I have a qbot on my Viking 18X8, (which actually is a tin lizzie) 1) Mine has tension cables that attach to the frame and the carriage. 2) No. you start the machine and put it in stitch regulator mode. as the qbot moves the machine, the stitch regulator kicks in and stitches the design 3) Not attached to the machine in the way you would think. The display/control unit is mounted on top of the machine for easy viewing, but the control is plugged into the unit that actually moves the carriage. The Qbot doesn't really control the sewing machine, it controls the carriage. You turn the machine on in stitch regulator mode, the qbot moves the carriage so therefore machine stitches. The sewing machine doesn't "know" if you are moving the carriage by hand or the qbot is moving the carriage. There's no connection between the qbot and the sewing machine 4) No sensors, it has cables that attach to the carriage and frame, and a unit that sits on the carriage which uses the cables to move. I would check on the qbot site to see if your machine and frame are compatible. Might need to get different tension cables for your frame. I would also say that if your machine does not have a stitch regulator, it's not going to work, but again, contact qbot:
http://www.myqbot.com/