HooToo Shuttle HT-UC007 USB-C hub teardown

This is the first USB-C hub I got over 4 years ago. I tore it down and took photos at some point but never got around to posting it. It has been discontinued by the manufacturer, but similar models still exist so perhaps there is some interest in this form factor.

1. Feature Summary

2. Teardown

3. Conclusion

4. References

Feature Summary

• integrated 25cm USB-C cable

• HDMI 4K30

• 3x USB 3.1 (5Gb/s / 4.5W)

• 1x Gigabit Ethernet

• PD passthrough up to 100W input – ~85W to laptop

Teardown

Plastic case splits in half easily

Ethernet port cover comes off and the PCB is freed. The red and black wires goto an LED strip that is glued to the cover which illuminates the HooToo logo.

Front side PCB with Via Labs VL817-G7 USB hub chip, VL10x USB-C controller, Realtek 8153 Ethernet, and 2x MXIC 25L512E flashROM

Rear side PCB with Parade PL176 DP->HDMI, Terminus FE1.1s USB 2.0 hub, and an additional flashROM chip

Conclusion

This is a basic lower-tier hub with a plastic chassis and no heat-sinking for the chips. The only interesting feature is the Ethernet port with the spring-loaded cover. This makes the hub quite thin but still allows you to plug in a bulky RJ-45 connector. Newer versions of this hub forgo the Ethernet and replace it with an SD card reader. I wouldn’t expect the best performance or long-term reliability with this type of hub, but for $15 on ebay its not a bad for a portable hub to keep in your laptop bag.

References

• https://gtrusted.com/review/hootoo-ht-uc007-usb-c-network-adapter