Jump to content

Psion Series 3c Hinge Repair

From RetroTechCollection
Psion Series 3c
Psion Series 3c, open. The visible hinges are at each end of the application button bar.

The Psion Series 3c (1996) has the four-hinge clamshell of the Series 3 family, and broken hinges are one of the family's documented weak points.[1] The repairs are the same as on the Psion Series 3a, and the full procedure, including separating the lid from the base, is in Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair.

Identifying the broken hinge

[edit | edit source]
Series 3 family hinges[2]
Hinge Location How it fails Symptom
Two visible hinges Just beyond each end of the button bar; metal pin through the centre The 8 mm neck joining the hinge to the lid shears off about 2 mm above the hinge Lid loose on that side
Two hidden hinges Plastic pegs between the battery compartment and the button bar The peg breaks off Back of the machine sits crooked as it opens; button bar flexes outwards

Before you start

[edit | edit source]
  • Back up the internal disk. Never remove the main cells and the backup cell together, or the internal memory is lost.[3]
  • If the case coating has turned sticky, strip it first, with the case parts off the machine, so that the residue does not get onto the LCD cable, the hinge pins and the connectors. See Psion Series 3c General Maintenance.[4]
  • Work on an earthed mat with a wrist strap, and do not bend the LCD module.[5]
  • Open both SSD doors before lifting the main board.[5]

Repair procedure

[edit | edit source]
  1. For a sheared visible hinge, bond the broken piece back with epoxy, with or without a thin steel strip across the joint. David MacKay used both methods and both held.[2]
  2. For a broken hidden hinge, release the button bar from its springs, drill a small hole through the root of the broken peg and fit a short right-angled piece of spring wire, paper clip or filed nail as a new peg. The hinge spring holds it in place.[2][6]
  3. If the lid itself is beyond repair, remove the main board, disconnect the button-bar and LCD cables, remove the button bar and springs, and pull the two hinge pins to separate the halves.
  4. On reassembly, push the hinge pins fully home so that their heads are flush, refit each hinge spring in its own socket, and test the screen before closing the case.[5]

The detailed steps for each stage are in Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair.

Points specific to the 3c

[edit | edit source]

The 3c senses its SSD doors with tracks and a small metal contact on the door hinge, not with microswitches, so it does not suffer the broken switch tips that affect the Psion Series 3mx when the main board is lifted with the doors closed. Clean the tracks and contact while the machine is open.[7]

For a donor lid, use another 3c. Psion's Series 3a manual warns that LCD modules come in positive-bias and negative-bias versions and that a negative-bias module fitted to a positive-bias main board is damaged.[5] Some 3c machines, mainly for the US market, have a backlit screen and others do not.[1] The Psion Series 3 has a different screen, 240 × 80 against the 3c's 480 × 160.[8]

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Psion Series 3", Wikipedia. The four hinges, the documented clamshell problems, the 3c case redesign and backlit models.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 David MacKay, "Psion 3a Hinge breakages" and "Left Hinge Surgery", Psion 3a Information pages, University of Cambridge. Hinge locations, failure modes and repairs.
  3. ↑ Psion PLC, Series 3c User Guide, Version 1.0, August 1996, part no. 6103-0107-01. Hosted on this wiki as File:Psion Series 3c User Guide (August 1996).pdf. Changing the batteries (pp. 25–27).
  4. ↑ "Sticky case problem with 3c", comp.sys.psion.misc, September–October 2007 (archived by Narkive).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Psion PLC, Series 3a Service Manual, Version 1.0, June 1996, part no. 6103-0114-01. Hosted on this wiki as File:Psion Series 3a Service Manual (June 1996).pdf. ESD note, disassembly (pp. 9–13) and reassembly notes (pp. 13–15).
  6. ↑ Daniel Pfund (ed.), "PSION Series 3/3a palmtop FAQ", part 3/6, v2.6, posted to comp.sys.psion.announce and comp.answers; copy hosted by David MacKay. Section 4.1.9, "Left hinge breaks".
  7. ↑ R. Zealley, "Psion Series 3mx SSD door microswitch repair", Retro Coding, 25 May 2020. Comparison of the 3c and 3mx door sensing.
  8. ↑ "Psion specifications", netogram.com. Series 3 and 3c screen resolutions.


Retrieved from "https://retrotechwiki.com/index.php?title=Psion_Series_3c_Hinge_Repair&oldid=24301"