Piicodev Ultrasonic Vs Laser

[Ezra224017]

Hey! I was just wondering which was more reliable in terms of object detection in a circuit; the laser or ultrasonic sensor.

Thanks!

[James]

Hi Ezra,

Michael gave a great response to this one recently:

PiicoDev Ultrasonic Rangefinder | Getting Started Guide

Hey @Steven - these are good questions. Both sensors have their own advantages and disadvantages. The PiicoDev Laser Distance Sensor is high-accuracy, high-repeatability and has a higher cost. The PiicoDev Ultrasonic Rangefinder has lower accuracy, repeatability and cost - but is more suitable for measuring eg. the height of a liquid (where the IR laser might just pass through or scatter).

What were you looking to use the sensors for? That’ll help us recommend one over the other.

[Ezra224017]

Hey, thanks for the help. I want a sensor with high reliability in a circuit that detects if something is nearby, but also so it can measure how far away something is within a few metres for a security lock circuit.

I was also wondering if all of the Piicodev libraries were compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico W as well as the regular Pico.