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LRF1500H UART protocol and integration

LRF1500H 1500 m UAV LiDAR Distance Sensor for Pods, Traffic Safety and Security Monitoring

Typical applications: UAV pods & EO/IR payloads, Traffic safety early warning, Security monitoring.

Price and buy on erdilrf.comRequest STEP file

At a glance​

Protocol familyFamily B (5C, streaming)
Default baud460800 bps, 8N1
Frame5 bytes
Distance unit on the wirecentimetres
Measurement range (datasheet)0.05–1,500 m (90% refl.) · 0.05–300 m

Specification​

Values come from the ERDI datasheet for this model. Where the datasheet gives a condition, it is shown.

ParameterValueCondition
Laser wavelength905 nm
Ranging range0.05–1,500 m (90% refl.) · 0.05–300 m10% refl.
Ranging accuracy±10 cm (<10 m) · 1% (≥10 m)
Measurement frequency1 kHz or 50 Hz — switches automatically to match echo strengthAdaptive
InterfaceUART / I²C
Supply voltage9–36 V DC
Dimensions33 × 34 × 18 mm
Weight20 ± 2 g
Laser safety classClass 1
Operating temperature-20 to +60 ℃
Field of view≈ 4 mrad
Repeatability±5 cm (<10 m) · ±100 cm1,500 m
Ambient light immunity100 kLux
Peak current100 mA
Average current55 mA
Average power consumption1.2 W
Wire specification1.25 mm, 5-pin, 50 cm stranded wires
CustomizationAvailable in appearance / structure / output protocol

Pinout and wiring​

PINDefinition / Wire ColorUser Interface
19-36V (Red)External Power +
2Power GND (Black)External Power -
3Port GND (Yellow)GND
4TX (Green)RX
5RX (Blue)TX

Cross TX and RX (module TX to host RX), share ground, and power the module from a supply that matches the supply voltage in the specification table. See Wiring and power.

Protocol summary​

  • Data frame: 5 bytes, 5C <dist_lo> <dist_mid> <dist_hi> <check>, free-running.
  • Default baud: 460800 bps, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.
  • Distance: 3 bytes, little-endian, unit centimetres. The VB series reports millimetres and the H series centimetres, so 5C 02 11 EC is 4.354 m on a VB module and 43.54 m on an H module.
  • Out-of-range marker: the module outputs 16777215 when there is no valid target. Treat it as no target, not as a distance.
  • Checksum: bitwise inverse of the 8-bit sum of all bytes between the header and the check byte.

The full frame description is in Family B protocol. Try it without installing anything in the browser serial monitor.

Code examples​

pip install erdi-lrf   # PyPI, MIT
erdi-lrf --port /dev/ttyUSB0 --model LRF1500H stream --count 20
from erdi_lrf import ErdiLRF

# COM3 on Windows, /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/serial0 on Linux
with ErdiLRF("/dev/ttyUSB0", "LRF1500H") as lrf:
    for r in lrf.stream():
        print("out of range" if r.out_of_range else f"{r.metres:.3f} m", "raw", r.raw)

Platform status​

Only rows with evidence say Verified. See the compatibility matrix for what that means and where the evidence is.

PlatformStatusGuide
Python (erdi-lrf)UntestedPython / Raspberry Pi / Jetson
Arduino / PlatformIOUntestedArduino / PlatformIO
ESPHome / Home AssistantUntestedESPHome
ROS 2UntestedROS 2
ArduPilot (Lua script)UntestedArduPilot
ArduPilot native driverNo driver yetArduPilot

Known issues​

  • The datasheet's example frame 5C 02 11 03 EC does not satisfy its own checksum rule (the rule gives E9). The driver and the serial monitor use the rule.
  • The datasheet writes the out-of-range marker as 0xFFFF (16777215). With a 3-byte distance field the marker is 16777215.
  • UART logic level is not stated as a separate field for most models. Supply voltage is not the UART voltage: check the module's TX level against your host before wiring, or ask us.

Resources​