ToF Distance Monitor

Pan and zoom to explore the wiring. Remix the project to edit it in your own workspace.

1. 01

   Disconnect USB power

   Unplug the Arduino Uno USB cable before making any connections.

   • ⚠ Do not connect or move wires while the board is powered.
2. 02

   Connect power and ground

   Connect the VL53L0X VIN pin to the Uno 5V pin. Connect the VL53L0X GND pin to an Uno GND pin.

   • Tip: Use the pins labelled VIN and GND on the breakout; do not use the sensor's XSHUT or GPIO1 pins for this project.

   • ⚠ This design assumes the common breakout module whose VIN input accepts 5 V. If your board is labelled 3V3-only rather than VIN, power it from the Uno 3.3V pin instead.
3. 03

   Connect the I2C signal wires

   Connect VL53L0X SDA to Uno A4, and VL53L0X SCL to Uno A5. The Uno’s A4/A5 pins also serve as the I2C data and clock connections.

   • Tip: Keep the four sensor wires short and secure for reliable I2C communication.

   • ⚠ Do not swap SDA and SCL.
4. 04

   Power the board and view readings

   Reconnect USB power. Use Schematik’s Deploy button to compile and flash the project, then open its serial monitor at 115200 baud to view distance readings in millimetres about four times per second.

   • Tip: Aim the sensor toward a nearby non-transparent object for an initial test.

   • ⚠ Avoid staring into the sensor aperture at close range.

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_VL53L0X.h>

Adafruit_VL53L0X lox;

const unsigned long MEASUREMENT_INTERVAL_MS = 250;
unsigned long lastMeasurementMs = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Wire.begin();

  Serial.println(F("VL53L0X distance sensor starting..."));
  if (!lox.begin()) {
    Serial.println(F("VL53L0X not found. Check VIN, GND, SDA, and SCL wiring."));
    while (true) {
      delay(1000);
    }
  }

  Serial.println(F("VL53L0X ready. Distance is printed in millimetres."));
}

void loop() {
  if (millis() - lastMeasurementMs < MEASUREMENT_INTERVAL_MS) {
    return;
  }
  lastMeasurementMs = millis();

  VL53L0X_RangingMeasurementData_t measurement;
  lox.rangingTest(&measurement, false);

  if (measurement.RangeStatus != 4) {
    Serial.print(F("Distance: "));
    Serial.print(measurement.RangeMilliMeter);
    Serial.println(F(" mm"));
  } else {
    Serial.println(F("Distance: out of range"));
  }
}

“Deploy to device” opens this project in Schematik, where you can flash it to your board over USB.