the display.

2. Overscan Settings: If your monitor doesn't fill up the entire screen, you may need to adjust the overscan settings. You can do this by editing the boot config file using the `sudo nano` command.

PM2 Commands

Another way to troubleshoot issues with your Magic Mirror is to use PM2 commands. PM2 (Process Manager 2) is a lightweight process manager that allows you to manage and monitor your processes. Here are some basic PM2 commands you can use:

1. Show Current Status: Use the `pm2 show mm` command to show the current status of the Magic Mirror process.

2. Stop Process: Use the `pm2 stop mm` command to stop the Magic Mirror process and exit back to the desktop.

3. Save Process List: Use the `pm2 save` command to save the current process list so they automatically relaunch.

Advanced Options

If you're still experiencing issues with your Magic Mirror, here are some advanced options you can try:

1. Disable Overscan: If your Pi's output doesn't fill up your screen completely, you may need to disable overscan. You can do this by issuing the following command: `sudo tvservice -o`.

2. Enable Restarting of MagicMirror Script: Make sure the Magic Mirror script is set to restart automatically after rebooting.

In conclusion, preventing your Raspberry Pi Magic Mirror from sleeping or rebooting is a relatively simple process that involves troubleshooting and using PM2 commands to manage your processes. By following these steps, you should be able to get your Magic Mirror up and running smoothly on your Raspberry Pi. Happy hacking!

Raspberry pi magic mirror stop screen from sleeping