Stemedu 2PCS Benewake TF-LC02 Lidar Sensor Laser Range Finder Module DC 3-3.6V TTL 3cm~200cm Short Distance Sensor for Ar duino Raspberry Pi STM32

Tried published SDK code on ESP32 - neither module responded to commands and no response was received. On top of this the model has been discontinued. Look elsewhere.

I kept the overall rating at 4 because even though Benewake not longer has any info on this product. I was able to find enough to test it. It's really cool to be able to see the distance you are from an object. There are lots of factors that influence the accuracy. Also note that sunlight has a significant effect on accuracy so they recommend not using it outdoors. This TF-LCO2 module is considered a LiDAR device. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging where it sends waves out and then receives them. Using some sort of time of flight conversion they turn the analog timing to digital distance values whereby you can get an idea of how far away the object is from the lens of the sensor. After searching the internet I finally found some semblance of documentation and code to set up a serial connection. But I suggest you look for the reviewer who posted a good example of that. I am going to now try to mount these modules on my car/robot so that it can detect objects autonomously using LiDAR, like an upcoming wall, and then undertake corrective measures, like change direction. Using this module device is for someone with seasoned microprocessor experience or who has some tech experience and considerable time to investigate and learn how to implement the device in a project. I think this is a relatively inexpensive way to learn about LiDAR hands on, and have some fun exploring the possibilities. This technology is huge for robotics, EVs, drones, and many other applications. This certainly would be helpful in developing your chops for higher grade school robot competitions. Better documentation and support would be helpful, but I did enjoy the challenge of getting it to show me some distance data and I look forward to continuing to try using these 2 modules in various projects.

This actually works really well once you figure out that the wire color in the diagram, doesn't match the wire color of the actual wires. Ignore the colors and go by the pin position in the diagram:1. 3.3V - (Red on my cable)2. GND - (Black on my cable)3. Lidar RX (Goes to Arduino/FTDI TX) - (Green on my cable)4. Lidar TX (Goes to Arduino/FTDI RX) - (Yellow on my cable)5. CS (Chip Select - Goes to GND) - (Blue on my cable)6. UART_iic (I2C, but datasheet says it is not implemented) - (White on my cable)To use this on a PC, you have to have a 3.3V Serial interface, such as an FTDI USB to 3.3V TTL Serial module, or some other USB to serial 3.3V TTL device. To use this on an Arduino, you have to use a 3.3V arduino, or a level converter to bring the TXD and RXD lines down to 3.3V.I tested mine using an FTDI USB to TTL Serial 3.3V module, with python3, under linux. I connected pin 3 (Green Wire) to FTDI TXD, and pin 4 to FTDI RXD. I then ran the TF-LC02.py program, and it worked. I had to really simplify the code for it to work in an amazon review box. The only thing you'll need to do is replace the word AMPERSAND with the ampersand character, then it should work. On linux, you may need to add your user to the dialout group, or chown the serial port, so you have serial port permission under python. This should work on any machine with python3:# Python3 program for Benewake TF-LC02 LiDAR ToF range finder module# Replace the word AMPERSAND with the ampersand characterimport serial.tools.list_portsimport timeser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyUSB0') # Replace '/dev/ttyUSB0' with your serial portser.baudrate = 115200try: ser.close() #Close port if it was stuck open earlier ser.open() #Open ser port for communicationexcept: print('Open COM failed!')cmd = bytes.fromhex('55 AA 81 00 FA') # Request Measured Distance Commandser.write(cmd) #Send requestwhile ser.in_waiting < 8: time.sleep(0.001) #Wait for 8 bytes ready to readrecv = ser.read(8) #Read 8 byte responsedistance = int(recv[5]) + int(recv[4] << 8)print('Distance = %5d mm' % (distance))if recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x01: print('VCSEL_SHORT') # VCSEL is short circuitedif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x02: print('LOW_SIGNAL') # Not enough reflected light from targetif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x04: print('LOW_SN_RATIO') # Signal to Noise ratio is lowif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x08: print('TOO_MUCH_AMB_LIGHT') # Too much ambient lightif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x10: print('WRAP_ERROR') # Distance too far, variables wrappedif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x20: print('CAL_ERROR') # Internal calculation errorif recv[6] AMPERSAND 0x80: print('CROSSTALK_ERROR') # Crosstalk is largeser.reset_input_buffer() #Clear the input bufferser.close() #Close ser port

Benewake has discontinued the TF-LC02 LiDAR sensor and getting information on it is harder than it should be. I was able to find a support link on another Amazon vendor that gave the code for the example shown in this offering’s images. The code uses an USB to TTL serial module to extract the data to a PC via a software serial port on an Arduino Uno. The code example contains all the routines you need to use the sensor without requiring additional libraries. Some things that you need to know before using the sensor is that it is powered by 3.3V, the sensor’s serial port RX and TX appear to be 5V tolerant, the sensor uses a chip select line (CS) that needs to be grounded to get data output, and the sensor doesn’t have a I2C port (serial only).The TF-LC02 is meant to be used in an indoor environment. I found the readings to be consistent, but longer than the target’s true distance (nice gaussian distribution with avg ~27 and std dev ~1.5 inches at 24-inches). Readings were impacted by target color and target distance was always over estimated. The darker the target color, the larger the difference between the true target distance and the reported sensor reading. Both sensors gave similar readings and were matched for all practical purposes. I found the maximum range before getting range errors to be about 55-inches (140cm), not 78-inches (200cm).There are so many better choices for distance sensors in this range, I can’t recommend the TF-LC02.

So the device itself is absolutely tiny, which is cool.Also, the kit comes with 3 sets of wire-harnesses for each of the two sensors. One set that has male breadboard plugs on the ends, one with female breadboard plugs, and one with raw wires.Really nice to get starting right away. Basically a superior form of measuring compared to ultrasonic.