Psion Organiser
 | |
| The Psion Organiser (Series 1) with its sliding cover removed | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Psion Processors Ltd |
| Manufacturer | Psion Processors Ltd |
| Type | Handheld pocket computer |
| Released | 1984 |
| CPU | Hitachi HD6301X 8-bit CMOS @ 0.9216 MHz (3.6864 MHz crystal) |
| Memory | 2 KB RAM, 4 KB ROM internal to the CPU (14 KB total with one 8 KB Datapak) |
| Storage | Two Datapak / program pack slots (EPROM, 8 KB, 16 KB and 32 KB paks) |
| Display | 16-character single-line dot-matrix LCD |
| Sound | None |
| Power | 9 V PP3 battery |
| Dimensions | 142.0 mm × 78.0 mm × 29.3 mm (cover closed) |
| Weight | 225 g |
| OS / Firmware | Psion Organiser firmware in the CPU's internal 4 KB ROM |
| Successor | Psion Organiser II |
| Model no. | Also sold as the OTG-PC and the NUME Executive Lifestyle Pocket Computer |
The Psion Organiser, known since the arrival of the Psion Organiser II as the Series 1 or Organiser I, is a handheld computer released by Psion Processors Ltd in 1984.[1] It has a single-line, sixteen-character LCD, 2 KB of RAM and a 4 KB firmware ROM inside the Hitachi HD6301X processor. Data and programs are held on removable EPROM Datapaks, which plug into two slots in the back of the case and which Psion called "solid-state drives".[2]
The Organiser runs from a 9 V PP3 battery. Its processor board is surface-mount; its power supply board is through-hole and holds all the electrolytic capacitors.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]The Organiser's 1984 manual carries UK Registered Design application numbers 1019736 and 1019737 and a patent-pending notice.[2] The patent application, GB 2 161 300 A "Hand-held microprocessor apparatus", was filed by Psion on 17 May 1984 and granted in January 1988 as GB 2 161 300 B; it has since expired.[3]
Two rebadged versions were sold:[1]
- The OTG-PC ("On-The-Go Pocket Computer") was distributed in the United States by Superior Systems Inc. The cover carries the OTG-PC name in place of the Psion logo, the keyboard lettering differs slightly, and the keyboard has
$in place of£. - The NUME Executive Lifestyle Pocket Computer was made for NUME, a Norwegian nutritional-products company, to run diet-planning software. It keeps the Psion logo, has blue styling in place of red, and has a keyboard with the dollar sign and some accented characters. Popular Computing Weekly reported the deal on 6 February 1986.
The Organiser was followed in 1986 by the Organiser II, which has a two-line display.[4]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]Psion's published technical data:[2]
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Microprocessor | Hitachi HD6301X eight-bit CMOS, 0.9216 MHz clock from a 3.6864 MHz crystal |
| ROM | 4 KB, internal to the microprocessor |
| RAM | 2 KB |
| EPROM | 8 KB in the supplied Datapak, extendable |
| Total memory | 14 KB with one Datapak fitted |
| Clock | CMOS real-time clock with a 32768 Hz crystal |
| Display | Sixteen-character alphanumeric dot-matrix LCD, one line |
| Keyboard | 36 keys: ON/CLEAR, MODE/HOME, FIND, SAVE, EXECUTE, SHIFT, DELETE, SPACE, << and >>, plus A–Z with numbers, arithmetic symbols and punctuation on shift |
| Dimensions | 142.0 × 78.0 × 29.3 mm with the protective case closed |
| Weight | 225 g as sold |
| Power source | Any 9 V PP3 battery |
The machine came with one 8 KB Datapak in drive 1, a dummy Datapak in drive 2, six spare Datapak labels, the manual and a registration card.[2]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The Organiser is built as two boards joined by a ribbon cable and a pair of pin headers. The Psion Organiser II uses the same two-board arrangement.[1]
Processor board
[edit | edit source]The processor board is silkscreened "PSION PROCESSOR" and is surface-mount. It carries:[1]
- the Hitachi HD6301X0F CPU in a flat pack, with the 4 KB firmware masked into it
- the Hitachi HD44780A00H LCD controller
- discrete CMOS glue logic: HEF4081BT (quad AND), HEF4011BT (quad NAND), HEF4013BT (dual D flip-flop), HEF4040BT (12-stage counter) and HEF4060BT (14-stage counter with oscillator)
- two crystals, for the 3.6864 MHz processor clock and the 32768 Hz real-time clock
The reverse of the board carries the gold-plated interdigitated keyboard pads that the conductive rubber keymat shorts, and the LCD module clamps to its edge. The Organiser II replaced the discrete glue logic with a single semi-custom control IC.[1][5]
Power supply board
