Psion Workabout Troubleshooting Guide
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Fault-finding for the original Psion Workabout. Psion's 1995 user guide has a troubleshooting section and gives three levels of reset. Psion published no board-level service information for this model; its Workabout MX Service Manual covers the later model and is used on the Psion Workabout mx Troubleshooting Guide.[1] Battery and cell details are on the Psion Workabout General Maintenance page.
Before you start
[edit | edit source]- Copy the internal disk M: to an SSD or a PC if the Workabout still works. Hard resets and reboots erase it.[1]
- Fit fresh AA cells or a charged Ni-Cd pack, and check that a backup cell is fitted.[1]
- Press Shift-Ctrl-B for the battery information dialog.[1]
- Check the external power LED: it shows green when the Workabout is on mains or in a docking station.[1]
Power and start-up
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Screen stays blank after switching on | Contrast set too light; there can be a few seconds' delay first | Press the Contrast key. If the application has disabled the contrast control, the developer has to fix it.[1] |
| Still nothing after adjusting the contrast | Flat batteries or a blown main fuse | Fit charged batteries. Check the 1.25 A fuse beneath the main batteries.[1] |
| Runs on mains but not on batteries | Blown main fuse | Psion's guide sends the unit back to Psion to have the fuse replaced. Find what blew it: batteries fitted the wrong way round, a short across the battery terminals, or a fault drawing too much current.[1] |
| "Main battery is low" | Main batteries nearly flat | The Workabout may still display and accept typing but not have the power to write to an SSD or drive a peripheral. Change or charge the batteries.[1] |
| Switches itself off | Flat batteries, a loose LIF converter or mains adaptor, or a short auto switch-off time | Charge or change the batteries, check the mains connections, then check the switch-off time set by the application. The default is 5 minutes.[1] |
| Never switches itself off | An application has disabled automatic switch-off | Ask the application developer. A Workabout left on can drain the main and backup cells and lose its data.[1] |
| "Insert Startup (autoexec) SSD and press Enter" | No Startup file found on M:, A: or B: | Insert the SSD that holds the Startup file and press Enter.[1] |
Screen and keyboard
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Screen too dark or too faint | Contrast setting | Press Contrast; Shift-Contrast steps the other way through the 16 settings.[1] |
| Backlight off after switching on | Normal: it does not come back on by itself | Press the Backlight key. Applications can change this, and turn the backlight off after an idle time.[1] |
| Some keys do nothing | The application has disabled them, or does not recognise the keyboard layout | Check with the application developer; there are UK and Western European keyboards.[1] |
| Beeps while typing | Too many characters for the field | Normal. The volume is set by the Sound option in the System screen.[1] |
Memory and SSDs
[edit | edit source]- "Memory full", "No system memory" or "Disk full": the internal memory is almost full. Compress Database files, close applications with Psion-Tab and their exit options, delete or move files from M: to an SSD. The Memory info option in the System screen shows what is using the memory.[1]
- "Please replace volume": an SSD was removed while being written. Put it back and retry; abandoning leaves the file almost certainly corrupt.[1]
- "Media is corrupt": the Workabout cannot read the disk's structure. An unformatted SSD gives this message. If the SSD is formatted, remove and reinsert it; if it still fails, suspect the SSD.[1]
Serial link through the LIF converter
[edit | edit source]If port C cannot be opened or the LINK software will not run:[1]
- Switch the Workabout off and on again.
- Type
STOP LINKin the Command processor. - Disconnect the LIF converter and the 3Link lead.
- Plug the 3Link lead into the LIF converter, then the converter into the Workabout.
- Type
LINKto start the link software again.
Resets
[edit | edit source]| Reset | Keys | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Soft reset | Psion-Ctrl-Del together | Restarts with a beep and the copyright screen, then looks for the Startup file. Data on M: and in memory should survive. |
| Hard reset | Shift-Psion-Ctrl-Del together | Erases everything in internal memory and on M:. Use only if a soft reset fails. |
| Reboot | Disconnect mains and remove the main batteries and backup cell for a few minutes | Erases everything in internal memory and on M:. For when a hard reset fails. |
All three are from Psion's guide.[1] If the data on M: cannot be saved, Psion's advice is to ask the application developer before resetting.[1]
Beyond the user guide
[edit | edit source]Psion's guide states that there are no user-serviceable parts inside.[1] The Workabout MX Service Manual has a fault table for the later model, covering the fuse, LCD connector, drawer, connector block and backlight faults, and gives current limits for a healthy board; it is set out on the Psion Workabout mx Troubleshooting Guide. Check any step against your own unit before applying it to an original Workabout.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Psion Workabout
- Psion Workabout General Maintenance
- Psion Workabout Documentation
- Psion Workabout mx Troubleshooting Guide
- 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 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 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. Low power behaviour (p. 6), automatic switch-off (p. 7), contrast and backlight (p. 8), battery information keypress (p. 11), SSDs (p. 12), LIF converter and port C (p. 13), the fuse (p. 14), switching on and the Startup file (p. 16), troubleshooting (pp. 17-19), resetting (p. 20). Printed page n is PDF page n+9.