Distance Sensors

About This Infographic

A three-column comparison of the distance sensors used in this course — the binary IR reflective sensor, the HC-SR04 ultrasonic "ping" sensor, and the VL53L0X time-of-flight laser sensor — with pinouts, key specifications, and guidance on when to use each. Click each column to see its facts, then use Quiz Me to test which sensor fits a given job.

Image Prompt

Prompt

Please generate a wide-landscape infographic for "Distance Sensor Comparison".

Render all text exactly verbatim. Do not substitute any numbers, paraphrase labels, or invent extra rows/columns/stats. Where a cell says "None" or "N/A", render that exactly.

A clean, modern, flat-design educational comparison infographic poster, landscape 16:9, titled at the top in large bold sans-serif: "Distance Sensor Comparison", subtitle beneath: "Three ways to measure distance with MicroPython on the Raspberry Pi Pico — IR Reflective · HC-SR04 Ultrasonic · VL53L0X Laser ToF." Place a small line-art double-headed measuring-arrow icon at the left and right ends of the title bar.

Layout: EXACTLY THREE equal-width column cards on a light off-white background (#F7F9FC), arranged side by side. Each card occupies exactly one-third of the usable width, separated by a single uniform gutter, with equal left and right page margins. All three cards share the same top edge and the same bottom edge. Each card is a rounded-corner panel with a full-width colored title bar across its top; the title bar text is centered and spans the entire width of that card, with a one-line descriptive subtitle directly beneath the title inside the bar. Keeping the three columns equal in width and perfectly aligned is important — the column titles must line up across the top in a strict three-column grid. Within each card, stack four blocks top to bottom in the same order for all three columns: (1) a top-view illustration of the module, (2) a "PINOUT" block listing each pin as a small numbered colored circle followed by its name and role, (3) a "DESCRIPTION" block, (4) a "FEATURES" block with green check-mark bullets. Generous white space, thin divider lines, friendly textbook feel.

Column 1 — title bar (forest green #2D8A4E): title "IR Distance Sensor", subtitle "Binary HIGH/LOW reflective detection". Illustration: a small IR reflective module on a black PCB with a side-by-side pair of IR LEDs (one clear emitter, one black detector) and a blue trimmer potentiometer. PINOUT (3 pins): 1. VCC — 3.3 V to 5 V 2. OUT — Digital Output 3. GND — Ground DESCRIPTION: Uses an IR LED and photodiode to detect reflected infrared light from nearby objects. The output is binary: LOW when an object is detected, HIGH when the path is clear. FEATURES: · Operating voltage: 3.3 V to 5 V · Adjustable detection range (via potentiometer) · Typical range: 2 to 30 cm (varies with object) · Fast response time · Small size and low cost · Works best on reflective surfaces · Great for obstacle avoidance and line following

Column 2 — title bar (teal blue #1389A6): title "HC-SR04 Ultrasonic", subtitle "Ping (echo-timing) distance". Illustration: a blue HC-SR04 board with two silver ultrasonic transducer cylinders labeled "T" and "R". PINOUT (4 pins): 1. VCC — 5 V 2. TRIG — Trigger Input 3. ECHO — Echo Output 4. GND — Ground DESCRIPTION: Sends a 40 kHz ultrasonic burst and times how long until the echo returns. Distance is calculated from the round-trip time. FEATURES: · Operating voltage: 5 V · Measuring range: 2 cm to ~400 cm · Accuracy: ±3 mm · Trigger input: minimum 10 µs HIGH pulse · Echo output: HIGH pulse, ~58 µs per cm · Beam angle: < 15° · Inexpensive and easy to use · Ideal for robotics, level sensing, and parking sensors

Column 3 — title bar (deep purple #6A3FB5): title "VL53L0X Laser ToF", subtitle "I2C time-of-flight ranging". Illustration: a small purple VL53L0X breakout board labeled "VL53L0X" with a tiny laser sensor and labeled header pins. PINOUT (I2C board, 6 pins): 1. VCC — 2.6 V to 5.5 V 2. GND — Ground 3. SCL — I2C Clock 4. SDA — I2C Data 5. XSHUT — Shutdown / Reset 6. GPIO1 — Interrupt Output DESCRIPTION: Uses ST's VL53L0X time-of-flight sensor to measure how long a laser pulse takes to reflect back. High precision with excellent ambient-light immunity. FEATURES: · Operating voltage: 2.6 V to 5.5 V (1.8 V I/O compatible) · Measuring range: 3 to 120 cm default (up to 200 cm in long-range mode) · Accuracy: ±3% (best case; degrades with distance and ambient light) · I2C interface (up to 400 kHz) · Fast reading: up to 50 Hz (maximum update rate) · Field of view: ~25° cone · Low power consumption · Best for precision distance measurement

Footer bar (full width, below the three columns): a lightbulb icon then "TIPS: The IR sensor gives simple presence detection, not precise distance. The HC-SR04 is great for general-purpose and longer-range sensing. The VL53L0X gives high accuracy in a compact I2C package. All three work great with MicroPython on the Raspberry Pi Pico."

Typography: one clean geometric sans-serif (Inter/Roboto style), bold column headers, monospace for pin labels, numbers bold. Footer source line: "Sources: STMicroelectronics VL53L0X datasheet · HC-SR04 ultrasonic module datasheet · generic FC-51-style IR reflective sensor datasheet." Overall: tidy vector flat-design infographic poster, three equal-width columns with module illustrations, suitable for a textbook or classroom screen.