CERN Releases Open-Source KiCad Component Library with 17,000 Parts
Hardware developers can now access CERN’s free KiCad component library with 17,000 verified PCB symbols and footprints for KiCad 9.x.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) recently announced a comprehensive library of electronic components intended to be utilized in the process of printed circuit board design, free of charge. CERN has released its complete KiCad component library, used internally, under an open-source CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 – Permissive license to hardware designers anywhere throughout the global community. Maintained by CERN’s Design Office, the library encompasses more than 17,000 electronic components in an arrangement of schematic symbols and printed circuit board footprints.
KiCad, a free and open-source tool, now offers developers around the world access to over 17,000 pre-designed symbols and footprints for free use. KiCad is an open source PCB design tool and it was first released in 1992 by Jean-Pierre Charras from France. KiCad also uses open file formats and has no licensing fees, so designers can share their work freely and don’t have to ask collaborators to purchase software access. Over the years, CERN’s Design Office has used the tool for hardware projects across the organization, expanding its component library.
Layout of a printed circuit board made using KiCad
CERN has been promoting open access publishing through SCOAP 3 since it launched the software for the World Wide Web as open source in 1994 and provides particle physics data for the LHC experiments through its Open Data Portal. These activities are all very present in the CERN Open Science Policy. With the opening of the library, anyone from students to start-ups can now access standardized components that have been tested and verified in one of the world’s most demanding research laboratories, and immediately deploy them in their own projects. It helps users spend less time developing, make fewer mistakes and lets them focus on the creative side of their work. The CERN KiCad Libraries themselves are in a GitLab repository and are currently only available for KiCad version 9.x.
KiCad PCB Layout (AI Generated)
Open Hardware Repository complements the set of designs published in the Open Hardware Repository, which users outside the Organization can now benefit from this extensive resource. CERN’s contribution to the KiCad ecosystem demonstrates its ongoing commitment to open source hardware as an efficient way to share hardware designs.
Images used courtesy of CERN.
