Guide

Serial interface
Overview
We suggest using the pre-built APIs for communicating with the LW24/C where possible.
The LW24/C uses a packet based binary protocol which can be accessed over the serial and I2C interfaces. All
higher-level APIs (C, Python, JavaScript) use this protocol to function.
If you require more control than the existing APIs offer or need to port the protocol to a different platform, then you
can use the information here to build a compatible system.
Communication is performed using encapsulated packets for both sending and receiving data. Every packet that is sent
to the LW24/C is known as a request and a correctly formatted request will always be replied to with a response. There
are cases where the LW24/C will send a request packet to the host, these packets are considered streaming packets as
they arrive without a direct request from the host - they do not require a response from the host.
Streaming data is only available through the Serial interface.
Requests are made using one of the available commands and are either flagged as read or write. When a read request
is issued then the response will contain the requested data. When a write request is issued then the contents of the
response will vary depending on the command.
Default serial interface properties
● Baud rate: 115200
● Data: 8 bit
● Parity: none
● Stop: 1 bit
● Flow control: none
Packets
A packet for both requests and responses is composed of the following bytes:
Header
Payload
Checksum
**Byte:**
Start
Flags Low
Flags High
ID
Data 0 .. N
CRC Low
CRC High
LW24/C/RS microLiDAR™ sensor - Product guide | Version 0 | 03 March 2022 Page 20 of 38