I'm currently in the process of designing an #ExpansionCard for my new #FrameworkLaptop.
I need the #Unifying #dongle (lower latency), but don't want it sticking out and losing a whole slot.
So I'm going to throw a USB hub and the peeled dongle on a PCB and hope it all works out :D
As a further experiment, I routed the USB A SS lines past the hub (USB 2 D+/D- connected to port 1 of the hub).
Not sure if this will play nice with USB drivers, but it's worth a try.
*insert standard run-of-the-mill PCB assembly steps here*
Paste, place, reflow. Paste, place, reflow. Solder the rest of the components manually.
It went pretty normal, although the assembly order of the straddle-mount USB-C connector needed a bit of thought ^^
I ended up with this procedure:
- Reflow the top side without the connector
- Place it after the paste of the bottom side and put flux on the top side contacts
- Reflow bottom side with hot air
And with that, the #DongleHiderPlus is done!
It features room for 2-3 skinned dongles while still providing an external USB A 3 port.
I tested it and it works like a charm* !
The receiver and different USB 2 and even USB 3 devices worked on the first attempt.
Massive props to @frameworkcomputer for making the whole development process very easy, with all needed information already public and even supplying a base 3D-printing-ready #ExpansionCard model.
* The only issue I've found is when the card is plugged into one of the USB4 ports of an AMD Framework (13+16) and you connect a USB 3 device. Then the internal USB 2 dongle stops working.
This doesn't happen on the other, non-USB4 expansion card slots or with USB 2 devices.
So best to avoid the top two slots or USB 3 devices if you don't. ^^
GitHub repo: https://github.com/LeoDJ/FW-EC-DongleHiderPlus (I'll add some more documentation soon™)
I also assembled two more PCBs, as I had everything set up already.
Framework Expansion Card that includes a USB hub to hide a bare dongle inside and still have a USB-A port externally - LeoDJ/FW-EC-DongleHiderPlus
@LeoDJ
I'm a bit confused where the extra pads are for soldering/attaching additional dongles? I was wondering if there might be room for one of the kingston style micro sd readers, and where the pads would need to attach.
Also, I'm new to the PCB game and am not sure my youtube based know-how would enable me to assemble this. Before I attempt to order from JLCPCB, I was wondering if you had gotten enough interest for this to do a larger order?
@LeoDJ Currently looking into ordering a bunch on JLCPCB together with @koen but since I have no prior experience there, I will wait for some help from a friend.
Main issue I ran into is that it seems to put the USB-C connector in the wrong place and they don't have the USB3-A in stock.
Something we'll look into, hopefully later this week.
@foone @LeoDJ @frameworkcomputer
Had the same idea, should work with the small USB A Yubikey.
I might try that.
@matj1
There is enough room and solder pads for more dongles vertically and under the PCB.
You can fit two dongles stacked on top of each other where I placed the single one and the third probably somewhere under the PCB.
I didn't try to actually fit three dongles in at the same time, because I only need the one.
I simply checked the feasibility by laying the dongle PCB into the assembled expansion card at various positions and concluded that it would fit.
@LeoDJ drivers shouldn't care, as USB 2 and 3 are completely separate busses :3
also, might be handy here somewhere, do you know you are allowed to switch polarity of the SS pairs to simplify routing? E.g. SSTX+ to SSTX- and vice-versa :)
Preparing new USB crimes :3
@littlefox
I think it should work out too.
I only know that I crashed an HP BIOS with something like this at my old work, because of the USB 2 and 3 parts of the device not being at the same place topologically. (Because of a cursed USB fiber extension)
Apparently the BIOS was confused when the device upgraded to USB 3 but was now at e.g. 1-1.1 instead of 1-1.2.1 and froze :D
Then again, a VL671 was involved too, soo idk ^^
Regarding swapping +/-: Ohh, I didn't know that, that's neat, thx!
@LeoDJ but .. USB devices don't upgrade to 3.0, they try to connect on the 3+ bus and if they can't find a host, they try the 2- bus instead o.o
Maybe the controller was confused about something connected on both 3+ and 2- on what was the same port for it?
@littlefox
It's been a few years already, so my memory is a bit hazy.
I think in this instance the device's USB 3 stack initialized some time after the USB 2 stack, leading to the device only being reachable via USB 2 at first.
(And "upgrading" to 3 a few hundred ms or so later)
But I'm unsure of the exact details rn ^^"
Maybe some non-floating USB 3 lines could've been involved too, but I think it was mainly because of the topology thingy.
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