VL53L8CA footprint, initialization time and comparison

[MFabb.1]

Hi,

I have some questions about the latest ToF released VL53L8CA (only databrief released at the moment):

1. Is the VL53L8CA footprint/pinout-compatible witth the VL53L5CX?
2. Is the VL53L8CA on-board microcontroller RAM-based (like VL53L5CX)? If yes, what is the time (or size) to load the on-board FW at the initialization phase?
3. Could you update the comparison between ToFs by adding the VL53L8CA?

Thank you

[John E KVAM]

You are cheating - looking for Datasheet data before the datasheet is published.

I can't blame you - we are teasing you by releasing the data Brief.

The footprints are not the same. Close, but not the same. This one has a 1.2V rail.

You are going to have a discussion with an ST marketing person on the RAM download.

A very quick summary of improvement:

 "2x ranging performance in ambient light levels with lower power consumption vs previous generation device"

• john

[MFabb.1]

Hi John,

Could I kindly ask you for an update?

Now, on the product page the VL53L8CA is reported as an Active (Product is in volume production) component but no datasheet, drawings or other information are available for download on the site.

Thank you

[John E KVAM · Accepted solution]

The VL53L8CA parts are in production. But there is a secret to our naming conventions. Only the very biggest customers get the 'A' parts. If you are willing to purchace these in the multi-millions per quarter and put a half-dozen full time engineers to work helping us iron out all the kinks, then you get the CA parts. It's a lot of work.

But after they go into production we have a pretty good idea of what works, and what doesn't. And we learn what is too complex for the mass market and what a more normal customer will be willing to do to make these work.

Then we re-configure the firmware and iron out all the kinks.

And that is what beccomes the VL53L8CX - the mass market version.

Same hardware that has been battle tested, and for the most part it's the same software. We leave out some stuff we wrote specifically for our 'Alpha' customers, and we try to boil it down and clean it up.

We also fine tune the accuracy numbers and polish the datasheet to make sure you don't have to struggle.

And that's why we can advertize that the VL53L8CA is in production - because it is, and why you have to wait until Jan next year for the mass market release.

Going through me is poor way to get an advance copy of the datasheet. One has to go through our sales channels. So talk to whoever you get your ST parts from. It could be ST, Future, Avnet or Arrow in the US. There are others in the differnt countries. Get them to ask for a pre-release datasheet. You might have to sign an NDA or go through some other hoops.

But beware, getting early infomation is a double edged sword. Granted it's faster - but you could lose some time if you counted on something we changed later.

[MFabb.1]

Thank you John,

I really appreciated your feedback.