[Updated with more info] Glad to see that the Pulsed Light team, which joined Garmin earlier this year, are back with a new version of the Lidar Light range finder. Not many details yet, but it's now listed for $150 at Sparkfun:
Description: It’s back! This is the LIDAR-Lite v3, a compact, high-performance optical distance measurement sensor from Garmin™. When space and weight requirements are tight, the LIDAR-Lite v3 soars. The LIDAR-Lite v3 is the ideal solution for drone, robot or unmanned vehicle applications.
This easy-to-use 40-meter laser-based optical ranging sensor has all the core features that made the LIDAR-Lite v2 so popular. Small in form and light in weight with low power consumption of less than 130mA during an acquisition. And it’s user-configurable so you can adjust between accuracy, operating range and measurement time.
Each LIDAR-Lite v3 features an edge-emitting, 905nm (1.3 watts), single-stripe laser transmitter, 4m Radian x 2m Radian beam divergence, and an optical aperture of 12.5mm. The third version of the LIDAR-Lite still operates at 5V DC with a current consumption rate of <100mA at continuous operation. On top of everything else, the LIDAR-Lite is user-configurable, allowing adjustment between accuracy, operating range and measurement time. It can be interfaced via I2C or PWM.
Note: The LIDAR-Lite v3 is available for pre-order. We expect to have these in stock and shipping by early to mid-October. Adding a pre-order product to an order may cause a delay. Be sure to uncheck “ship complete order” in your cart to avoid delays in shipping in-stock items.
Dimensions: 20 x 48 x 40 mm (0.8 x 1.9 x 1.6 inches)
Features:
- Range: 0-40m Laser Emitter
- Accuracy: +/- 2.5cm at distances greater than 1m
- Power: 4.75–5V DC; 6V Max
- Current Consumption: 105ma idle; 130ma continuous
- Rep Rate: 1–500Hz
- Laser Wave Length/Peak Power: 905nm/1.3 watts
- Beam Divergence: 4m Radian x 2m Radian
- Optical Aperture: 12.5mm
- Interface: I2C or PWM
Comments
+1 to Gary
I have a Lidar lite V2 and a SF11; they have a noticeable quality difference, my Lidar is on my working desk now, I'm not have much electronic knowledge and I couldn't make it work reliable and couldn't find support; the sf11 is near plug and play, have nice support and I have many flights now with any issue; here you can see my first experiences. http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/sf-11-laser-altimeter-an-useful...
I have a some Light ware sensors including the cased LW20 version of this SF20.
I can unequivocally state that they are way superior to the Lidar Lite.
The Lidar Lite is a truly hobby grade device that does not work well under sub-optimal conditions and whose "range" deteriorates rapidly according to target and lighting conditions.
The Lightware LW20 / SF20 is a professional grade device that can be used effectively out to it's 100meter stated range under almost all target and lighting conditions.
In addition, the adjustable update rate is much higher than the Lidar Lite permitting it to be used in scanned object dectction, avoidance and even SLAM applications.
In addition, this particular Lightware sensor permits beam overlapping from adjacent devices permitting complex scanning of 2 or more scanners whose beams overlay each others.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy that Garmin has decided to keep the Lidar Lite line going for now, but the Lightware sensors are a whole different ball game, fully capable of being effectively used in a scanned real time 3D vision system.
Check out this DIYD Blog.
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/diy-lidar-scanner-using-the-lw2...
These things really are a super bargain for the performance they acheive and used in a scanned application, you can't get close with anything else.
Best Regards,
Gary
Well, not really a competition considering that Lidar Lite V3 works flawlessly for most people it seams and it costs 50% less. (thought he range is 40m and not 100m)
http://lightware.co.za/shop2017/drone-altimeters/51-lw20-100-m.html
http://lightware.co.za/shop2017/home/53-sf20-100-m.html
These 2 units will be competitors with the lidar lite. They have similar size weight and specs. They are made by lightware. I haven't seen one in person yet or tested it so I'm not sure if they're better or worse.
Patrick Poirier, thanks for sharing that!
Brandon Robinson, link to order please? So that would be v4 than - and how do you know of the new one coming?
Its has different registers configuration and its working without capacitor on my BBBMINI , but we had to modify code https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/pull/5742 , so there is now a stop condition between the write and read operation.
Did not had a chance to test for the 13 meter issue, I am still flying indoor with opticalflow, so the maximum height being 3 meter.
As far as I can tell it's the same as V2. They made sure to change the label just right with that year of development.
I don't see the 13 meter offset problem anymore but you still have to manually solder a capacitor to the I2C lines to use it. Lightware is releasing a new point lidar. I ordered it but they aren't shipping for another month.
So people, reports? :-) Any videos?
@Dale: do you encounter any issues with the V3, compared to the V2? Does it work flawlessly ?
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 5 Next