ZeroTrace HID & Dongle
Hardware
The full ZeroTrace HID board and the bare-stick Dongle variant, with customer-level specifications.
Hardware
Every ZeroTrace HID device is built around an ESP32-S3 processor with native USB, on-board storage for your payloads, and Bluetooth LE for control from the app. The line comes in two shapes: a full HID board and the bare Dongle stick.
Full HID board
The full board (sold as ZeroTrace Kit and ZeroTrace Pro) carries on-board storage, an RGB status light and a button. Higher-tier variants add a small colour screen and a microSD card slot.
| Processor & memory | |
|---|---|
| Processor | ESP32-S3 (dual-core, native USB) |
| On-board memory | 2 MB |
| Payload storage | 10 MB usable on 16 MB models; 2 MB usable on 4 MB models |
| USB & interface | |
| USB role | USB HID keyboard, mouse and gamepad (native) |
| Optional mass storage | Can present a memory card as a USB drive on card-equipped variants |
| Control | ZeroTrace mobile app over Bluetooth LE |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth LE; USB |
| Local features | |
| Status light | 1 RGB status light |
| Button | 1 button (on boards that carry one) |
| Screen | Optional small colour display (select variants) |
| Memory card | Optional microSD slot (select variants) |
ZeroTrace Dongle
The Dongle is the whole HID engine in a bare USB-A stick. It plugs straight into a host port with no cable, and presents only as a HID device, it never mounts as a USB drive.
| Processor & memory | |
|---|---|
| Processor | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (N16R2) |
| On-board memory | 2 MB |
| Payload storage | 10 MB usable, for scripts and payloads |
| USB & interface | |
| Form factor | Bare USB-A male stick, plugs directly into a port |
| USB role | USB HID only (keyboard, mouse, gamepad) |
| Mass storage | None, no removable media to mount |
| Control | ZeroTrace mobile app over Bluetooth LE |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth LE; USB |
| Local features | |
| Status light | 1 RGB status light |
| Screen | None |
| Memory card | None |
How the Dongle differs from the full board
The Dongle runs exactly the same firmware and the same ZeroTrace Script language as the full board. The differences are physical:
- Form factor. The Dongle is a bare USB-A stick with no case, no screen and no memory-card slot. The full board can be fitted with an optional display and microSD card.
- Storage model. The Dongle stores payloads in its internal memory only. It has no removable media, so the "storage mode" feature (which exposes a memory card to the host as a USB drive) has nothing to present, the Dongle therefore behaves as a pure HID device and never appears as a disk. Full boards fitted with a microSD card can act as a real USB mass-storage drive on demand.
ZeroTrace devices reserve a 10 MB area of their on-board memory for your scripts and payloads (2 MB on the smaller 4 MB models). This is the usable payload space, the physical memory chip itself is larger (16 MB on the Dongle and the standard boards). Both figures are correct; they simply describe different things.
The Dongle ships with the 2 MB on-board-memory version of the processor, and its firmware is built for that. An internal reference design file lists a larger 8 MB configuration, but that does not match the shipped part. Treat 2 MB as the working figure. This does not affect the 10 MB payload storage, which is a separate area.