4 layers56.5 × 63.3 mm
Digital microscope
Ballistyxx/hqcam
Code + physical documentation of the 3rd revision of my digital microscope
26 parts1AGPL-3.0
2 layers100 × 70 mm
A side
spdidle/a-side2A-Side is a cassette tape inspired hub to connect full size SD cards among other things to my laptop. I own several cameras but it's not convenient at all to find my dongle and connect it.
- Size
- 100 × 70 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 70
- Nets
- 52
- Pads
- 225
- Tracks, vias
- 621, 65
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
- Created
- 5 Apr 2026
- Updated
- 16 Jun 2026
Overview
A side is an open-source printed circuit board by spdidle, from the spdidle/a-side repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 100 × 70 mm with 70 parts on 52 nets, routed with 621 tracks and 65 vias.
It is built around the SD-106M, GL850G and SRV05-4. Its parts include 19 capacitors, 19 resistors, 4 ICs, 2 diodes and 1 switch.
Main components
3
SD-106M
SMD-45℃~+85℃ 2.9mm Connector and Ejector Push-Push Standard SD Card SMD SD Card / Memory Card Connector ROHSXUNPUSD Card / Memory Card Connector
GL850G
SSOP-28SSOP-28-208mil USB Converters ROHSGenesys LogicUSB Converters
SRV05-4
SOT-23-6L-55℃~+150℃ 15V 1pF 4A 5V 5uA 6V 80W ESD Four channels IEC 61000-4-2、IEC 61000-4-5 Unidirectional SOT-23-6L ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHShongjiachengESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)
README
README.mdA-Side 🎼
What is this?
A-Side is a cassette tape inspired hub to connect full size SD cards among other things to my laptop. I own several cameras but it's not convenient at all to find my dongle and connect it. So why not use a cute form to easily see your pictures!
Why did I make this?
I love cassette tapes and cameras. That's it!
Loving cameras mean that every time I need to view my photos, upload my photos, anything to do with my photos, it's such a hassle! Grabbing my SD card reader, then my hard drive, sometimes another dongle... Anyways, it's just way too much work. So I decided to make my own SD card dongle-esque thing, with 2 USB-A ports to facilitate any connecting of hard drives, and 2 SD card slots to maximize the photo goodness. When I don't need to fiddle with photos, it can also act as a normal USB hub, allowing me to plug in keyboard or mice into my laptop.
Features
- 2 USB-A ports for portable hard drives, keyboards, or mice
- 2 Full-Size SD Card slots for photos!
- USB-C port because nowadays, everything seems to be USB-C...
How does it work?
Very self explanitory! Grab your favourite USB-C to USB-C cable, plug one end into your computer, the other into the hub, and voila! You are now able to plug whatever you want into this cute little cassette tape.
Design
Designed in KiCad, schematic and board files are in this repo:
Case was designed (+ rendered) in Fusion360:
BOM (Bill Of Materials)
Build & Assembly
(I may or may not be larping, I've never soldered anything this miniscule before so bare with me and my limited theory knowledge)
Required Tools
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- Tweezers
- Tacky Flux
- IPA & ESD Brush
Assmebly Steps
Solder on the microchips (the lowest profile ones), which include the GL850G, GL823K, and the ESD Protection Diodes.
- Apply a thin layer of tacky flux to the PCB pads
- Align and place the chip
- Tack down one corner pin with a tiny dab of solder
- Apply flux across all pins, and solder everything together
Solder on any passives, including resistors, caps, crystals, and LEDs
- Use the two-pad SMT technique, applying a small dab of solder on one pad
- Slide the component into the solder using tweezers
- Solder the remaining pad
Solder on the electromechanical components, which include the tactile switch and SD card slots
- Just do it? Haha?
Solder on the final, highest profile components, including the USB IO connectors
- Put the connector into the holes on the PCB, and solder from the bottom
- Use a magnifying glass for the USB-C, the 16 pins are going to be hell.
If you can afford PCBA, good for you. Ignore everything I just said >:(
Parts
70| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 100nF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, C17, C19, C20 |
| 11 | LOGO | LOGO | G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G***, G*** |
| 10 | 10k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R11, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17, R18, R19, R20 |
| 4 | TestPoint | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D1.0mm | TP1, TP2, TP3, TP4 |
| 2 | 100k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R5, R6 |
| 2 | 100kR | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R1, R2 |
| 2 | 22pF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C1, C2 |
| 2 | 330R | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R7, R8 |
| 2 | 5.1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R10, R23 |
| 2 | AF 90° WJDG | easyeda2kicad:USB-A-TH_AF-WJDG | USB1, USB2 |
| 2 | GL823K | GL823K Model by Genesys Logic:SOP64P600X175-16N | IC3, IC4 |
| 2 | LED | LED_SMD:LED_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.15x1.40mm_HandSolder | D1, D2 |
| 2 | SD-106M | easyeda2kicad:SD-SMD_SD-106M | Card1, Card2 |
| 2 | SRV05-4 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-6 | U1, U2 |
| 1 | 1uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C3 |
| 1 | 4.7uF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C10 |
| 1 | 680R | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R4 |
| 1 | Crystal_GND24 | Crystal:Crystal_SMD_3225-4Pin_3.2x2.5mm | Y2 |
| 1 | GL850G | GL850G Model:28SSOP | GL850G2 |
| 1 | SW_Push | Button_Switch_SMD:SW_Push_SPST_NO_Alps_SKRK | SW1 |
| 1 | TYPE-C 16PIN 2MD | easyeda2kicad:USB-C-SMD_TYPE-C-16PIN-2MD-073 | USB3 |
The 67 most common of 70 parts.
Questions
How big is the A side PCB?
It measures 100 × 70 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the A side use?
70 parts, built around the SD-106M, GL850G and SRV05-4. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the A side KiCad files?
From the spdidle/a-side repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is hardware/PCB/a-side.kicad_pcb and its schematic hardware/PCB/a-side.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the A side design in my own project?
Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask spdidle before reusing the design.
Similar boards
- 2 layers30.8 × 41.9 mm
- 4 layers75.4 × 134.4 mm
- 4 layers67.8 × 70.6 mm
- 2 layers150 × 114.9 mm
- 2 layers65 × 30 mm
- 2 layers21 × 61 mm
B006 4 port usb hub GL850G
skunkforce/edgy_boards_legacy
small mostly single chip design bits with put_on_edge connectors
38 parts6MIT - 4 layers86 × 69 mm
