📡 LIDAR Room Scanner

Map your environment in 3D using a spinning Time-of-Flight sensor.

📋 Overview

Create a rudimentary LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system. By mounting a laser Time-of-Flight sensor on a pan/tilt mechanism, you can scan a room and generate a 3D point cloud.

What you'll learn: I2C through slip rings, stepper motor microstepping for high resolution, and serial data serialization for PC visualization.

Estimated time: 10+ hours. Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Expert.

🧩 Components Needed

Component	Specification	Qty	Notes
VL53L0X	ToF Sensor	1	Up to 2 meters range
NEMA 17 Stepper	For panning	1
Micro Servo	For tilting	1
Slip Ring	6-wire	1	Allows continuous 360 rotation
Arduino / ESP32		1

📖 Step-by-Step Tutorial

Slip Ring Assembly

A slip ring allows wires to pass through a spinning joint without tangling. Pass the VCC, GND, SDA, and SCL of the VL53L0X through the slip ring to the stepper base.

Scanning Pattern

Write a loop that steps the motor 1.8 degrees, takes a reading, and sends `(Angle_Pan, Angle_Tilt, Distance)` over Serial.

Tilt Mechanism

After completing one full 360-degree rotation, move the tilt servo up by 2 degrees and scan again.

PC Visualizer

Write a Python script on your PC (using Matplotlib or Processing) to read the serial data, convert polar coordinates to Cartesian (X,Y,Z), and plot the points.

💡

The VL53L0X is an infrared laser. Its range is drastically reduced outdoors in sunlight. This scanner is strictly for indoor use.

💻 Code / Configuration

lidar_scanner.ino

INO

// LIDAR Scanner (Snippet)
#include <Wire.h>
#include <VL53L0X.h>

VL53L0X sensor;
int panAngle = 0;
int tiltAngle = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Wire.begin();
  sensor.setTimeout(500);
  if (!sensor.init()) {
    Serial.println("Failed to detect and initialize sensor!");
    while (1);
  }
  sensor.startContinuous();
  
  // Initialize stepper and servo pins...
}

void loop() {
  for (tiltAngle = 0; tiltAngle <= 45; tiltAngle += 2) {
    setTiltServo(tiltAngle);

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