Psion Workabout
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| Cover of Psion's 1995 Workabout User Guide, showing the original Workabout. No freely licensed photograph of the original model has been found; the Psion Workabout mx page has a photograph of its successor. | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Psion PLC |
| Type | Rugged handheld computer |
| Released | 1995 |
| CPU | NEC V30, 7.683 MHz |
| Memory | 1 Mb masked ROM; 256 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB RAM |
| Storage | Two Solid State Disk (SSD) drives for Flash or RAM SSDs |
| Display | 240 × 100 pixel LCD, backlight optional |
| Sound | Piezo buzzer |
| Power | Two AA cells or a Psion Ni-Cd pack; CR1620 backup cell; mains through a LIF converter |
| Dimensions | 180 × 90 × 35 mm |
| Weight | 325 g with batteries |
| OS / Firmware | EPOC |
| Successor | Psion Workabout mx |
The Psion Workabout is a rugged handheld computer made by Psion PLC. Psion's first user guide for it is dated February 1995. It uses the same Solid State Disks (SSDs) as Psion's HC and Series 3 ranges, runs Psion's EPOC multitasking system, and is dust proof and splash proof to IP54.[1] The Workabout belongs to Psion's 16-bit SIBO family, alongside the Series 3, and EPOC here is the 16-bit system later called EPOC16.[2] When Psion Teklogix launched the Psion Workabout Pro in 2004, its chief executive said the original Workabout had sold "hundreds of thousands of units".[3]
Repair pages:
Specification
[edit | edit source]| Item | Psion's figure |
|---|---|
| Processor | NEC V30 at 7.683 MHz |
| Memory | 1 Mb masked ROM; 256 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB RAM |
| Storage | Two SSD drives for Flash or RAM SSDs |
| Screen | 240 × 100 pixel LCD, 6.24 × 3.00 cm; backlight optional |
| Sound | Piezo buzzer |
| Main power | Ni-Cd pack (part no. 2802-0005) or two AA alkaline cells |
| Backup | 3 V lithium CR1620 |
| External power | Psion Series 3 mains adaptor (2502-0010 UK, 2502-0011 rest of Europe) through a LIF converter (2802-0011), or a Workabout Docking Station |
| Fuse | 1.25 A, 20 × 5 mm glass, fast blow |
| Size and weight | 180 × 90 × 35 mm; 325 g with batteries |
| Operating temperature | -20 to 60 °C |
| Humidity | 0 to 90 %, non-condensing |
| Protection | Dust proof and splash proof (IP54); 1 m drop onto concrete on any face |
Hardware
[edit | edit source]Case and drawer
[edit | edit source]The batteries and the two SSD drives sit in a drawer that slides out of the centre of the case when the release button on the left of the screen is pressed. The main batteries go in a recess in the drawer, the backup cell in a slot under a sliding cover, and the SSDs in slots A: (upper) and B: (lower).[1] The internal RAM disk is drive M:.[1]
Keyboard and screen
[edit | edit source]The keyboard has 57 keys, in a UK or a Western European layout. The On, arrow and Enter keys are yellow, placed for the thumb. The Contrast key steps through 16 contrast settings, and Shift-Contrast reverses the direction. The backlight, where fitted, is switched by its own key and turns off with the machine.[1]
Power
[edit | edit source]The Workabout runs from two AA cells or a Psion Ni-Cd pack. A CR1620 lithium cell keeps the RAM for about five days when there is no other power. Mains power comes through a LIF converter plugged into the LIF-PFS socket, with a Psion mains adaptor plugged into the converter; the Workabout Docking Station also powers it and charges a Ni-Cd pack. The external power LED shows green on mains or in a docking station.[1] A fast-charging docking station recharges a flat pack in about an hour; trickle charging takes about 14 hours, with 90 % reached in 12.[1]
A main fuse sits beneath the main batteries in the drawer. Batteries fitted the wrong way round, a short across the battery terminals or a fault drawing too much current can blow it, after which the Workabout will not run on batteries.[1]
Connections
[edit | edit source]The LIF-PFS (Low Insertion Force, Power and Fast Serial) socket on the bottom end takes the LIF converter. With a Psion 3Link lead on the converter it becomes serial port C; a Parallel 3Link gives a printer port. Internal expansion modules, fitted at the factory, provide RS-232 AT, RS-232 TTL and barcode ports at the ends of the case. A peripheral must not draw more than 200 mA.[1]
Models
[edit | edit source]Psion followed the Workabout with the Psion Workabout mx, which its 1998 datasheet calls the second generation of the range, with 2 MB of RAM as standard, a faster processor and optional IrDA ports.[4] The Psion Workabout Pro of 2004 is a different design that runs Windows CE .NET.[3]
Common faults
[edit | edit source]The Psion Workabout Troubleshooting Guide covers these in detail.
- Blank screen at switch-on: the contrast set too light, flat batteries or a blown main fuse.[1]
- Data lost: both the main batteries and the backup cell removed or flat at the same time.[1]
- Lock-ups: a soft reset with Psion-Ctrl-Del keeps the data; a hard reset with Shift-Psion-Ctrl-Del erases it.[1]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Psion Workabout Documentation: the Workabout User Guide (1995), hosted as File:Psion Workabout User Guide (February 1995).pdf.
Psion's Workabout MX Service Manual (2000) is written for the later model; it is described on Psion Workabout mx Documentation.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Psion Workabout General Maintenance
- Psion Workabout Troubleshooting Guide
- Psion Workabout mx
- Psion Workabout Pro
- Psion Series 3a
- 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 PLC, Workabout User Guide, version 1.0, February 1995, part no. 6104-0001-01. Hosted as File:Psion Workabout User Guide (February 1995).pdf. Description and care (p. 2), powering and the backup battery (pp. 3-7), the keyboard (pp. 9-11), SSD drives (p. 12), the LIF-PFS socket and LIF converter (p. 13), internal expansion ports and the fuse (p. 14), troubleshooting (pp. 17-19), resetting (p. 20) and Appendix B, specification (pp. 277-279). Printed page n is PDF page n+9.
- ↑ "Psion (company)", Wikipedia, retrieved 21 October 2026. SIBO and EPOC: the Workabout listed with the HC and Series 3 among the SIBO products; Psion's merger with Teklogix in 2000.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 RCR Wireless News, "Psion Teklogix offers new ruggedized device", 2 March 2004. Launch of the Workabout Pro; quotation from Norbert Dawalibi on sales of the original Workabout.
- ↑ Psion PLC, Workabout mx product page and technical specification, www.industrial.psion.com, printed 25 August 1999, copyright 1998. Hosted as File:Psion Workabout mx Datasheet (1998).pdf.