Lidar Guard

Note

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Kit purchase

Looking for parts? Check out our all-in-one kits below — packed with components, beginner-friendly guides, and tons of fun.

Name	Includes Arduino board	PURCHASE LINK
Elite Explorer Kit	Arduino Uno R4 WiFi	BUY
3 in 1 Ultimate Starter Kit	Arduino Uno R4 Minima	BUY

Course Introduction

In this lesson, we will learn how to use the VL53L0X distance sensor, a digital servo motor, and the Arduino Board to build a simple Lidar system.

The servo rotates the sensor to scan the area. Distance data and angles are sent via the serial port for monitoring.

This setup provides accurate obstacle detection using laser-based sensing.

Note

If this is your first time working with an Arduino project, we recommend downloading and reviewing the basic materials first.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components:

SN	COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	QUANTITY	PURCHASE LINK
1	Arduino UNO R4 Minima	1	BUY
2	USB Type-C cable	1
3	Breadboard	1	BUY
4	Wires	Several	BUY
5	Laser Ranging Module	1	BUY
6	Digital Servo Motor	1	BUY

Wiring

Common Connections:

Digital Servo Motor
- Connect to breadboard’s positive power bus.
- Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- Connect to 12 on the Arduino.
Laser Ranging Module
- SDA: Connect to A4 on the Arduino.
- SCL: Connect to A5 on the Arduino.
- GND: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- VCC: Connect to breadboard’s red power bus.

Writing the Code

Note

Build the circuit.
Install the library, use the Arduino Library Manager and search for Adafruit_VL53L0X install it.
Upload the code to the Arduino board using Arduino IDE.
In the Arduino IDE, check the current Arduino port(COMx).
The ArduinoLidarGUI is used here. You can click here ArduinoSonarGUI.zip to download it.
Open ArduinoLidarGUI.pde in the Processing IDE .
Modify the code in line 35 to ensure the correct port number(COMx).
Run the Processing sketch to visualize the Lidar data.

#include <Adafruit_VL53L0X.h>
#include <Servo.h>

// Initialize components
Adafruit_VL53L0X lox = Adafruit_VL53L0X();
Servo myServo;

const int servoPin = 12;
const int minAngle = 5;
const int maxAngle = 175;
int currentAngle = minAngle;
int step = 1;         // Angle increment for each movement
int direction = 1;    // 1 for increasing angle, -1 for decreasing

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  myServo.attach(servoPin);

  while (!Serial) {
    delay(1);
  }

  if (!lox.begin()) {
    Serial.println(F("Failed to boot VL53L0X"));
    while (1);
  }
}

void loop() {
  // Set servo angle
  myServo.write(currentAngle);

  // Read distance
  int distance = getDistance();

  // Print data to serial port
  Serial.print(currentAngle);
  Serial.print(",");
  Serial.print(distance);
  Serial.print(".");

  // Update angle
  currentAngle += step * direction;

  // Reverse direction at limits
  if (currentAngle >= maxAngle || currentAngle <= minAngle) {
    direction = -direction;
  }

  // Small delay to control scanning speed and smoothness
  delay(15);  // Adjust as needed: smaller = faster, but may cause jerkiness
}

// Function to read distance from VL53L0X
int getDistance() {
  VL53L0X_RangingMeasurementData_t measure;
  lox.rangingTest(&measure, false);

  if (measure.RangeStatus != 4) {
    return measure.RangeMilliMeter / 10;  // Convert mm to cm
  } else {
    return 0;  // Out of range
  }
}