July 19 - Schematic and Parts (2 hour)

I designed the schematic today, the IC I am using is the CoreChips SL2.1A, it supports up to 4 extra USB connection.

I also added a diode at 5V input from the USB-A male connector to prevent backpower.

I originally chose a USB-A female connector that have 2 ports, but I realised that might be too heavy and might break the USB port on my laptop.

So I chose one with only 1 port and used 4 of them.

Time spent this session: 2 hours

July 20 (Morning) - PCB Layout (1.5 hours)

Today I made the PCB layout, I wanted to make it as compact as possible so I decided to put 2 usb ports on each side, and to keep it as short as possible to avoid breaking the laptop's USB port.

I also wanted to be able to hang this on a keychain/lanyard to I made a plated M3 hole at the end of the USB hub.

For the 5V and ground traces, I made them to be 0.8mm thick, which should be fine for 2.5A to 3.5A (1oz copper), which is more than enough for a USB hub.

And I routed most of the ground traces on the back.

The traces around the IC is a bit tricky to wire up, but with a few vias it looks good now.

Time spent this session: 1.5 hours

July 20 (Afternoon) - Case (2 hours)

I made the case today, the case is printed in 2 parts, the base and the lid, the lid snaps onto the base with these notches

The PCB sits on the edges and the base have a bit of space to allow the through-hole componants to sit on.

In the front of the case, the USB male connector will be held together by the lid.