# DongleHider+ - Multiple dongles and a normal USB A socket **URL:** \ **Category:** Expansion Card\ **Created:** [March 17, 2024, 5:15am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187 "2024-03-17T05:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LeoDJ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/leodj/32/14639_2.png) [@LeoDJ](https://community.frame.work/u/LeoDJ)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 5:15am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/1 "2024-03-17T05:15:12Z")
I’ve finished my first Framework-focussed hardware project: The DongleHider+! It’s an expansion card that acts like a normal USB A expansion card, but can hide up to 2-3 dongles inside at the same time! You can find all information on the project’s [GitHub repo](https://github.com/LeoDJ/FW-EC-DongleHiderPlus) or the [Mastodon thread](https://chaos.social/@LeoDJ/112040053271880119) for a more behind-the-scenes look. ![DongleHider+ assembled](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/uploads/framework3/original/3X/e/b/eb4c5ebe72bde6b69827f26625b52e15f8238990.jpeg) ![DongleHider+ installed in a Framework 16](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/uploads/framework3/original/3X/5/9/590ac55ed2f0ef13cb294cbf4dcb634f334c3e73.jpeg) I need to use the Logitech Unifying dongle for my MX Master 3, as using Bluetooth introduces too much latency, which slows me down noticeably. But I disliked the dongle always sticking out and blocking a precious expansion card slot. I tried leaving the dongle intact and fitting a USB socket inside, but this was simply not possible with the constraint of keeping the external dimensions of a normal expansion card. So I chose to option to skin and solder the dongle(s) permanently. (They’re only a few bucks used anyways ^^") I don’t plan to sell them right now, sorry. You can find everything you need to build it yourself in the GitHub repo. If you feel you lack the required skills, maybe ask around in your friend circle or look for a local hacker-/makerspace. (There also appears to be a [similar project in this forum](http://community.frame.work/t/usb-a-ugment-usb-a-port-card-with-internal-dongle-port-and-addons/35735) that traded the form factor for a USB socket) ---
**Author:** ![MJ1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/mj1/32/15519_2.png) [@MJ1](https://community.frame.work/u/MJ1)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 6:24am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/2 "2024-03-17T06:24:07Z")
Very nice! Great that you have pads for a second internal dongle. ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Joachim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/adrian_joachim/32/9949_2.png) [@Adrian\_Joachim](https://community.frame.work/u/Adrian_Joachim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/3 "2024-03-18T13:58:23Z")
Very clean implementation. If u2 is a 3.3v ldo, you may want to consider powering the receiver from that, in my testing on my integrated unifying mod for the t480s I found powering it with 3.3 to use a little more than half the power with no perceived loss in functionality. ---
**Author:** ![MJ1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/mj1/32/15519_2.png) [@MJ1](https://community.frame.work/u/MJ1)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/4 "2024-03-18T17:11:18Z")
> [@Adrian\_Joachim](#): > > If u2 is a 3.3v ldo, you may want to consider powering the receiver from that, in my testing on my integrated unifying mod for the t480s I found powering it with 3.3 to use a little more than half the power with no perceived loss in functionality. u2 is ESD protection. ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Joachim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/adrian_joachim/32/9949_2.png) [@Adrian\_Joachim](https://community.frame.work/u/Adrian_Joachim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/5 "2024-03-18T17:22:53Z")
> [@MJ1](#): > > u2 is ESD protection. Well then the 3.3v trick is out I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Shiroudan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/shiroudan/32/15620_2.png) [@Shiroudan](https://community.frame.work/u/Shiroudan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/6 "2024-03-22T02:22:59Z")
Congrats on making it to TomsHardware frontpages. Really cool project here, I’ll probably try making one myself at some point if I can source the components! ---
**Author:** ![MJ1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/mj1/32/15519_2.png) [@MJ1](https://community.frame.work/u/MJ1)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/7 "2024-03-22T02:42:23Z")
> **[DongleHider+ is a cunning new Framework laptop Expansion Card for hiding up...](https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/donglehider-is-a-cunning-new-framework-laptop-expansion-card-for-hiding-up-to-three-dongles)** > > Project also provides a useful exterior USB port. ---
**Author:** ![Jerrod\_Frost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@Jerrod\_Frost](https://community.frame.work/u/Jerrod_Frost)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 2:44am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/8 "2024-03-23T02:44:54Z")
Does anyone know if you could purchase a usb A expansion card and swap out the PCB with one of these? It would be nice to have a nice professional casing instead of a 3d printed one. Also not sure how the partially metal casing would affect the signal either. ---
**Author:** ![junaruga](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/junaruga/32/5342_2.png) [@junaruga](https://community.frame.work/u/junaruga)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:56am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/9 "2024-03-23T08:56:07Z")
Here is another media article: > **[LeoDJ's DongleHider+ Packs Up to Three Logitech-Style Dongles Into a Single...](https://www.hackster.io/news/leodj-s-donglehider-packs-up-to-three-logitech-style-dongles-into-a-single-framework-expansion-card-a3a6eb56a8e2)** > > Open-hardware accessory provides access to up to three Logitech Unifying Receivers or similar and an external USB 3.0 port. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@Julius\_G](https://community.frame.work/u/Julius_G)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/10 "2024-03-25T13:58:39Z")
