Qwiic dToF Imager (TMF882X) Hookup Guide

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Contributors: bboyho, Elias The Sparkiest
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Introduction

The SparkFun Qwiic dToF Imager - TMF8820/TMF8821 are a direct time-of-flight (dToF) sensors that includes single modular package with associated Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) from AMS. The dToF device is based on Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode (SPAD), time-to-digital converter (TDC) and histogram technology and achieves 5000 mm detection range. Due to its lens on the SPAD, the TMF8820 supports 3x3 multizone output data while the TMF8821 supports 3x3, 4x4, and 3x6 multizone output data. The lens on each dToF Imager provides a very wide, dynamically adjustable, field of view. A multi-lens-array (MLA) inside the package above the VCSEL widens up the FoI (field of illumination). All processing of the raw data is performed on-chip and the TMF8820/TMF8821 provide distance information together with confidence values on its I2C interface. The high performance on-chip optical filter blocks most of the ambient light, and enables distance measurements in dark and sunlight environments.

These sensors are great for projects that such as distance measurement for camera autofocus - Laser Detect Autofocus - LDAF (mobile phone), presence detection (computing and communication), object detection and collision avoidance (robotics), and light curtain (industrial).

SparkFun Qwiic dToF Imager - TMF8820

SparkFun Qwiic dToF Imager - TMF8820

SEN-19036
$19.95
SparkFun Qwiic Mini dToF Imager - TMF8820

SparkFun Qwiic Mini dToF Imager - TMF8820

SEN-19218
$20.50
SparkFun Qwiic dToF Imager - TMF8821

SparkFun Qwiic dToF Imager - TMF8821

SEN-19037
$20.95
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SparkFun Qwiic Mini dToF Imager - TMF8821

SparkFun Qwiic Mini dToF Imager - TMF8821

SEN-19451
$21.50

Required Materials

Note: We recommend a microcontroller with enough flash to run your program code. Sorry, Uno's (or any development board using the ATmega328P) are out. But didn't you want an excuse to try out something new? We recommend choosing either an Artemis Thing Plus or an ESP32 Thing Plus board as your development board.

To follow along with this tutorial, you will need the following materials. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary. Note that the following wishlist includes the RedBoard Artemis and the TMF8821. Depending on your application, you can adjust the cart for a different processor board or sensor version.

Suggested Reading

If you aren't familiar with the Qwiic system, we recommend reading here for an overview.

Qwiic Connect System
Qwiic Connect System

We would also recommend taking a look at the following tutorials if you aren't familiar with them.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.

Hookup Guide for the SparkFun RedBoard Artemis

Get started with the RedBoard Artemis - all the functionality of the SparkFun Artemis module wrapped in the familiar Uno R3 footprint

Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE

How do I install a custom Arduino board/core? It's easy! This tutorial will go over how to install an Arduino board definition using the Arduino Board Manager. We will also go over manually installing third-party cores, such as the board definitions required for many of the SparkFun development boards.