// the find
iliasam/OpenSimpleLidar
Open Source scanning laser rangefinder
A complete open-hardware triangulation LiDAR you can build yourself for under $30 in parts. It runs on an STM32F030, spins at 5 scans/second with 180 points per rotation, and tops out at 4 meters — enough for robot navigation in a room, not warehouse mapping. It's aimed at hobbyists and students who want to understand how a spinning rangefinder actually works rather than just buying one.
Full hardware package: Gerber files, BOM, STL files for 3D-printed parts, and schematics are all here — you can go from repo to ordered parts without hunting around. The STM32 firmware is clean and well-structured with distinct modules for encoder, laser, UART, and image processing. ROS integration is demonstrated with working Hector SLAM maps, which is the actual proof that the data is usable. The inclusion of step-by-step test firmware (test1, test2, test_encoder) means you can validate each subsystem independently before assembling the whole thing.
4-meter range and 2-degree angular resolution make it genuinely unsuitable for anything beyond slow indoor robots — it's closer to a toy than a tool for real applications. The image sensor price warning buried in the README is a red flag: the TSL1401CL cost spike since 2023 can blow the '$30' claim entirely depending on where you source it. The firmware is locked to IAR Embedded Workbench (EWARM project files only), which costs money and runs on Windows — no open-source toolchain path is documented. Last commit activity and the static wiki suggest the project has been in maintenance mode for years with no active development.