SparkFun Qwiic Mini ToF Imager - VL53L5CX

The SparkFun Qwiic Mini ToF Imager is a compact, high-performance 64-pixel Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging sensor, built around the VL53L5CX from STMicroelectronics. Its small footprint (12.7mm x 25.4mm) and vertically oriented Qwiic connectors make it perfect for mounting applications where the sensor faces outward from an enclosure or chassis, while keeping your Qwiic cables neatly tucked away.

The VL53L5CX chip is integrated with a SPAD array, physical infrared filters, and diffractive optical elements (DOE) to deliver superior ranging performance in various ambient lighting conditions and with a range of cover glass materials. The Qwiic system simplifies connection to the rest of your system without the need for soldering, although 2.54mm-spaced pins are also available for breadboard users.

The Qwiic Mini ToF Imager can take multi-zone distance measurements up to 4000mm across all 64 zones, with a wide 63° diagonal field-of-view that can be read up to 15Hz. Thanks to ST's patented Histogram algorithms, the VL53L5CX can detect different objects within the FoV and provides immunity to cover glass crosstalk beyond 60cm.

This sensor is perfect for applications like 3D room mapping, obstacle detection for robotics, gesture recognition, IoT, laser-assisted autofocus, and AR/VR enhancement. The Qwiic connector on this sensor makes integration a breeze.

Note: The VL53L5CX requires its firmware to be loaded at power-on over the I2C bus. Given that this firmware is ~90k bytes, a microcontroller with ample flash to store the VL53L5CX's firmware and your program code is recommended. The Artemis Thing Plus or ESP32 Thing Plus board could be suitable choices for your development board.

The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields, and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector, reducing the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.

Features:

• Multizone ranging output with either 4x4 or 8x8 separate zones
• Autonomous Low-power mode with interrupt programmable threshold to wake up the host
• Up to 400cm ranging
• 60Hz frame rate capability
• Emitter: 940nm invisible light vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and integrated analog driver
• 63° diagonal square FoV using diffractive optical elements (DOE) on both transmitter and receiver
• Operating Voltage: 3.3V
• I²C Address: 0x52
• 2x Vertical Qwiic Connectors
• Dimensions - 12.7mm x 25.4mm

Documents:

• Schematic
• Eagle Files
• Board Dimensions
• Hookup Guide
• Datasheet (VL53L5CX)
• Qwiic Info Page
• Arduino Library
• GitHub Hardware Repo