SparkFun Qwiic VL53L5CX - Python Package

The SparkFun Qwiic ToF Distance Sensing VL53L5CX Module provides a simple and cost effective solution for adding ToF Distance Sensing capabilities to your project. Implementing a SparkFun Qwiic I2C interface, these sensors can be rapidly added to any project with boards that are part of the SparkFun Qwiic ecosystem.

This repository implements a Python package for the SparkFun Qwiic VL53L5CX. This package works with Python, MicroPython and CircuitPython.

Contents

• About
• Getting Started
• Installation
• Supported Platforms
• Documentation
• Examples

About the Package

This python package enables the user to access the features of the VL53L5CX via a single Qwiic cable. This includes <reading tof/distance array, setting frequency, setting i2c address> and more. The capabilities of the VL53L5CX are each demonstrated in the included examples.

New to qwiic? Take a look at the entire SparkFun qwiic ecosystem.

Supported SparkFun Products

This Python package supports the following SparkFun qwiic products on Python, MicroPython and Circuit python.

• SparkFun ToF Distance Sensing Sensor - VL53L5CX

Supported Platforms

Python	Platform	Boards
Python	Linux	Raspberry Pi , NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano via the SparkFun Qwiic SHIM
MicroPython	Raspberry Pi - RP2, ESP32	SparkFun RP2040 Thing+, SparkFun RP2350 Thing+, SparkFun ESP32 Thing+
CircuitPython	Raspberry Pi - RP2, ESP32	SparkFun RP2040 Thing+, SparkFun RP2350 Thing+, SparkFun ESP32 Thing+

Note

The listed supported platforms and boards are the primary platform targets tested. It is fully expected that this package will work across a wide variety of Python enabled systems.

Installation

The first step to using this package is installing it on your system. The install method depends on the python platform. The following sections outline installation on Python, MicroPython and CircuitPython.

Python

PyPi Installation

The package is primarily installed using the pip3 command, downloading the package from the Python Index - "PyPi".

Note - the below instructions outline installation on a Linux-based (Raspberry Pi) system.

First, setup a virtual environment from a specific directory using venv:

python3 -m venv path/to/venv

You can pass any path as path/to/venv, just make sure you use the same one for all future steps. For more information on venv click here.

Next, install the qwiic package with:

path/to/venv/bin/pip3 install sparkfun-qwiic-vl53l5cx

Now you should be able to run any example or custom python scripts that have import qwiic_vl53l5cx by running e.g.:

path/to/venv/bin/python3 example_script.py

MicroPython Installation

If not already installed, follow the instructions here to install mpremote on your computer.

Connect a device with MicroPython installed to your computer and then install the package directly to your device with mpremote mip.

mpremote mip install github:sparkfun/qwiic_vl53l5cx_py

If you would also like to install the examples for this repository, issue the following mip command as well:

mprmeote mip install github:sparkfun/qwiic_vl53l5cx_py@examples

CircuitPython Installation

If not already installed, follow the instructions here to install CircUp on your computer.

Ensure that you have the latest version of the SparkFun Qwiic CircuitPython bundle.

circup bundle-add sparkfun/Qwiic_Py

Finally, connect a device with CircuitPython installed to your computer and then install the package directly to your device with circup.

circup install --py qwiic_vl53l5cx

If you would like to install any of the examples from this repository, issue the corresponding circup command from below. (NOTE: The below syntax assumes you are using CircUp on Windows. Linux and Mac will have different path seperators (i.e. "/" vs. ""). See the CircUp "example" command documentation for more information)

circup example qwiic_vl53l5cx\qwiic_vl53l5cx_ex1_distance_array
circup example qwiic_vl53l5cx\qwiic_vl53l5cx_ex3_set_freq
circup example qwiic_vl53l5cx\qwiic_vl53l5cx_ex6_settings
circup example qwiic_vl53l5cx\qwiic_vl53l5cx_ex8_set_address

Example Use

Below is a quickstart program to print readings from the VL53L5CX.

See the examples directory for more detailed use examples and examples/README.md for a summary of the available examples.

import qwiic_vl53l5cx 
import sys
from math import sqrt
import time

def runExample():
	print("\nQwiic VL53LCX Example 1 - DistanceArray\n")

	myVL53L5CX = qwiic_vl53l5cx.QwiicVL53L5CX() 

	if myVL53L5CX.is_connected() == False:
		print("The device isn't connected to the system. Please check your connection", file=sys.stderr)
		return

	print ("Initializing sensor board. This can take up to 10s. Please wait.")
	if myVL53L5CX.begin() == False:
		print("Sensor initialization unsuccessful. Exiting...", file=sys.stderr)
		sys.exit(1)

	myVL53L5CX.set_resolution(8*8) # enable all 64 pads
	image_resolution = myVL53L5CX.get_resolution()  # Query sensor for current resolution - either 4x4 or 8x8

	image_width = int(sqrt(image_resolution)) # Calculate printing width
	myVL53L5CX.start_ranging()

	while True:
		if myVL53L5CX.check_data_ready():
			measurement_data = myVL53L5CX.get_ranging_data()
			for y in range (0, (image_width * (image_width - 1) )+ 1, image_width):
				for x in range (image_width - 1, -1, -1):
					print("\t", end="")
					print(measurement_data.distance_mm[x + y], end = "")
				print("\n")
			print("\n")
		
		time.sleep(0.005)
	
if __name__ == '__main__':
	try:
		runExample()
	except (KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit) as exErr:
		print("\nEnding Example")
		sys.exit(0)