QBIC - The insight story

Architecture

Heart of the QBIC is a Intel Xscale CPU (Intel PXA263B1C400) which runs at a variable speed up to 400 MHz. QBIC can alter its power requirements according to the running application, reducing the overall power of the system to 1 Watt. On one belt-attachable battery (4.3Ah) it runs for 8 hours at the maximum speed. With its battery hot-plug capabilities no shutdown is required for battery changes.

QBIC has 32 MB internal flash memory and 256 MB SDRAM. Further memory can be  added using the MMC card slot or the USB ports. The QBIC can be operated through a variety of peripherals. Within the belt it has two USB host-ports, two serial ports (RS-232), and a VGA plug. Wireless radio is supported through the built-in Bluetooth. WLAN and further standards can be added through the USB ports.

Features

• A full computer in a belt
  
• XScale processor (400 MHz scalable, 32 MB internal flash memory)
• 256 MB RAM
• MMC card slot (up to 2GB flash)
• Standard interfaces: USB, Serial (RS-232), Bluetooth
  
• VGA: 640x480
• Hot-plug battery exchange
  

Design

No need to say the QBIC is designed to wear, it is optimised to be comfortable without compromising its reliability. The buckle contains two circuit boards, the main board with the CPU, SDRAM and power supply and an extension board with the Bluetooth device, the USB controllers and the MMC card slot. It can be taken off the belt and slotted onto a developer board for convenient programming.

The belt contains a battery, a real-time clock and a system bus extension for peripherals.  Moreover the belt provides plugs for USB and serial devices (RS-232), a VGA connector and a power connector. The power connector can be used to attach to mains supply or an additional belt-attachable battery.

Finally - while the QBIC is a wearable computer - it also serves its classic function: Holding your pants.

The Team