Hello! I am working on a project, and I need to be able to measure the line of sight distance between the Arduino and a target, outdoors. I need somewhere around 100ft of range; however, this is more than tentative (meaning I can go reasonably lower, say 60ft, if there are really noteworthy modules with low prices for those ranges. Otherwise, I want more than 100ft range). Are there any good recommendations you can give me for an ultrasonic or laser distance measurement tool for this range?
I did some research and found that ultrasonic is kinda useless at these distances. There are some Arduino-compatible lidars with around 50m range, but they cost around $100US, which I don't want to pay unless there is no other choice. There are laser measurement tools that are cheaper for longer ranges, but I somehow doubt that I can make those compatible with Arduino. What is your opinion about this?
Just kinda off top of my head, but for years I been wanting to attempt ranging distances using RF24 modules and measuring response delay times with micros, line of sight as you say.
If it were possible, and given the low cost of the hardware, and for how many years its been available, you might wonder why it appears no-one has managed to do this.
Yeah, that could've been an option, but the target I want to measure the distance to is not necessarily an electronic device—for example, a random wall, a person, a car, etc. So, RF is probably not an option.
Though, you might be able to do RF distance measurements with higher ranges, and with lower accuracy probably!
What about 101, 102, 103ft ... anything larger than 100, really? Those are OK. Anything slightly less than 100ft, let's say down to 60ft, but with good price-performance is OK (I say OK to a $15US module with a 60ft range, for example). Let me give more specs if it's necessary:
Range: 60ft (~18m) absolute minimum, only if price performance of at least 4ft/$1US (range/price) is satisfied—otherwise, absolute minimum 100ft. More is welcome, but I have price limitations. Maximum capped at ~660ft (=200m).
Price: <=$100US absolute maximum. I don't want to push it, though. Say around $50US is my goal (If you give me an absolute gem of a module exceeding $50US, I would consider it).
No significant size limitations.
Preferably serial communication capable, but is able to interface with Arduino Uno or Nano with any means (I don't know much about Arduino, sorry).
No significant power usage limitations, except it must use DC power (parameters such as operating voltage, current limits, etc, will be taken care of).
Supply voltage <= 24V.
Must be able to measure the distance to a passive target (the target does not possess any communication capabilities or any other assistance, like reflective surfaces).
Must be able to work in broad daylight conditions and satisfy the range requirement.
At least 1Hz measurement rate.
Precision is not important. This aspect can be disregarded. I mean +-0.1mm, -+1mm, -+10mm; any of these are OK. However, it should not read 1m for a 60m measurement: Accuracy is important, naturally.
The Garmin Lidar Lite is about the best you can do these days in price versus performance.
Your pricing versus performance goals are unrealistic, although I imagine that if you were to order components to make 10,000 gizmos, you could negotiate a better deal.
Do your research and testing, and if you find something that performs better than the Lidar Lite, at a significantly lower price, please post the details on the forum.