SparkFun's VL53L4CD Sensor Breakout Puts High-Resolution VCSEL ToF Sensing on Your I2C Bus
Compatible with projects designed around the longer-range VL53L1X breakout, this board includes two Qwiic connectors and unpopulated pins.
SparkFun has launched a high-accuracy time-of-flight (ToF) short-range proximity and distance sensor based on STMicroelectronics' VL53L4CD, offering a high measurement resolution at ranges from 1mm to 1,300mm (around 0.04" to 51.2").
"This SparkFun Distance Sensor Breakout utilizes the VL53L4CD next generation ToF (Time of Flight) sensor module," SparkFun explains of its latest board, "to give you the highly accurate measurements at short ranges for its size."
Built with two Qwiic connectors for solderless installation, though with unpopulated pins available for anyone who fancies heating up their iron and installing the breakout onto a breadboard, the compact sensor board offers an accuracy of around ±7mm (around ±0.28")with a minimum read distance of 1mm (around 0.04").
There are a few little gotchas anyone interested in installing the board should note. The first is its operating voltage of 2.6-3.5V; the second is that it's an infrared VCSEL, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser, which is a Class 1 laser; and the third is that its I2C address is fixed at 0x29, meaning anyone looking to use more than one sensor on a single I2C bus will need a multiplexer.
The SparkFun VL53L4CD breakout board is now available from the company store, priced at $19.95 before volume discounts. Anyone who has used the company's longer-range VL53L1X breakout will find their projects directly transferable, as noted in the updated hookup guide for both boards.