Using the A111 Pulsed Radar Sensor with a Raspberry Pi

This Tutorial is Retired!

This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.

View the updated tutorial: Getting Started with the A111 Pulsed Radar Sensor

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Contributors: jimblom
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Introduction

Does your project require high-precision, cutting-edge distance, speed, motion, and/or gesture sensing? We're not talking ultrasonic, or even infrared here, but 60GHz radar! Say hello to our tiny, pulsed radar friend the Acconeer A111!

A111 Pulsed Radar Breakout

SPX-14811
1 Retired

The A111 is a single-chip solution for pulsed coherent radar (PCR) -- it comes complete with antennae and an SPI interface capable of speeds of up to 50MHz. Applications for PCR include distance-sensing, gesture, motion, and speed detection. The sensor can monitor one-or-more objects at distances of up to two meters.

Our breakout board for the A111 includes a 1.8V regulator, voltage-level translation, and it breaks out all pins of the pulsed radar sensor to both 0.1-inch and Raspberry Pi-friendly headers.

Required Materials

To use the A111 you'll need either an ARMv7 or an ARM Cortex-M4 -- the closed-source SDK currently only supports these architectures. This tutorial will explain how to use the radar sensor with a Raspberry Pi -- a platform based on an architecture supported by the A111's SDK.

The A111 Breakout includes a 20-pin, 2x10 female header, which should mate to Raspberry Pi's of any generation. If you'd rather manually wire the A111 to your Raspberry Pi, male headers and about 9 male-to-female wires should do the trick.

Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
Jumper Wires Premium 12" M/F Pack of 10

Jumper Wires Premium 12" M/F Pack of 10

PRT-09385
$4.95
1

Raspberry Pi 3

DEV-13825
92 Retired

A111 Pulsed Radar Breakout

SPX-14811
1 Retired

Tools

You will need a soldering iron, solder, and general soldering accessories.

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired