DongleHider+ is a cunning new Framework laptop Expansion Card for hiding up to three dongles

News
By Mark Tyson
published

Project also provides a useful exterior USB port.

LeoDJ's DongleHider+ for Framework laptops
(Image credit: LeoDJ)

Developer and maker LeoDJ has shared his design for a Framework laptop expansion card that will surely gain wide appreciation among owners of the modular PC. The  DongleHider+ can fit up to three dongles inside and offers an outward-facing USB Type-A connector.

Using this card does take a bit of DIY muscle, as it's not for sale. To hide your Logitech Unifying dongle-sized device successfully, its outer casing needs to be removed. 

Fits flush, and provides a useful USB Type-A port. (Image credit: LeoDJ)

LeoDJ didn't like the Bluetooth latency of his wireless mouse, so they wanted to keep the Logitech Unifying dongle permanently plugged into his laptop without spoiling the device's clean lines. The DongleHider+ project admirably achieves these goals, and more, by providing connectivity for up to three (tiny) dongles and offering a handy USB Type-A port.

There are more than enough instructions for those wishing to follow in LeoDJ's footsteps. From the Framework community post, you can head over to the maker's GitHub repo and Mastodon threads, which are packed with useful source files for getting the PCB and Framework laptop expansion card made. The Mastodon thread is particularly useful as it offers a pictorial assembly guide.

From left to right: A standard USB A expansion card, A bare DongleHider+ PCB, Two assembled DongleHider+ PCBs, A stock Logitech Unifying dongle, A fully assembled DongleHider+ expansion card, with installed dongle and 3D-printed shell. (Image credit: LeoDJ)

Some people might be nervous about breaking apart and soldering in the dongles they want to install permanently in the DongleHider+, but LeoDJ says they are pretty cheap on used goods marketplaces. Clear instructions for disassembling Logitech's Unifying Gen1 and Gen2 dongles are provided. Furthermore, the soldering of the dongle to the PCB shouldn't be too challenging – especially if you only decide to install a single dongle internally.

Ready to solder a dongle in place. (Image credit: LeoDJ)

LeoDJ has provided a few compatibility notes: Using the Framework 13 (AMD versions) and 16 (AMD versions) he noticed that when connected to a USB4 capable expansion card slot, a USB 3 device is connected to the exterior port the second internal USB dongle stops working.

We've reviewed various Framework laptop sizes and generations, most recently the powerful Framework 16 with AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and Radeon RX 7700S (8GB GDDR6, 100W TGP) graphics module option installed.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
Freelance News Writer

Mark Tyson is a Freelance News Writer at Tom's Hardware US. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    Ingenuity like this wont come from a big corp.
    Kudos to Framework for making a laptop with the flexibility like this and Kudos to the creator of this cool gadget.

    I loath my logictech wireless dongles for keyboard and mouse sticking out the side/back of my laptop.
    Reply