initial commit

Author: johnnohj

examples/adafruit_vl53l1x_displayio_simpletest.py

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 Tim Cocks for Adafruit Industries 
+# contributions by J Fletcher, adapting code by Prof Gallaugher:
+#           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdx1A1xoEWc&t=5s
+# tested on ESP32-S3 Reverse TFT Feather:
+#           https://www.adafruit.com/product/5691
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import time
+import board
+from adafruit_display_text.bitmap_label import Label
+from terminalio import FONT
+from displayio import Group
+import adafruit_vl53l1x
+
+# create a main_group to hold anything we want to show on the display.
+main_group = Group()
+
+# Create sensor object, communicating over the board's default I2C bus
+# i2c = board.I2C()  # uses board.SCL and board.SDA
+i2c = board.STEMMA_I2C()  # For using the built-in STEMMA QT connector on a microcontroller
+vl53 = adafruit_vl53l1x.VL53L1X(i2c)
+
+# Create a Label to show the readings. If you have a very small
+# display you may need to change to scale=1.
+display_output_label = Label(FONT, text="", scale=1)
+
+# place the label near the top left corner with anchored positioning
+display_output_label.anchor_point = (0, 0)
+display_output_label.anchored_position = (4, 4)
+
+# add the label to the main_group
+main_group.append(display_output_label)
+
+# set the main_group as the root_group of the built-in DISPLAY
+board.DISPLAY.root_group = main_group
+# create a display object placeholder to be updated by the loop
+screen = (f"Distance: {''}cm, {''}in, {''}ft")
+# initiate repeated sensor readings
+vl53.start_ranging()
+
+
+# begin main loop
+while True:
+    # There will be no values to populate at first, just the bare 'Distance: cm, in, ft' text
+    # Assuming the first 'try' succeeds, this will be updated once the loop starts over
+    display_output_label.text = screen
+
+    # This 'try' sequence will either update the displayed items with fresh data or repeat the 
+    # last available data. VL53L1X sensors output `None` when no object reflects the laser, 
+    # e.g., there is nothing within 4 meters, or when objects pass too quickly in and out of
+    # view (usually perpendicular to the field of vision).
+    try:
+        if vl53.distance: # simple test to see there is a value to read; no value = exception
+            distance = vl53.distance # sets the variable (used by the display) to the sensor data
+            inches = distance*0.394 # VL53L1X outputs distance in metric, so we convert to imperial
+            screen = (f"Distance: {distance: .1f}cm, {inches: .1f}in, {inches/12: .1f}ft")
+            # if we made it this far, we have new data to display!
+    except TypeError: 
+        repeat_screen = screen
+        screen = repeat_screen
+        # if things went sideways, we repeat the previous loop's data so we can try again
+    
+    time.sleep(0.25)