Introduction: USB Dongle Elimination

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If you own a laptop you most likely despise your track pad. Sure its fine if you just want to check your email but good luck trying to finger dance on the pad with a complex program like Auto-Cad. So your left with a couple of options; get a wired mouse (least expensive), get a Bluetooth mouse (most expensive) or get a wireless mouse with a dongle.

I choose the wireless mouse with the dongle, unfortunately I underestimated just how inconvenient unplugging the dongle would be every time I wanted to put my laptop away. This routine gets real old going from class to class, so I decided to eliminate the dongle.

This Instructable can be adapted to a wide variety of USB devices including; flash drives, network adapters, security dongles and of course RF adapters for wireless mice.

This Instructable is being entered into the EPILOG challenge so if you like it please vote for it, If not I would appreciate the vote anyway. If you are going to vote, I feel like I owe an explanation of what I would do with a Laser Cutter.
  • First of all it would just be awesome to have, right now my method of cutting acrylic involves a jigsaw and goggles. Think of all of the wonderful things that could be made.
  • I would share. Not sure how, But anyone who wanted to use it would have access.
  • Telling off the boss and starting my own business would definitely not be out of the question.

Step 1: Consider the Risk

Before you disassemble anything, you need to understand that electronics can be very fragile and you are following these instructions at your own risk. If you have never taken apart a laptop before you may want to ask someone with more experience to help you. I can only explain it as a static sensitive puzzle with complex layers that are built up on top of other equally complex layers. When working with expensive electronics make sure you and the the device you are working on are grounded, at the very least always be sure to touch a grounded part of the case before touching anything else. If you decide to proceed just remember that the laptop must be reassembled the exact way it was taken apart.

Step 2: Laptop Dissassembley

Do not break open your USB dongle just yet, first you need to make sure there is enough room inside of your laptop to accommodate the dongle PCB. I will be explaining how to disassemble a HP Compaq Presario C700, I imagine these would be the most extreme circumstances as I had to remove everything but the motherboard.
  • Start by finding a clean workspace that's large enough to spread parts out on, a static free mat with a wristband is recommend.
  • Next remove everything that is generally user removable. In my case this includes; the battery, the hard drive cover and hard drive, the access panel covering the memory, and the DVD drive. The memory itself can stay in, it shouldn't be in the way.
  • Next try to figure out how to get to the USB ports, my laptop has them under the keyboard area, so I started by removing the screws holding in the power button and speaker panel above the keyboard. The screws holding in the keyboard can be removed also, be careful they are both connected to the motherboard with ribbon cables. The connectors for the cables have small locking squares that have to be released before the ribbon cable will slide out.
  • Good job you deserve a break.
  • If you can see the USB ports you can decide if there's enough room to fit a dongle, but you will most likely have to remove another panel. If you have a Presario C700 it means you have to take off the LCD screen. Be gentile with the LCD if you have to remove it, its made of thin glass and is not cheap to replace. Don't forget to unplug both the "VGA" cable and the wireless antenna cables in addition to anything else the manufacturer decided to put in your screen.
  • The final panel I had to remove covered the entire top of the laptop, again there may be ribbon cables connected to it.
  • If you haven't already done so, try to find some empty space to put the dongle PCB. Keep in mind if there is a button on the dongle you may want to plan on putting it in an area where a small drilled hole would be unnoticeable. In my Presario C700 there was a nice empty spot right under the USB board on the right hand side of the laptop.
If there is absolutely no room to fit anything inside of your laptop you may have to abandon this Instructable, I apologize for your wasted time.

Step 3: Prepare the Dongle

If you have made it to this step hopefully you have found an empty space that is large enough to accommodate the dongle PCB. Now its time to crack open the USB dongle, but before you do you need to monopolize another workspace. I recommend not using the same area the laptop is taken apart in because you will be cutting, stripping and soldering wire: stray clippings can be deadly to a laptop.
  • In your new workspace open up the dongle. If its screwed together simply unscrew it, but most will probably be glued together in which case you will want to split it open with a small screw driver or razor blade.
  • Once opened you will need to solder a piece of wire to each of the four USB pins: use different colors of wire and keep track of what pins they go to.
  • Next take a large diameter piece of heat shrink tubing and cut it to fit over the dongle, alternately you can use electrical tape. After shrinking the tubing you should trim off any excess.
  • If there is a button on the dongle you can trim around it so it sticks through.

Step 4: Make the Connection

Now that you have your improved dongle PCB all trimmed and protected, you can return to your original workspace.
  • First make sure the PCB fits in your empty space of choice, if it does route your wires through the area that makes the most sense and mark the final length of the wires with a marker.
  • Next you should take the dongle away from your original workspace to cut and strip the wires. When you return put the dongle in its place and solder the wires to the corresponding pins on the back of the USB connector. Its a little tricky but it can be done.
  • When your satisfied double check the pin connections with a meter, pin 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4.

If you have a button on the dongle that needs to be pressed, make sure there is a way to do so. In my case I've never used the button. If its absolutely necessary, you can drill a small hole through the exterior of your laptop. Again if its necessary, you will have to orient the dongle PCB with the button facing the hole and secure it so it doesn't slide around. Of course this is all up to you and at your own risk.

Step 5: Reassembley

Make sure everything is just the way you want it. Double check your pin connections. Also make sure there aren't any little pieces of anything that will get trapped inside of your laptop when it is closed back up.
  • You can now start reassembling your laptop in the exact same order in which you took it apart. Any ribbon cables that you released have to be locked down again, while holding the cable in its connector push the locking square back into place.
  • When you come to a point where everything should work, you may want to test it and make sure everything works the way it should. Just be careful. If you decide to test it and it does work you can finish the reassembly.
  • If you find that the mouse doesn't work you should probably check your pin connections again.
  • If the whole computer doesn't work, immediately take out the battery and try to figure out what went wrong: the best scenario would be the ribbon cable for the power button not being connected, anything else would be bad.

Step 6: Enjoy

If it works you now have a custom wireless mouse setup. Point and laugh at those people with external dongles. Just remember which USB port you tapped into, it will no longer work. Because the dongle is semi-permanently plugged into that USB port no other device can share that port, unless its just using power. I still need some sort of indicator to stick in the port to remind me that its not going to work, anyone with ideas please comment.

Everything in this instructable could very well be adapted to a desktop computer or other similar USB device. Extra storage in your Xbox maybe?

This instructable is being entered into the EPILOG challenge so if you like it please vote for it, If not I would appreciate the vote anyway. If you are going to vote, I feel like I owe an explanation of what I would do with a Laser Cutter.
  • First of all it would just be awesome to have, right now my method of cutting acrylic involves a jigsaw and goggles. Think of all of the wonderful things that could be made.
  • I would share. Not sure how, But anyone who wanted to use it would have access.
  • Telling off the boss and starting my own business would definitely not be out of the question.
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