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Ascend-8tof v2 — System Documentation

Documentation for the Ascend-8tof v2 360° time-of-flight obstacle-sensing system: a 30 × 30 mm carrier board (STM32H563) reading 8× VL53L8CX 8×8 multizone ToF sensors and speaking MAVLink to a flight controller over a single UART.

 8× VL53L8CX ──► carrier board ──┬── MAVLink OBSTACLE_DISTANCE ──► PX4 collision prevention
  (8×8 grids)   (mux + STM32H5)  │   (always on)
                                 └── 512-zone point cloud ──────► configurator / your host
                                     (on request)

Downloads

Documentation map

# Document Contents
01 Hardware Overview Board, connectors & pinouts, channel map, mounting
02 Power Input voltage limits and how to power it
03 Communications MAVLink output and the binary point-cloud link
04 Firmware Build variants, flashing, diagnostic builds
05 Integration PX4 collision prevention + VOXL2 worked example
06 Bring-up & Setup Assemble → power → verify → integrate → troubleshoot
07 Obstacle Avoidance (onboard VFH) The alternative AVOID=vfh path, needing the Ascend PX4 fork
08 Install Firmware Prebuilt download, ST-Link setup, installer, and rollback
09 Firmware Release Notes 10 Hz / 10 ms candidate, measurement behavior, validation status
10 Case & Assembly Downloads Complete assembly and electronics STEP exports

Key facts at a glance

  • Sensors: 8× VL53L8CX, each an 8×8 zone grid, configurable up to 15 Hz, forming a 360° ring.
  • Range capability: up to 4 m under suitable conditions; usable range depends on lighting, target, and profile. ~45° field of view per axis.
  • Power: 5 V only on J5 pin 1; current depends on the ranging profile — see Power.
  • Host link: one UART at 921 600 8N1 carrying MAVLink (always) and the point cloud (on request).
  • Default output: OBSTACLE_DISTANCE (#330) at 10 Hz, 72 bins × 5°, straight into stock PX4 collision prevention — no custom autopilot build.
  • Mounting: the tip of the A on the lid is the nose = CH7 (J8).
  • Configurator: https://tools.ascendengineer.com — live 3D cloud and zone masking in Chrome.