VL53L4CX Interface with STM32F030 DEMO Board

[Anirudh_balaji]

Hi team,

I am new to the STM32 Cube IDE environment and would like to interface and control the VL53L4CX Time-of-Flight sensor using an STM32F030 DEMO Board. I kindly seek your guidance and support in achieving this.

Here are the details of the hardware I am working with:

• MCU Board: STM32F030 DEMO BOARD V1.1
• TOF Sensor Module: VL53L4CX

I would greatly appreciate any resources, sample code, or advice you can provide to help me get started.

Looking forward to your support.

Thanks and regards,
Anirudh

[John E KVAM]

If you bought the x-nucleo-53l4a1 then just plug the board onto your nucleo. If you bought the satel-vl53l4 then there is an app note on how to hook it up. 
the next bit is tricky, but let’s cheat. Download the API from the ST web site.  It will be something like stsw—img0xx. Then look for the example. This example runs on the stm32-f401. But using the stm32-xcubeIDE (download from St.com) Chang the MCU. Learning the IDE is a bit of a trick. But there are tons of videos. 
have fun. 

[Anirudh_balaji]

Hi John,

Thank you for the response, but unfortunately, I only happen to have an STM32F030 DEMO Board to work with, Thus I am seeking guidance. 

Additionally, is vl53l4 only compatible with Nucleo boards? Correct me if I am wrong, but if that is not the case, can you please guide me in establishing communication between STM32F030 and VL53L4CX?

I am also available to schedule a call with the ST team to discuss and resolve this. I look forward to your support.

Thanks and regards,
Anirudh

[Anne BIGOT]

Hello
VL53L4 board can be used with other X-Nucleo but ST delivers only example codes for STM32F401.
To try using the STM32F030, you can use Cube-MX and remap the pins considering the UM3108.

Best regards

[John E KVAM]

one way to do this is to start a new project using the STM32CubeIDE. Google says:

To start a new STM32CubeMX project from within STM32CubeIDE, you can leverage the "New STM32 Project" option within the IDE's File menu. 

Steps:

1. Open STM32CubeIDE: Launch STM32CubeIDE and ensure it's ready to create a new project. 
2. Navigate to "New STM32 Project": Go to File > New > STM32 Project. 
3. Select Your STM32 Device: Choose the specific STM32 microcontroller you want to use for your project. You can either select from a list of devices or use the board selector if you're working with a specific development board (e.g., Nucleo board). 
4. Choose Project Type: Define the type of project you want to create. You can select from various templates or choose "Empty" for a blank project to build from scratch. 
5. Configure and Generate: After selecting your device and project type, you'll be guided through the configuration process. This may involve setting up clock configurations, peripherals, and other project details. Once you're satisfied, click "Finish" to generate your project. 

Using this you can select your board, and the code generator will build your code for you.

While building your code, you can include X-TOF and select which Time-of-flight sensor you want. This generates slightly different code. (X-ToF) is one package that controls all the ToF sensors, so it's got some arrays of function calls. But it's not that hard.

Or you can build your code without the X-Tof and then compare your project with that of the example in the API you downloaded. Merge those together, and you should be good.

There is one other thing you might try. 

The example in the APi comes with an ".ioc" file. This file specifies the hardware. You might be able to just change it from the NucleoF401 board, to your board. But keep in mind, this is not guaranteed. But if your board and the F401 are close, it might just work.

- john