[edit | edit source]The power supply board is silkscreened "PSION POWER SUPPLY ISS 2" and is through-hole: leaded resistors, BC548 transistors in TO-92 packages and radial and axial electrolytics. It carries an LM324N quad op-amp at IC1, the contrast thumbwheel VR1, a reference diode RD1, a zener ZN1, and electrolytics at C1, C3, C5, C6, C8, C9 and C10.[1]
The Organiser II power supply board, which Psion documented, uses the same scheme: an LM324 quad op-amp regulator referenced to a diode at RD1, a programming-voltage pump built around ZN1, and capacitors at C1, C3, C6 and C8.[6] Psion published no schematic or parts list for the Series 1, so component values have to be read from the board itself. See the Psion Organiser Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Datapaks and program packs
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Drive 1 came with a real Datapak and drive 2 with a dummy pak fitted to protect the contacts. Psion's instruction is to keep a real or dummy pak (or a program pack) in each drive at all times, and to switch the Organiser off before removing or fitting one.[2] Jaap Scherphuis's Series 1 gallery shows 8 KB and 16 KB Datapaks, and his pack gallery records that a 32 KB pak was also produced for the Series 1.[1][7]
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 8 KB (10,900 characters of packed data) |
| Storage medium | EPROM |
| FIND time | 5 seconds maximum, worst case with a full pak |
| SAVE time | 4–8 characters per second, depending on battery age |
| Data retention | Mean time to failure 50 years at temperatures up to 100 °C |
| Formatting | 30 minutes in a Psion Formatter prepares a pak for re-use |
| Life | Can be formatted up to 100 times |
Erasing a record does not free the space it occupies: the record is marked so that the Organiser skips it. A full pak is reclaimed by erasing the EPROM with ultraviolet light in the Psion Formatter, which exposes the window in the chip for half an hour. The white label on the underside of a pak keeps light off the chip and has to be removed before formatting. Copying records to a fresh pak leaves the erased ones behind.[2][1]
Most Series 1 software packs use a board silkscreened "PROGRAM PAC" on which the programming voltage (Vpp) line is not connected, so the pack cannot be written to even though it contains an EPROM. The Link-Up Pack and the Software Pack used ordinary Datapaks so that settings and programs could be saved on the same pak.[1]
Pak error messages, copying records and UV formatting are covered in Psion Organiser Datapak Repair.
Input/output and expansion
[edit | edit source]The Series 1 has no top slot. External devices connect through the pak slots. The Link-Up Pack is a software pack plus a second pack with a ribbon lead ending in a DB-25 plug; with both fitted, the Organiser communicates with any RS-232 serial device such as a PC. Once the software is loaded, the software pack can be swapped for a Datapak holding the data to be sent. A magnetic card reader and a barcode pen were also made with pack connectors.[1]
Power
[edit | edit source]The Organiser runs from any 9 V PP3 battery. Psion recommends alkaline or rechargeable cells and states that a mains adaptor should not be used because it may damage the Organiser.[2]
| State | Power |
|---|---|
| Machine off | 0.2 mW |
| Machine on | 40.0 mW |
| Datapak access, one pak (during SAVE or FIND) | 500 mW |
| Datapak access, two paks | 800 mW |
The clock keeps running for fifteen seconds after the battery is disconnected, provided the machine was switched off first, so a battery can be changed without resetting the time. The Organiser switches itself off after five minutes with no key pressed. A LOW BATTERY message at switch-on means the battery needs replacing.[2]
Operation
[edit | edit source]The Organiser has no menu system. It has a set of activities, shown as an indicator to the left of the current line. Nothing happens until EXECUTE is pressed.[2]
| Activity | Purpose | How it is selected |
|---|---|---|
| ENTER | Neutral state for typing and editing | MODE/HOME |
| SAVE | Write the current line to a Datapak as a record | SAVE key (press again to alternate between SAVE1: and SAVE2:) |
| FIND | Search a Datapak for a record | FIND key (press again to alternate between FIND1: and FIND2:) |
| CALC | Calculate the current line | MODE/HOME |
| OFF | Switch off | MODE/HOME, then EXECUTE |
| ERASE | Mark a retrieved record as deleted | MODE/HOME, only while a found record is displayed |
Limits given in the manual:[2]
- A line may be up to 200 characters long. If typing stops having any effect, the limit has been reached.
