Kai the Jolly Guy 🚀
rejected USB_HUB ago
User is banned for frauding projects!
Prince
submitted USB_HUB for ship review ago
Prince
added to the journal ago
USB Hub PCB
Day 1
Time spent: ~3hours
today i properly started this usb hub pcb project the goal was not to build something complex i just wanted to understand how a basic usb hub works from inside
i first spent time looking at usb hubs online and teardown photos noticed most hubs are very similar inside one controller ic and same circuit repeated for each port
then i opened kicad and created a new project named it usb_hub without thinking much chose the sl2.1a controller because many low cost hubs use it
i opened the datasheet and honestly didnt understand everything so i focused only on pin functions and basic connections
i started drawing the schematic with the usb type c input this took most of the time vbus d+ d- gnd and cc resistors kept checking reference designs again and again
progress was slow but learning was good by end of day input section was done
Day 2
Time spent: ~2 hours
today i continued working on the schematic added downstream usb ports one by one this felt repetitive but helped me understand signal flow
each port had similar connections d+ d- from controller and power lines i added basic resistors and capacitors near ports
i also added decoupling capacitors near the main ic learnt that placing them close is important even if values are not perfect
spent lot of time naming nets properly earlier i never cared but now i tried still made some mistakes
erc showed warnings i tried to understand which ones matter did not ignore everything blindly
by end of day schematic looked almost complete
Day 3
Time spent: ~3 hours
today i worked completely on pcb layout component placement routing and checks
placed main hub ic in center placed usb type c ports on board edges moved decoupling caps very close to ic
routed usb data lines carefully made sure d+ and d- were length matched this took a lot of time and rerouting
ground pour was added
after routing i ran drc and fixed errors adjusted spacing and silk text
opened 3d view and checked everything board looks correct and complete
at this stage the pcb design is fully finished
Prince
started USB_HUB ago
1/23/2026 - USB Hub PCB
Day 1
Time spent: ~3hours
today i properly started this usb hub pcb project the goal was not to build something complex i just wanted to understand how a basic usb hub works from inside
i first spent time looking at usb hubs online and teardown photos noticed most hubs are very similar inside one controller ic and same circuit repeated for each port
then i opened kicad and created a new project named it usb_hub without thinking much chose the sl2.1a controller because many low cost hubs use it
i opened the datasheet and honestly didnt understand everything so i focused only on pin functions and basic connections
i started drawing the schematic with the usb type c input this took most of the time vbus d+ d- gnd and cc resistors kept checking reference designs again and again
progress was slow but learning was good by end of day input section was done
Day 2
Time spent: ~2 hours
today i continued working on the schematic added downstream usb ports one by one this felt repetitive but helped me understand signal flow
each port had similar connections d+ d- from controller and power lines i added basic resistors and capacitors near ports
i also added decoupling capacitors near the main ic learnt that placing them close is important even if values are not perfect
spent lot of time naming nets properly earlier i never cared but now i tried still made some mistakes
erc showed warnings i tried to understand which ones matter did not ignore everything blindly
by end of day schematic looked almost complete
Day 3
Time spent: ~3 hours
today i worked completely on pcb layout component placement routing and checks
placed main hub ic in center placed usb type c ports on board edges moved decoupling caps very close to ic
routed usb data lines carefully made sure d+ and d- were length matched this took a lot of time and rerouting
ground pour was added
after routing i ran drc and fixed errors adjusted spacing and silk text
opened 3d view and checked everything board looks correct and complete
at this stage the pcb design is fully finished