Frequently Asked Questions
What should I watch out for on the Raspberry Pi 40-pin GPIO?
GPIO pins are 3.3 V. 5 V on any GPIO can permanently damage the Pi. Use a level shifter or a voltage divider. There is no ADC. For analog sensors add an ADS1115 or MCP3008. Keep each pin under ~16 mA. Drive motors, relays and LED strips through a driver or transistor. Never power servos or motors from the 5 V pins; use a separate supply with a shared GND. Pi 5: RPi.GPIO does not work. Use gpiozero or lgpio. GPIO 0 and 1 (pins 27, 28) are reserved for HAT EEPROMs.
Is the Raspberry Pi 40-pin GPIO 5 V tolerant?
No. It uses 3.3 V logic. Putting 5 V on a GPIO pin can damage it; use a voltage divider or level shifter.
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