- A search clue may be 1 to 15 characters and may occur anywhere in the record. An asterisk anchors it to the start of the record, so
*SUSfinds SUSAN SMITH but not CONSENSUS. An empty clue steps through every record in the pak. - The calculator handles numbers of up to seven digits, values from 1.000000E-99 to 9.999999E99, and two levels of brackets.
- A calculated answer can only be saved after it has been edited, which makes it the current line.
Error messages
[edit | edit source]| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LOW BATTERY | Battery voltage too low. Do not SAVE after seeing this: a write attempted after the warning can leave the pak unable to accept further records. |
| DATAPAK FULL | The pak cannot accept the record. Erased records still occupy space. |
| DATAPAK ERROR | The Organiser cannot access the pak. Normally caused by physical damage, or by a SAVE attempted after a LOW BATTERY warning. Existing records can usually still be found, so copy them to another pak and reclaim the damaged one in a Psion Formatter. |
| NOT FOUND | The search clue does not occur in that pak. |
Documentation
[edit | edit source]Psion's user manual, The Organiser Manual (1984), is transcribed in full on Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page. Its sections cover the controls, operation, Datapaks, troubleshooting and technical data.[2] Psion did not publish a service manual, schematic or parts list for the Series 1. The Psion Organiser II Technical Manual describes the closely similar Organiser II system and power supply boards.[5][6]
General maintenance
[edit | edit source]Routine care covers battery leakage from the PP3, contact corrosion in the pak slots, and the conductive rubber keymat. See the Psion Organiser General Maintenance guide.
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]Psion's manual has a short troubleshooting section, and the Organiser II Technical Manual explains the similar power supply circuit. See the Psion Organiser Troubleshooting Guide.
Capacitor replacement
[edit | edit source]All the electrolytics are on the through-hole power supply board. No values were published, so they have to be read from the parts. See the Psion Organiser Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Psion Organiser General Maintenance
- Psion Organiser Troubleshooting Guide
- Psion Organiser Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Psion Organiser Datapak Repair
- Psion Organiser II
- Battery Refurbishment
- Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Psion Organiser Series 1 Image Gallery", Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page. Text on the release, variants, Datapak sizes, program packs and Link-Up Pack; device markings and board legends read from the internal photographs of the power and main boards.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Psion Processors Ltd, The Organiser Manual (1984), sections 1–18, including 2 "Getting started", 4 "Switching off", 6 "Operating framework", 13 "Notes about datapaks", 15 "Troubleshooting" and 16 "Technical data". Transcribed at Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page.
- ↑ GB2161300A, "Hand-held microprocessor apparatus", Psion Ltd, filed 17 May 1984. Google Patents record, including publication and grant dates and legal status.
- ↑ "Psion Organiser II Models and Version Numbers", Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Psion Organiser II Technical Manual, Psion Ltd, 1986, chapter 2 "System Board", transcribed at Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Psion Organiser II Technical Manual, Psion Ltd, 1986, chapter 3 "Power Supply Board", transcribed at Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page.
- ↑ Jaap Scherphuis, "Gallery of Psion Organiser II packs", Jaap's Psion Organiser II Page, section "Datapaks".