Hardware Overview

Differences Between v3 and v3HP

Functionally, the LIDAR-Lite v3 and LIDAR-Lite v3HP are quite similar. The primary differences are listed here:

Case

The LIDAR-Lite has two tubes on the front that contain a transmitter (laser) and receiver. You’ll want to face these toward your target.

This step is only necessary for the LIDAR-Lite v3: 

On the side, you'll find an electrical port that connects to the included 6-wire cable. Plug in the wire harness to the port to break out the pins. 

On the back, you’ll find 4 mounting holes that are designed to accept #6 or M3.5 screws or bolts.

Wires

The LIDAR-Lite has 6 wires that can be used to communicate with the sensor.

NOTE: This is looking at the back of the unit

Power

Both the LIDAR-Lite v3 as well as the LIDAR-Lite v3HP units require between 4.5V to 5.5V of DC power to operate (nominally, 5V). The LIDAR-LITE v3 can draw up to 135 mA of current during continuous operation (105 mA at idle). Contrarily, the v3HP unit draws up to 85 mA of current during continuous operation (65 mA at idle). To maintain a level voltage, Garmin recommends putting a 680 μF capacitor between power (5V) and ground (GND) as close to the LIDAR unit as possible.

Hardware Assembly

Follow the diagram below to connect the LIDAR unit to a RedBoard or other Arduino-compatible board. The LIDAR-Lite can communicate over I2C as well as use a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal to denote measured distances. For this guide, we will show how to use I2C to communicate with the LIDAR unit.

Click on the image to enlarge it

Software

Garmin maintains an Arduino library to make working with the LIDAR-Lite very easy. Visit the GitHub repository, or click the button below to download the library.

DOWNLOAD THE GARMIN LIDAR-LITE V3 ARDUINO LIBRARY

Open a new Arduino sketch, and copy in the following code:

COPY CODE/** * LIDARLite I2C Example * Author: Garmin * Modified by: Shawn Hymel (SparkFun Electronics) * Date: June 29, 2017 *  * Read distance from LIDAR-Lite v3 over I2C *  * See the Operation Manual for wiring diagrams and more information: * http://static.garmin.com/pumac/LIDAR_Lite_v3_Operation_Manual_and_Technical_Specifications.pdf */#include <Wire.h>#include <LIDARLite.h>// GlobalsLIDARLite lidarLite;int cal_cnt = 0;void setup(){  Serial.begin(9600); // Initialize serial connection to display distance readings  lidarLite.begin(0, true); // Set configuration to default and I2C to 400 kHz  lidarLite.configure(0); // Change this number to try out alternate configurations}void loop(){  int dist;  // At the beginning of every 100 readings,  // take a measurement with receiver bias correction  if ( cal_cnt == 0 ) {    dist = lidarLite.distance();      // With bias correction  } else {    dist = lidarLite.distance(false); // Without bias correction  }  // Increment reading counter  cal_cnt++;  cal_cnt = cal_cnt % 100;  // Display distance  Serial.print(dist);  Serial.println(" cm");  delay(10);}

Upload the program, and open a Serial Monitor. You should see distance measurements (in cm) being printed.

Resources and Going Further

Now that you’ve successfully got your LIDAR up and running, it’s time to incorporate it into your own project!

For more information, check out the resources below:

• LIDAR-Lite v3: Operation & Technical Manual
• LIDAR-Lite v3HP: Operation & Technical Manual
• GitHub Repository: LIDAR-Lite V3 Arduino Library
• Garmin’s LIDAR-Lite v3 Product Page
• Garmin’s LIDAR-Lite v3HP Product Page
• SparkFun Product Demo
• SparkFun Product Showcase: LIDAR-Lite v3HP