 Hello, and welcome to this video, which will explain how to start using the VL-6180X Explorer Kit. Let's first briefly take a look at the VL-6180X Sensor. The VL-6180X is a multifunctional sensor module for ranging and ambient light measurements. It also supports gesture sensing. The ranging distance is typically 10 centimeters, but can be extended up to 40 centimeters with a calibration depending on the final application and hardware. The VL-6180X is the only fully integrated module on the market measuring distance based on a photonic time of flight measurement. With its small form factor and low power consumption, the VL-6180X is perfectly suited to wearable and battery-powered devices. No external components like LEDs are needed, whatever the distance. The Explorer Kit consists of an STM32 Nucleo Expansion Board, embedding the VL-6180X Sensor, which must be plugged into an STM32 Nucleo Board, embedding an STM32 Microcontroller. Use a standard mini USB cable to connect the kit to a laptop. Before plugging the evaluation kit to a PC, download the USB drivers from st.com slash VL-6180X. Browse the section Design Resources and install all of the four proposed packages. You can refer to the software user manual for the detailed procedure. When all USB drivers are installed, you can launch the installation of the user interface software. The Explorer Kit can be used in two ways. In standalone mode, with an autonomous four-digit display and without any computer interface. The kit is powered directly from the USB port or via an external power source, and binary code runs on the microcontroller, providing distance and ALS conversion. The second way requires a laptop to run the user interface software. When all drivers are successfully installed, plug the kit to the PC through USB. It will appear as a disk drive. It is then possible to flash your own binary code on the device by simply dragging and dropping the appropriate files. A .bin example code can be downloaded from the VL-6180X. Move the red switch to ALS to measure the scene ambient light level expressed in LUX. A full set of documentation provides settings to measure up to 100K LUX, as well as explaining the details of cover glass selection and integration. When using an external power source, a jumper must be added on the JP-1 connector. You will find two spare jumpers on the reverse side of the PCB. A second VL-6180 can be added to the system by soldering flying wires on the external connector located on the edge of the PCB. This allows remote sensing and enables dual sensor applications like gesture control. The small PCB adapter can be ordered at st.com. The VL-6180X Explorer Kit uses a virtual COM port connection to the PC. Before launching the software, check the COM port number allocated by Windows. Connect the Explorer Kit to the PC via the USB cable. Launch the software, then reset the COM port, fill in the COM port number previously noted, and click connect. The four digit display on the kit is now disabled. Click start, and the ranging function is enabled. The top window, labeled signal strength, plots the raw signal data which monitors the number of photons detected per second. The bottom window, labeled actual distance, using time of flight technology, plots the target range in millimeters. The dialog window on the right of the display contains the settings section. By changing the scale, the maximum ranging distance can be increased from 20 centimeters to 40 centimeters. Please refer to the hardware user manual and the range of product application notes on st.com. The VL-6180X is able to detect all targets regardless of the color, surface finish, or light reflectivity. With the patented flight sense architecture, the VL-6180X is the only sensor on the market capable of providing a ranging value immune to target reflectance. By clicking on the second tab in the application, the ambient light sensor is enabled. There are two scales. The first provides raw data from the device, and the second is the actual luxe level detected in the scene. The settings window, again on the right side of the display, allows the user to adjust the integration period, the system gain, and the sampling rate. I am not a conventional sensor. I can detect all object types, even those with low levels of reflectivity. I provide an absolute distance to the target, not only a reflected signal rate. I am based on a unique patented flight sense technology incorporating SPAD detectors. I am presented in a miniature reflowable package and consume low levels of power. I am a fully integrated solution with no requirement for external LEDs. I provide support for simple gesture control. My Explorer Kit can be used for evaluation as well as development. And the Explorer Kit is compatible with the STM32 Nucleo Open Development Environment and comes with an Arduino connector. With a full set of documentation, application notes, APIs, and source code, the Explorer Kit is ready to use for all kinds of applications and products, from wireless and consumer to home appliances and industrial. Thank you for your attention. For more information, please visit www.st.com.vl6180x.