VL53L8CH registers datasheet

KlemenPfce · ‎2025-01-27

We are developing product with VL53L8CH integrated. Now I have to developed simple firmware that will extract data and control it and for that I need datasheet with registers description. After searching for over an hour, I cant find any datasheet, user manual or application note on this topic.

John E KVAM · ‎2025-01-27

Please don't hate me.

But ST does not publish the register map.

There are several reasons for this.

1) Too many registers. I'm sure you could write a driver given the register map, but you'd end up hating ST forever.

2) Some of the register settings would cause your application to not meet the specification in the Datasheet, and again you would hate us.

3) It would be too hard to support. We'd spend the rest of our days looking through code with one wrong register setting. And when we couldn't find the error - you'd end up hating us.

But honestly it took us years to write that code; and it works; and it's validated.

That 80KBytes you download at the start is the firmware in the chip. So rather than a bunch of I2C registers you are actually using the I2C to communicate with firmware thinly vailed as hardware registers.

Is it a perfect solution? No.

Is it annoying? Yes, undoubtedly. People hate being told they cannot dig into stuff. I don't like it either.

But it's how we've decided we can best support our customers, and so I'm going to have to live with it.

If this or any post solves your issue, please mark them as 'Accept as Solution' It really helps. And if you notice anything wrong do not hesitate to 'Report Inappropriate Content'. Someone will review it.

View solution in original post

John E KVAM · ‎2025-01-27

Please don't hate me.

But ST does not publish the register map.

There are several reasons for this.

1) Too many registers. I'm sure you could write a driver given the register map, but you'd end up hating ST forever.

2) Some of the register settings would cause your application to not meet the specification in the Datasheet, and again you would hate us.

3) It would be too hard to support. We'd spend the rest of our days looking through code with one wrong register setting. And when we couldn't find the error - you'd end up hating us.

But honestly it took us years to write that code; and it works; and it's validated.

That 80KBytes you download at the start is the firmware in the chip. So rather than a bunch of I2C registers you are actually using the I2C to communicate with firmware thinly vailed as hardware registers.

Is it a perfect solution? No.

Is it annoying? Yes, undoubtedly. People hate being told they cannot dig into stuff. I don't like it either.

But it's how we've decided we can best support our customers, and so I'm going to have to live with it.

If this or any post solves your issue, please mark them as 'Accept as Solution' It really helps. And if you notice anything wrong do not hesitate to 'Report Inappropriate Content'. Someone will review it.

KlemenPfce · ‎2025-01-28

@John E KVAM So I assume I should use the API provided by ST in "STSW-IMG043"?

Anne BIGOT · ‎2025-01-28

Yes that's it. You have to use the STSW-IMG043

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