Benewake TF-Luna LiDAR Module Range Finder Sensor Single-Point Micro Ranging Module for Arduino Pixhawk 5V UART IIC Interface

What's not to like? For what it is, it's simply amazing (especially considering what something like this cost just a few years ago). It's small, simple to hook up and works well. Gives a fairly accurate measurement. Like most components like this, the code you use with it is everything. If you put time into setting it up correctly, it'll return data that can be used to do magical things. Will be buying a second unit to get cracking on a 3D scanning lidar for point cloud creation on a pixhawk rover (a retired military Marcbot IV). Fun things on the horizon! For $20, it's sick how useful these really can be.

Does what it should, accurately.

Doesn't work with BetaFlight. For my particular board that means this piece of trash is actually worth less than nothing.

I mounted this on a 2-axis servo, then hooked it up to an FPGA to do scanning. The FPGA passes the X-Y angles along with the LIDAR packets up to my PC where I process it in C++ and put it on the screen with Jet coding. Total fun.

Compact, and works right out of the box. I added +5V and the serial stream started straight away. There is software on their website as well that makes it easy to evaluate.

I have done lots of projects with Arduino modules and am very familiar with the I2C protocol. This TF-Luna module does not work with I2C. While there might be a way to make that happen, it is not in any of the documentation that I could find, only the serial protocol using TX, RX with a software serial port. That will not work for the project I have in mind. And yes, the SDA and SDL lines have 4.7K pullups in case you were wondering.

Great sensor - highly accurate and works well with the ardupilot platform. Put together a great lidar array. Make sure to get the update for i2c connections update.

Sensor was dead on arrival,