VL6180 Hookup Guide
CONTRIBUTORS: CASEYTHEROBOT
Introduction
The VL6180 is a Time of Flight (TOF) distance sensor with an I C (“Wire”)
interface. This Hookup Guide will cover two boards. The VL6180 Breakout
and the VL6180 Sensor. These boards are very similar in function though
the VL6180 Sensor has additional hardware for level shifting and voltage
regulation.
Many distance sensors rely on reflected light intensity or reflected angles to
determine range. This sensor uses a precise clock to measure the time it
takes light to bounce back from a surface. This is a great benefit over other
methods because it can be much more accurate and more immune to
noise. This sensor is commonly found in cellphones as the sensor that
detects when the caller is holding their phone to their ear.
Covered in this Tutorial
We will show you how to connect this sensor to an Arduino microcontroller
and use the included software library to get measurements out of the
sensor. (If you’re using a different type of microcomputer these instructions
and source code may still help.)
Suggested Reading
This part is easy to use. But before you start, we recommend the following
background knowledge:
• How to Solder
• Working with Wire
• Logic Levels
• What is an Arduino?
• “Wire” (I C) Communications
Board Overview - VL6180 Breakout
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VL6180 Breakout Diagram
The VL6180 Breakout is as simple as it gets. Only the required passives
are populated to give users the smallest, most cost effective way to use
multiple sensors in a project.
• Pull-up Enable - Defaulted to enable, two required pull-up resistors
are attached to the I C lines. Remove solder jumper on all but one
unit if using multiple sensors on the same bus.
• VL6180 Sensor - The sensor by itself is very small, only passive
components are necessary to complete the circuit.
NOTE: This device only accepts 2.8V input and logic. You must provide a
2.8V voltage source and level shifting to 3.3V and 5V devices.
Board Overview - VL6180 Sensor
VL6180 Sensor Diagram
The VL6180 Sensor is very similar to the VL6180 Breakout with some
noted additions.
• 2.8V Regulator - Provides the required 2.8V for the sensor
• I C level shifter - Provides logic level conversion from 2.8V to VCC
(provided by the user)
• Pull-up Enable - Defaulted to enable, two required pull-up resistors
are attached to the I C lines. Remove solder jumper if using multiple
sensors on the same bus.
• VL6180 Sensor
VL6180 Sensor and Sharp GP2Y0A41SK0F Comparison
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Another thing to note is the form factor of the sensor itself. Many small
robotics platforms have integrated hole patterns for the long time favorite
Sharp IR sensor line. This allows the VL6180 Sensor to be a near drop-in
replacement for most Sharp sensors.
Connecting the Hardware
Using the VL6180 Breakout
To use the VL6180 Breakout, follow the diagram below. One important
thing to note is you MUST use a 3.3v Pro-Mini for this to work. We are
cheating the 2.8v Level shifting rules in this hookup. Since I C is an active
low signal, we will use the pull-up resistors on the breakout to provide our
logic voltage. We have a great I C tutorial that explains this in more detail.
To provide the required 2.8V we are using an LM317 regulator. The output
voltage is tuned to 2.8V with the two resistors shown.
Wiring Diagram for VL6180 Breakout and 3.3v Pro-Mini
NOTE: To use this diagram make sure the two pull-up resistors on the Pro-
Mini are NOT populated.
Unpopulated Pro-Mini Pull-ups
Using the VL6180 Sensor
To use the Sensor version of the VL6180, things are much simpler. The
board carries its own level shifting and regulation. The VL6180 Sensor can
work with 3.3-5V Logic and power.
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Library Install and Sample Sketch
To use either the VL6180 Sensor or Breakout, you will need some
supporting software. If you are using an Arduino, then you are in luck! We
created an Arduino library that makes the VL6180 easy to use. Click the
button below to download the latest version of the VL6180 Library.
DOWNLOAD THE ARDUINO LIBRARY!
Unzip the downloaded file and navigate to <your download
directory>\SparkFun_VL6180_Time_of_Flight_Library-
master.zip\SparkFun_VL6180_Time_of_Flight_Library-master\Libraries.
Follow this guide on installing Arduino libraries to install the files within the
SFE_VL6180x directory as an Arduino library.
There is a sample sketch associated with the Library. VL6180X_demo
reads the distance and light outputs and reports them to the screen.
Demo Program Found in Examples
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Demo Program Output
Resources and Going Further
Now that we have covered some of the basic features of the VL6180
Sensor and Breakout, check out some of these other tutorials and helpful
links.
• VL6180 Sensor Github Repo
• VL6180 Breakout Github Repo
• VL6180 Library Github Repo
• VL6180 Datasheet
• VL6180 Application Note
• Properties of Light
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