Do you need a sensor that can measure short distances or detect the motion of objects passing by? This Phidget uses infrared light and a time-of-flight calculation to determine how far away an object is. It can report the distance of the object it's pointed at as often as every 30 milliseconds, and will throw a out-of-range event when the distance exceeds the sensor's maximum range. Since infrared light is what it uses for the measurement, highly reflective objects will be easier to measure.
The DST1001 connects to a VINT hub. Have a look at the Connection & Compatibility tab for a list of Phidgets with VINT ports.
This Phidget is a smart device that must be controlled by a VINT Hub. For more information about VINT, have a look at the VINT Primer. You can use a Phidget Cable to simply and easily connect the two devices. Here's a list of all of the different VINT Hubs currently available:
| Product | Board | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Part Number | Price | Number of VINT Ports | Controlled By |
 |
HUB0000_0 | $30.00 | 6 | USB (Mini-USB) |
 |
HUB5000_0 | $60.00 | 6 | Local Network (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) |
 |
SBC3003_0 | $120.00 | 6 | — |
Use a Phidget cable to connect this device to the hub. You can solder multiple cables together in order to make even longer Phidget cables, but you should be aware of the effects of having long wires in your system.
Welcome to the DST1001 user guide! In order to get started, make sure you have the following hardware on hand:
Next, you will need to connect the pieces:
Now that you have everything together, let's start using the DST1001!
In order to demonstrate the functionality of the DST1001, the Phidget Control Panel running on a Windows machine will be used.
The Phidget Control Panel is available for use on both macOS and Windows machines.
To open the Phidget Control Panel on Windows, find the 
icon in the taskbar. If it is not there, open up the start menu and search for Phidget Control Panel
To open the Phidget Control Panel on macOS, open Finder and navigate to the Phidget Control Panel in the Applications list. Double click on the icon to bring up the Phidget Control Panel.
For more information, take a look at the getting started guide for your operating system:
Linux users can follow the getting started with Linux guide and continue reading here for more information about the DST1001.
After plugging the DST1001 into your computer and opening the Phidget Control Panel, you will see something like this:
The Phidget Control Panel will list all connected Phidgets and associated objects, as well as the following information:
The Phidget Control Panel can also be used to test your device. Double-clicking on an object will open an example.
Double-click on the Distance Sensor object in order to run the example:
General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:
Before you can access the device in your own code, and from our examples, you'll need to take note of the addressing parameters for your Phidget. These will indicate how the Phidget is physically connected to your application. For simplicity, these parameters can be found by clicking the button at the top of the Control Panel example for that Phidget.
In the Addressing Information window, the section above the line displays information you will need to connect to your Phidget from any application. In particular, note the Channel Class field as this will be the API you will need to use with your Phidget, and the type of example you should use to get started with it. The section below the line provides information about the network the Phidget is connected on if it is attached remotely. Keep track of these parameters moving forward, as you will need them once you start running our examples or your own code.
You are now ready to start writing your own code for the device. The best way to do that is to start from our Code Samples.
Select your programming language of choice from the drop-down list to get an example for your device. You can use the options provided to further customize the example to best suit your needs.
Once you have your example, you will need to follow the instructions on the page for your programming language to get it running. To find these instructions, select your programming language from the Programming Languages page.
The DST1001 will fire out-of-range error events when the reflected IR light doesn't reach the sensor, meaning the object is out of range. Objects that do not reflect light well might be harder to detect at greater distances.
| Sensor Properties | |
|---|---|
| Sensor Type | Infrared (Time-of-Flight) |
| Controlled By | VINT |
| Measurement Distance Min | 20 mm |
| Measurement Distance Max | * 650 mm |
| Measurement Distance Resolution | 1 mm |
| Measurement Distance Noise | 10 mm |
| Distance Sensor | |
| Sampling Interval Max | 60 s/sample |
| Sampling Interval Min | 30 ms/sample |
| Electrical Properties | |
| Current Consumption Max | 22 mA |
| Current Consumption Min | 20 μA |
| Physical Properties | |
| Operating Temperature Min | -40 °C |
| Operating Temperature Max | 85 °C |
| Date | Board Revision | Device Version | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2019 | 0 | 101 | Product Release |
| Channel Name | API | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Distance Sensor 650mm | DistanceSensor | 0 |
| API | Detail | Language | OS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DistanceSensor | Visual Studio GUI | C# | Windows | Download |
| DistanceSensor | Java | Android | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | JavaScript | Browser | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | Objective-C | macOS | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | Swift | macOS | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | Swift | iOS | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | Visual Basic .NET | Windows | Download | |
| DistanceSensor | Max/MSP | Multiple | Download |
| Product | Sensor Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Part Number | Price | Sensor Type | Controlled By | Measurement Distance Min | Measurement Distance Max |
 |
1146_0 | $7.00 | Distance (Infrared) | VoltageRatio Input | 1.5 mm | 4 mm |
 |
3520_0 | $14.00 | Distance (Infrared) | Sharp Adapter | 40 mm | 300 mm |
 |
3521_0 | $12.00 | Distance (Infrared) | Sharp Adapter | 100 mm | 800 mm |
 |
3522_0 | $16.00 | Distance (Infrared) | Sharp Adapter | 200 mm | 1.5 m |
 |
DST1000_0 | $30.00 | Infrared (Time-of-Flight) | VINT | 4 mm | * 170 mm |
 |
DST1001_0 | $30.00 | Infrared (Time-of-Flight) | VINT | 20 mm | * 650 mm |
 |
DST1002_0 | $35.00 | Infrared (Time-of-Flight) | VINT | 20 mm | * 1.3 m |
 |
DST1200_0 | $25.00 | Distance (Sonar) | VINT | 40 mm | 10 m |
