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SF02/F
Laser rangefinder
The SF02/F is a lightweight laser
rangefinder module that provides fast
and accurate distance measurements.
The module comprises all the
necessary optical and electronic
components along with embedded
software for a pulsed laser, time-of-
flight, distance measuring
instrument.
Its configurable features and
standard hardware interfaces make
the SF02/F an easy to understand
module that can be used in
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV),
radio-controlled aircraft and robots.
Digital and analog interface ports
make the SF02/F the ideal module
for experimenters.
SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10
Product manual
Features:
A laser-based rangefinder module suitable for
many applications.
Accurately measures the distance to natural
surfaces and objects.
Can detect surfaces and objects up to a distance
of 50 meters, even in bright sunlight.
Measures distance at 32 readings per second.
Includes digital and analog interfaces with
programmable capabilities.
Easy to configure using the built-in menus and
LightWare Terminal
Fully calibrated and ready to run.
Affordable for the student or hobbyist.
Robust and reliable.
Not affected by: wind; changes in barometric
pressure; noise; ambient light; terrain or air
temperature.
1
of
17
software.
© LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016

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Summary of Contents for Lightware SF02/F

  • Page 1 Digital and analog interface ports • Not affected by: wind; changes in barometric make the SF02/F the ideal module pressure; noise; ambient light; terrain or air for experimenters. temperature. SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10 © LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016...
  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Information found in this document is used entirely at the reader’s own risk and whilst every effort has been made to ensure its validity neither LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd nor its representatives make any warranties with respect the accuracy of the information contained herein.
  • Page 3: Overview

    SF02/F can be configured using a simple software menu that is accessible through the built-in USB port. The SF02/F works by measuring the time it takes for a very short flash of laser light to travel to an object and back again. The accuracy of the measurement is not affected by the the color of the object’s surface or the angle of incidence of the laser beam to...
  • Page 4: Quick Start Guide

    USB cable from the SF02/F. 8. There are several power supply and interface options available. These connections are used to integrate the SF02/F into your system and details of all the options are explained later in this document.
  • Page 5: Making Connections To The Sf02/F

    Power supply option 1: USB power The first option is to power the unit directly from the USB port of a PC or laptop. This is particularly useful for testing the SF02/F before it is installed in your system and also for changing the settings in readiness for the final application.
  • Page 6: Figure 5 :: Dual Redundant Power Supplies

    The SF02/F has a mini USB interface that can be used to communicate with LightWare Terminal software on a PC. This connection also provides power to the unit making it quick and easy to test and configure the SF02/F. The associated virtual serial port transmits at 115200 baud with 1 stop bit and no parity or handshaking.
  • Page 7: Figure 7 :: Analog Interface, Analog Voltage Output

    There are two additional alarms available on the digital expansion port (see “Digital expansion port” on page 9) and all three alarms give a visible LED indication when active. Figure 9 :: Alarm indicator LEDs SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10 © LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016...
  • Page 8: Figure 10 :: Serial Interface, Auxiliary Serial Port Basic Connection

    The time when distance data is transmitted from the auxiliary serial port is controlled by one of two triggers. The first is a software trigger provided by the host controller through its serial port and consists of the ASCII code for the letter <D>. When the SF02/F receives this character it outputs the next available distance result which will happen in less than 30 ms.
  • Page 9: Figure 12 :: Digital Expansion Port

    ADC conversion cycles Ground Ground ADC-sync A 32 kHz square wave that can be used to trigger ADC Figure 13 :: Analog expansion port conversions Ground Ground SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10 © LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016...
  • Page 10: Menu Options

    Product manual 4. Menu options The SF02/F can be connected through the on-board USB port to a Terminal emulation program running on a PC. LightWare provides a free Terminal program available for download from its website at www.lightware.co.za > Library > Documents > Software Once the USB connection is made, the Terminal window displays the distance reading from the SF02/F.
  • Page 11: Figure 15 :: Compensating For The Height Of The Landing Gear

    -10.00 meters to +10.00 meters. This zero point adjustment can be used to compensate for the mounting position of the SF02/F in the final system, where distance readings may best be interpreted from a suitable point on the system rather than from the front face of the SF02/F.
  • Page 12: Figure 17 :: Height Above Ground Represented By The Analog Voltage Output

    The range of values for both distance settings is from 0.00 meters to 50.00 meters. The analog voltage output updates at 32 readings per second and has a 10 bit resolution. Figure 17 :: Height above ground represented by the analog voltage output SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10 © LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016...
  • Page 13: Figure 18 :: Ground Proximity Alarm Warning

    The address can be set using menu option <j> and the maximum latency is 60 ms. The host controller acts as the I2C “master” and sends the address to the SF02/F as an 8 bit value (7 address bits plus 1 read bit).
  • Page 14: Instructions For Safe Use

    Make sure that the SF02/F is switched OFF before looking into the lenses. The SF02/F should be mounted using the four holes provided in the circuit board. Do not hold or clamp the lens tubes as this may cause damage and adversely affect the laser safety rating.
  • Page 15: Appendix A :: Specifications

    Beam divergence 0.2° (typical) Operating temperature 0 ... 40°C Approvals FDA accession no.: 1310953-001 (2015/09) Appendix B :: Accuracy profile Figure 20 :: Accuracy profile SF02/F Laser Rangefinder - Product Manual - Revision 10 © LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016...
  • Page 16: Appendix C :: Dimensions

    Appendix D :: SF02/F Arduino shield (SF02-AS) The SF02/F Arduino shield makes it quick and easy to connect the SF02/F to a standard Arduino Uno compatible host controller. All the pins for the digital and analog ports are passed through the SF02-AS and can be selectively connected to the Arduino port pins.
  • Page 17: Revision History

    Updated “Auxiliary bus port (I2C)” section to include “The host controller acts as the I2C “master” and sends the address to the SF02/F as an 8 bit value (7 address bits plus 1 read bit). The SF02/F then returns the altitude as a 16 bit integer, formatted as high byte followed by low byte in centimetres.”...

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