Key Features
- The 'next generation' of the VL53L0X ToF sensor
- Handles about ~30 to 4000mm of range distance
- Has a massive 4 meter range and LIDAR-like precision
- Uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining the distance of only the surface directly in front of it
- Up to 50Hz update rate
The Adafruit VL53L1X Time of Flight Distance Sensor (also known as VL53L1CX) is a Time of Flight distance sensor that has a massive 4 meter range and LIDAR-like precision. The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source and a matching sensor. The VL53L1X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the light has taken to bounce back to the sensor.
Since it uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining the distance of only the surface directly in front of it. Unlike sonars that bounce ultrasonic waves, the 'cone' of sensing is very narrow. Unlike IR distance sensors that try to measure the amount of light bounced, the VL53L1X is much more precise and doesn't have linearity problems or 'double imaging' where you can't tell if an object is very far or very close.
The sensor is small and easy to use in any robotics or interactive project. Since it needs 2.8V power and logic we put the little fellow on a breakout board with a regulator and level shifting. You can use it with any 3-5V power or logic microcontroller with no worries. Works great with the 3.3V logic level of a Feather or Raspberry Pi, or the 5V level of a Metro 328 or Arduino Uno, this breakout is ready to work with most common microcontrollers or SBCs. and since it speaks I2C, you can easily connect it up with two data wires plus power and ground.
Item Specific
VL53L1CXEmitter: 940 nm invisible laser (Class1)
SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) receiving array with integrated lens
FlightSense™ ranging sensor for fast and accurate long distance ranging
Up to 400 cm distance measurement
Up to 50 Hz ranging frequency
Typical full field-of-view (FoV): 27deg
Programmable region-of-interest (ROI) size on the receiving array, allowing the sensor FoV to be reduced
Programmable ROI position on the receiving array, providing multizone operation control from the host
Can be hidden behind many cover window materials
I²C interface (up to 400 kHz)
Shutdown and interrupt pins
Default I2C address 0x29 (can be changed in software by using shutdown pin to disable other sensors on the same bus)
Dimensions: 25.5mm x 17.5mm x 4.6mm / 1.0" x 0.7" x 0.2"
Weight: 1.8g / 0.1oz