QUIBIT P1 - ULTRA

QUIBIT P1 - A small device with a big mission!QUIBIT P1: Reliable lighting | Precision inspection & detection | Smart power hub - all into a single portable platform that fits in your pocket!

Established in early 2026, QUIBIT is a Botswana based Electronics workshop founded by two technology enthusiasts driven by passion to create products with high societal impact. We believe that technology should be for the good of both people and the environment.

This is the story of a small device with a big mission. Innovation is born out of simple observations. We spent time observing the challenges faced by ordinary people from students, small businesses to public spaces:

Students: Across many rural communities in Africa, access to reliable lighting and portable power is still a challenge worth attention. Students lack reliable lighting and portable power for late night studying and keeping their phones powered for extended research hours.

Hygiene in public schools, universities, clinics, hospitals and restaurants is now a big concern across many African countries.

Small businesses are prone to fake currency and documents.

It is from these observations that a small device with a big mission was born. The QUIBIT P1 integrates three functions into a single portable platform:

White light Provides reliable, powerful all-night illumination for students to do late night studying

Smart power hub Provides intelligent, adaptive fast charging enabling students for extended hours of research

Pure 365nm UV-A light is a hygiene verification tool. It scan & reveals hard-to-see dirt and germs in public schools, universities, clinics, hospitals and restaurants.

Pure 365nm UV-A light protects small businesses from fake currency and documents.

The pictures below show QUIBIT P1 at a glance.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BATTERY CHARGING SECTION

The product is powered by lithium-ion batteries. The battery charging section allows the product to be recharged via a type-c port. The 5.1k resistors on each CC pins of type-c port allow for quick 15 watts battery charging. The charging section utilizes synchronous switch charging for better efficiency.

5V BOOST CONVERTER

Its role is to convert battery voltage into 5V for charging mobile phones and other USB rechargeable devices. The integrated DCP pin automatically identifies the connected phone and adjust the power delivered by the boost converter to match the power needed by the plugged-in phone. This enables fast, adaptive charging of mobile phones.

LED DRIVER SECTION

This is the section that powers both white LEDs and UV-A LEDs. It amplifies 5V from the boost converter to match the total forward voltage of the eight LEDs in series.

BATTERY STATE-OF-CHARGE INDICATOR

This section consists of 4 individual green LEDs. When the battery is being charged, a corresponding LED flashes at a frequency of 1Hz.The first LED corresponds to a battery voltage between 0 - 25% full. The second LED corresponds to a battery voltage between 25 - 50% full. The third LED corresponds to a battery voltage between 50 - 75% full and the fourth LED corresponds to a battery voltage between 75 - 99% full. When the battery is completely full, all LEDs remains on. The reverse process occurs when the battery is being discharged.

WHITE LIGHT

This section provides white light illumination needed for use at night and during power-cuts. The total output power of white LEDs is 15 watts with an estimated light output of 1500 lumens.

365nm UV-A LIGHT

This section provides 365nm UV-A illumination for detecting fake currency, documents and revealing hard-to-see dirt stains, and germs.

SELECTION MODE

This section consists of two individual SP3T slide switches. The first switch operates in three distinct modes: OFF, UV-A, and WHITE LIGHT. In the off mode, both LEDs are off. The UV-A mode activates UV-A light and the WHITE LIGHT mode activates WHITE LIGHT.

The second switch operates in three distinct modes as well: LOW, HIGH and TURBO. In the low mode, the driver delivers low current to the LEDs for light duty illumination. The HIGH mode delivers more current to the LEDs for most general-purpose illumination. TURBO delivers extra power to the LEDs for high intensity illumination.

As an electronics workshop driven by passion to develop hardware tools that have great impact in our society, components supply chain bottlenecks and expensive production often deter our efforts to achieve our projects on time and within our limited budget. Therefore, PCBWAY's support would greatly enable us to develop this project faster and within our budget.

The photo below shows the complete prototype with a 3D printed plastic enclosure. 3D printing was chosen to make enclosure to reduce the product carbon footprint and support for a circular economy.