Laser sensor as endstop and bed mapping
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Can laser distance sensor with analog 0-5V output could be used as endstop and for bed mapping?
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With comparator it should be possible.
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@jzagaja, it's also depends on the accuracy of the laser sensor and it's compatibility with optical properties of your bed surface.
That is, it may work, but the devil is in the details.
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Last time I looked, laser distance sensors didn't have enough precision and repeatability to use them for bed probing.
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If you mean the time-of-flight sensor modules you can find online then their accuracy is far, far below what is needed for levelling etc. It's 'a few mm' in ideal circumstances, 'a few cm' in most realities.
(Edit: re-reading your question, I'm not sure you are talking about the same thing here, but i'd written this anyway so I'll let it stand, the working principles are the same.)
They are, however, really cool sensors in lots of ways. I've built a 'lidar alike' system based on one, it works quite well, if slowly.
https://github.com/easytarget/esp32-cjmcu-531-demoGood background to the way they work:
https://www.st.com/content/dam/technology-tour-2017/session-1_track-4_time-of-flight-technology.pdfBecause these devices are essentially a small ccd array of individual (single photon) sensors they also support detecting motion across their field of view, as well as the distance. A common use for them is in gesture based (non contact) UI's, and this is where I see them having an application for printer and cnc controllers
