Introduction

CircuitPython driver for VL53L5CX and VL53L8CX ToF sensors

Dependencies

This driver depends on:

• Adafruit CircuitPython
• Bus Device
• Register

Please ensure all dependencies are available on the CircuitPython filesystem. This is easily achieved by downloading the Adafruit library and driver bundle or individual libraries can be installed using circup.

Installing from PyPI

On supported GNU/Linux systems like the Raspberry Pi, you can install the driver locally from PyPI. To install for current user:

pip3 install circuitpython-vl53lxcx

To install system-wide (this may be required in some cases):

sudo pip3 install circuitpython-vl53lxcx

To install in a virtual environment in your current project:

mkdir project-name && cd project-name
python3 -m venv .venv
source .env/bin/activate
pip3 install circuitpython-vl53lxcx

Installing to a Connected CircuitPython Device with Circup

Make sure that you have circup installed in your Python environment. Install it with the following command if necessary:

pip3 install circup

With circup installed and your CircuitPython device connected use the following command to install:

circup install vl53lxcx

Or the following command to update an existing version:

circup update

Important: Binary File Requirement

When using this library with CircuitPython, you must also copy the corresponding .bin file to the /lib folder on your CircuitPython device, alongside the .mpy file. This binary file contains the firmware required for the VL53L5CX/VL53L8CX sensors to function properly.

The binary file should be placed in the same /lib directory as the vl53lxcx.mpy file on your CircuitPython filesystem.

Usage Example

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2017 Scott Shawcroft, written for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025 senseBox for senseBox
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Unlicense

import board
import busio
from digitalio import DigitalInOut, Direction

from vl53lxcx import (
    DATA_DISTANCE_MM,
    DATA_TARGET_STATUS,
    RESOLUTION_8X8,
    STATUS_VALID,
    VL53L8CX,
)

lpn_pin = board.D3
i2c = busio.I2C(board.SCL, board.SDA, frequency=1_000_000)

lpn = DigitalInOut(lpn_pin)
lpn.direction = Direction.OUTPUT
lpn.value = True

tof = VL53L8CX(i2c, lpn=lpn)


def main():
    tof.reset()

    if not tof.is_alive():
        raise ValueError("VL53L8CX not detected")

    tof.init()

    tof.resolution = RESOLUTION_8X8
    grid = 7

    tof.ranging_freq = 2

    tof.start_ranging({DATA_DISTANCE_MM, DATA_TARGET_STATUS})

    while True:
        if tof.check_data_ready():
            results = tof.get_ranging_data()
            distance = results.distance_mm
            status = results.target_status

            for i, d in enumerate(distance):
                if status[i] == STATUS_VALID:
                    print(f"{d:4}", end=" ")
                else:
                    print("xxxx", end=" ")

                if (i & grid) == grid:
                    print("")

            print("")

main()

Documentation

API documentation for this library can be found on Read the Docs.

For information on building library documentation, please check out this guide.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing to help this project stay welcoming.