The metal casing should have a very negative effect on connectivity, if not completely prevent it. For 3D printing you should look into resin printing as it looks more like a custom molded part, rather than a prototype. That said resin is usually more expensive, so it’s solemnly used for prototyping. On a different note: I would be interested if the dongle works on the newer Intel FW13 models as they only sport USB4 ports. If not revising would make a lot of sense, if it does I don’t see many people having a problem with this solution. Looking into making a batch for me and maybe a few to hand out, as making only 1 is nearly the same cost as making a few. The project looks dope and exactly what I was looking for. Great work. ---
**Author:** ![tripplehelix](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/tripplehelix/32/51648_2.png) [@tripplehelix](https://community.frame.work/u/tripplehelix)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/11 "2024-03-25T14:51:25Z")
I would be very interested in purchasing a complete item. I have a resin printer and could print the cases if you have the 3d file for the case. I’d be more than happy to print a few and send some to you. ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Joachim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/adrian_joachim/32/9949_2.png) [@Adrian\_Joachim](https://community.frame.work/u/Adrian_Joachim)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/12 "2024-03-25T15:32:12Z")
> [@Julius\_G](#): > > I would be interested if the dongle works on the newer Intel FW13 models as they only sport USB4 ports. USB4 is backwards compatible all the way down to usb1.0(well the usb3+ and usb2- backwards compatibility works by basically having a usb2 port taped to your 3+ port but it’s required by the spec and followed by virtually everyone). ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@Julius\_G](https://community.frame.work/u/Julius_G)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/13 "2024-03-25T16:25:40Z")
‘\* 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.’ This is an exert from the linked mastodon thread. Tested on AMD FW13 and FW16. @tripplehelix I’ll look into it during this week. Can’t make any promises as my week rn is pretty full already. JLPCB takes 30€ for 10 assembled PCBs w/o the USB C and A ports. So 5€ for the materials with shipping per PCB is what I’m assuming, maybe more, haven’t checked Mouser pricing. Still even with shipping from me should remain pretty cheap. Based in Germany for reference. Dunno if Shipping the 3D parts internationally would make sense if you’re not based in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Joachim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/adrian_joachim/32/9949_2.png) [@Adrian\_Joachim](https://community.frame.work/u/Adrian_Joachim)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/14 "2024-03-25T16:30:22Z")
> [@Julius\_G](#): > > ‘\* 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.’ > This is an exert from the linked mastodon thread. Tested on AMD FW13 and FW16. I see, may be linked to the re-drivers on those too. You probably should not use a usb-e card in these, with or without a dingle in there because of the redriver sleeping issue, and it’s a waste anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bennett\_Derrico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@Bennett\_Derrico](https://community.frame.work/u/Bennett_Derrico)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/15 "2024-03-25T16:34:40Z")
does this have any effect on battery life? Also would anyone be willing to build this for me? ---
**Author:** ![tripplehelix](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.frame.work/tripplehelix/32/51648_2.png) [@tripplehelix](https://community.frame.work/u/tripplehelix)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/16 "2024-03-25T16:45:18Z")
I’m in the UK, so that really depends. I know in the past shipping to Germany was a disaster with most stuff ending up stuck in customs. But I would still purchase a board! ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@Julius\_G](https://community.frame.work/u/Julius_G)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/17 "2024-03-25T22:36:13Z")
Customs is annoying, true. Still shipping cost to UK should be reasonable. Haven’t ordered anything since the Brexit though, so unsure about the current situation. It will probably be cheaper to have some made locally. I know a few people with a printer, so I will probably pay for materials and a couple quid extra to make up for time invested. I’ll try to be quick about making a few. I’ll update you when there’s any news. If all goes well I am thinking about developing my own, we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Nico\_Schumacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4af34b/32.png) [@Nico\_Schumacher](https://community.frame.work/u/Nico_Schumacher)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 7:18am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/18 "2024-03-26T07:18:40Z")
Hello, i am in Germany too and ordered in UK. I had to pay tax, to the shipping Provider. I am also Interested in 2 or 3 Cards. I also know some 3D Printer Owners so I maybe didn’t need a case. ---
**Author:** ![Lennart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Lennart](https://community.frame.work/u/Lennart)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/19 "2024-04-10T13:14:06Z")
I’d love a few of these boards (located in NL) as the logitech-dongle is the one thing always sticking out of the laptop, and I love the design. ---
**Author:** ![tux19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@tux19](https://community.frame.work/u/tux19)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 10:20am UTC](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187/20 "2024-04-11T10:20:30Z")
I would love to combine this with a [Yubikey 5 Nano](https://www.yubico.com/ch/product/yubikey-5-series/yubikey-5-nano/) and a logitech dongle. Sizewise it should fit. I would need around 5 assembled boards (located in CH). I can print the casings on my own and would have to integrate the metal contact for the Yubikey anyway. A shared production/assembly run would be awesome, given that we find a way to distribute them in Europe. [Next page](https://community.frame.work/t/donglehider-multiple-dongles-and-a-normal-usb-a-socket/47187.md?page=2)