HABX the home and small business telephone exchange
Jason Curtis · The University of Queensland · 1997
The current age of technology has seen an explosion in the use of telecommunications equipment i n the business world. This trend has also spread to the home and small business environment, where the use of multiple telephones, facsimile machines, and modems, has become commonplace. However, due to the cost of leasing telephone lines, such environments tend to rely on a single phone line, requiring each device to be connected and disconnected as they are used. A common solution often employed in larger businesses, is to install a Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX). Such a system enables and controls the automatic sharing of telephone devices on telephone lines. It is the cost of these systems which discourages their use by the smaller businesses. This thesis examines the Home and Business Telephone Exchange (HABX), a low cost P ABX system that uses embedded controller technology to provide a fully functional system within a more accessible price range. The HABX implements an analog switch matrix, to allow the interconnection of eight telephone devices to three external lines, with five additional channels available for internal connections. The features offered by the HABX are presented, with a complete breakdown of the system structure.