Rasberry pi zero

can anyone tell me does this software have raspberry pi (pi zero) schmatics and if so how do I find them?

If by “this software” you mean KiCad then no, KiCad does not come with schematics.

Schematics for the Raspberry Pis are available here.

I assume you mean symbol instead of schematics. (The schematic is the detailed description of all electrical connections within the rasberry pi. The symbol is an abstraction of its connection points for use in your own project.)

I am sure there is a symbol or even a template project out there somewhere. I don’t think the official lib has either a template or a symbol but it should be easy to make one. (If somebody wants to contribute one, feel free to do so. But remember that the library convention must be followed within reason for it being accepted.)


Creating a symbol and a fitting footprint is a vital skill to learn for pcb design. If you need help with that, just ask.

Maybe a good starting point for beginners is the video tutorial series by @ChrisGammell https://contextualelectronics.com/courses/getting-to-blinky/

RPi hat templates and footprints (with symbols):

RPi CM templates and footprints (with symbols):

There are schematics from the foundation (as has been pointed out) but not for all of them or in great detail.
The foundation isn’t into encouraging Chinese clones, so to speak.
Those are not in KiCAD format afaik (or available for that matter).

Out of curioity and to be better able to help - what do you want to do?
Recreate the Pi?
Understand how it works?
Use the CM and needing some parts from the RPi (like the ethernet chip)?

hi all I want to do is draw up my circuit diagram so only need the pi zero pin outs etc
new to this software so don’t know how to get to the pi zero symbol etc

There is two ways to go about this:

  1. Template (= basic schematic + layout for a hat that fits onto a Pi)

  2. Symbol + Footprint (= works like a GSM or GPS module you put in your hat design)

Which one do you prefer?
(I’m in camp #2 :wink:)

#2 does not allow you to have the connectors placed by pick and place as they do not exist as separate entities. (And therefor are not in the pos file)

So if you do not plan on having these connectors placed by a pick and place machine i would agree that #2 is easier. Otherwise #1 is the only way (i know of) that can help you out here.

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Only true if you got more than one physical connector.
The center for the footprint just needs to sit where the connector would have his.

For Arduino or similar this is a problem, yes, but can be navigated by using more than one symbol/footprint (one per physical connector to be precise). But that’s not for a beginner of the software or new to ECAD really. So stay clear of this unless you know what you’re doing.

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For a Pi Zero, you probably want a pHAT, rather than a full-sized HAT. Here is a pHAT template I found.

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