Lightware SF33 Product Manual Download Page 7

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SF33

SF33

Multi-beam laser sensor 

Product manual

4. Communicating with the USB port 

The SF33 has a micro-B USB port that can be used to communicate with 

LightWare Terminal

 software on a PC. This connection also 

gives power to the unit providing a quick way to test and configure the SF33. The 

LightWare Terminal

 software will automatically 

detect the USB port that is connected to the SF33 and communications can be established by clicking on the “Connect” icon. If more 
than one compatible device is present, click the “Laser” icon to select which USB port should be active.

Figure 5 :: USB communications 

Once communication has been established, settings can be changed by pressing the 

<SPACE>

 key to access the menu and then 

selecting the menu item that needs changing. Pressing the 

<SPACE>

 key again restarts the measuring process. More details of the 

menu items are discussed in the sections that follow. 

If you want to use a different serial emulation program then the USB serial protocol should be set to 115200 baud with 1 stop bit and 
no parity or handshaking. All communications are in standard ASCII format. 

5. System configuration 

There are two settings that provide the overall system configuration for the SF33 and these affect the behaviour of each of the 
interfaces.

The “1: Active data port” selection directs the distance results to one of the two available data ports, either the serial port or the 
USB port. Only one of these ports can be active at a time. 

USB option:

 When connected to a PC with the USB cable, it is convenient to have the distance results displaying in the 

Terminal window. Select the USB option with the SF33 running and the distances from each laser beam along with the 
output voltage from the analog port are displayed continuously. 

Serial option:

 When connected to a host controller the distance results should be directed to the serial port. The menu 

system is still available using the USB port but distance readings will not be displayed when the SF33 is running. 

The “2: Snapshot resolution / Time series filter” selection affects the way that distance readings are taken and presented to the 
output ports. 

Snapshot resolution:

 This selection offers 6 alternative resolution settings from 1.0 m down to 0.03 m. The lowest 

resolution selection allows for the highest speed measurements whilst better resolution reduces the measuring speed. 
Results are updated on the interface ports at the time specified by their associated update rate settings. Each reading is 
given as a “snapshot” of the latest result at that time. 

Time series filter:

 This selection switches on a recursive filter that uses the historical values of previous results to smooth 

the output. This presents higher resolution and less result-to-result variation but also slows down the rate at which 
distance readings can change. 

Setting

Values

Description

1: Active data port

Serial <-> USB

Selects the serial or USB port to output distance data.

2: Snapshot resolution / 
    Time series filter

1.00 m ... 0.03 m  <-> 

filter active

Selects the resolution of each reading taken. When selected, the “Time 
series filter” changes the result from a single snapshot to a recursive filter 
output.

SF33 Multi-beam sensor - Product Manual - Revision 1 

 of 

© LightWare Optoelectronics (Pty) Ltd, 2016

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Summary of Contents for SF33

Page 1: ...Configurable features and multiple hardware interfaces make connection with different types of controllers easy The SF33 uses a time of flight system to make very fast and accurate distance measureme...

Page 2: ...re 12 Dimension drawings of the SF33 10 Disclaimer Information found in this document is used entirely at the reader s own risk and whilst every effort has been made to ensure its validity neither Lig...

Page 3: ...ta Analog port An analog voltage proportional to the shortest distance reading Alarm A logic level signal that warns when the distance measured is below a preset value USB port Connects to a Terminal...

Page 4: ...inal software and click the Connect icon to open a communications port 5 If the connection isn t made automatically click the Laser icon and select the correct USB port from the list shown 6 Press the...

Page 5: ...10 3052 sec Sets the rate at which the analog port and the alarm signal are updated with distance readings The actual value may be lower than the entered value depending on the setting 2 Snapshot reso...

Page 6: ...be powered directly from the USB port of a PC or laptop This is particularly useful for testing the SF33 before it is installed in your system and also for changing the settings in readiness for the...

Page 7: ...USB cable it is convenient to have the distance results displaying in the Terminal window Select the USB option with the SF33 running and the distances from each laser beam along with the output volt...

Page 8: ...he baud rate is set too low there won t be enough time for the data to complete a transmission before the next result is ready The Serial port update rate is reduced if this situation occurs Both the...

Page 9: ...e changed on the fly and a serial port command set is provided for this purpose These commands will allow changes to a subset of the settings available through the USB port Serial port commands are se...

Page 10: ...r 10 95 Vnnnnn 1 00 m 10 3052 Sets the rate at which the analog port and the alarm signal are updated with distance readings The actual value may be lower than the entered value depending on the setti...

Page 11: ...Analog maximum range selection changes the value in meters that equates to 2 56 V This can be either 128 m 64 m 32 m 16 m or 8m depending upon the requirements of the application Setting Values Descr...

Page 12: ...s connected by pressing the X key 9 USB port settings The 9 USB port update rate setting allows the user to adjust the update rate of the distance readings to make them more readable in the Terminal w...

Page 13: ...3 There are no user serviceable parts and maintenance or repair must only be carried out by the manufacturer or a qualified service agent No regular maintenance is required for the SF33 but if the len...

Page 14: ...20 C Power supply voltage 5 0 V 0 5 V DC 5 0 V 0 5 V DC Power supply current 250 mA maximum 250 mA maximum Outputs interfaces Serial analog Serial analog Dimensions 30 x 56 5 x 50 millimeters 30 x 56...

Page 15: ...le type 1 35 cm Revision history Version Date Authors Comments Rev 1 2016 02 23 TLP Updated Appendix A Specifications to include FDA accession number 1610094 000 2016 02 page 14 Rev 0 2015 09 23 JEP F...

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