Ducky One USB hub mod
Overview
The Ducky One is a full-size mechanical keyboard with standard layout and lovely clicky Cherry Blue switches - a reliable daily driver, but with no USB passthrough. This mod adds a flush-mounted USB Type-A port to the rear face of the case, turning the keyboard's single upstream cable into a two-port hub without any visible change to the front or top.
How it was done
The keyboard's internal USB connection was interrupted and a small USB hub PCB inserted in its place. Both the keyboard's original controller and the new rear-facing socket are wired as downstream devices on the hub, so the host still sees a single USB device with the keyboard appearing as a child hub port.
- Hub installation - a compact USB hub PCB was fitted inside the case, splicing into the existing USB cable run
- Keyboard rewire - the keyboard controller's USB connection was moved from the upstream cable to one of the hub's downstream ports
- Socket mounting - a hole was filed into the rear face of the case to accept a panel-mount USB Type-A socket, which was wired to the second downstream port
I found a suitable male-female connector pair that matched the original one that the internal wiring used, so I didn't have to modify the original cable at all. Disconnect the original upstream connector from the controller PCB, and plug it into the hub instead, making for an easy rollback if needed.
Result
The finished mod is entirely invisible from the front - the keyboard looks and feels stock. Plugging into the rear socket charges devices or connects peripherals without needing a separate hub on the desk. Because the hub is inside the keyboard, no external adapters or extra cables are required. Great for Yubikeys or thumb drives.