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Psion netBook Pro Troubleshooting Guide

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:09 GMT

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	\| '''Cards are awkward to change without lifting the machine''' \|\| Not a fault. The PCMCIA and CompactFlash slots sit close to the base by design<ref name="roth" /> \|\| —		\| '''Cards are awkward to change without lifting the machine''' \|\| Not a fault. The PCMCIA and CompactFlash slots sit close to the base by design<ref name="roth" /> \|\| —
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	\| '''A quiet buzz from the display''' \|\| '''The CCFL backlight inverter.''' Psion's specification sheet identifies the panel as an SVGA TFT transmissive display '''with a CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet">Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight.</ref>, so there is an inverter, and a faint whine at some brightness settings is characteristic of one \|\| Reported on machines when new and described as barely perceptible, so treat it as normal rather than as a fault. No inverter failure has ever been reported on these machines.<ref name="roth" />		\| '''A quiet buzz from the display''' \|\| '''The CCFL backlight inverter.''' Psion's specification sheet identifies the panel as an SVGA TFT transmissive display '''with a CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet">Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight, gives the weight as 2.4 lb, humidity as 5-93 % RH at 40 °C and a temperature shock rating of +/-10 °C over 5 minutes.</ref>, so there is an inverter, and a faint whine at some brightness settings is characteristic of one \|\| Reported on machines when new and described as barely perceptible, so treat it as normal rather than as a fault. No inverter failure has ever been reported on these machines.<ref name="roth" />
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	\| '''Everything in internal memory lost''' \|\| Both the main pack and the backup AAA cells were allowed to go flat \|\| Not recoverable. Use the '''flash folder''' — about 10 MB of non-volatile storage whose contents survive a hard reset or the complete depletion of both batteries.<ref name="manual" /><ref name="roth" />		\| '''Everything in internal memory lost''' \|\| Both the main pack and the backup AAA cells were allowed to go flat \|\| Not recoverable. Use the '''flash folder''' — about 10 MB of non-volatile storage whose contents survive a hard reset or the complete depletion of both batteries.<ref name="manual" /><ref name="roth" />
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	\| '''Internal Flash and RAM''' \|\| '''No''' \|\| Soldered. A failure means a donor board.		\| '''Internal Flash and RAM''' \|\| '''No''' \|\| Soldered. A failure means a donor board.
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	\| '''CCFL backlight tube''' \|\| '''In principle''' \|\| The panel is a transmissive TFT with a '''CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet"~~>Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05~~/~~05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight.</ref~~>, so a dimming screen is a tube or inverter question rather than a panel one. No replacement source is known, and no failure has yet been reported.		\| '''CCFL backlight tube''' \|\| '''In principle''' \|\| The panel is a transmissive TFT with a '''CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet" />, so a dimming screen is a tube or inverter question rather than a panel one. No replacement source is known, and no failure has yet been reported.
	\|}		\|}

Psion netBook Pro

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:07 GMT

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	\| '''Flash''' \|\| '''32 MB''' internal, described by Psion Teklogix as "Internal ROM"		\| '''Flash''' \|\| '''32 MB''' internal, described by Psion Teklogix as "Internal ROM"
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	\| '''Display''' \|\| "High-quality SVGA size. '''800 × 600 pixels 16-bit colour''' display with backlight", touch-sensitive. Psion's specification sheet is more specific: an '''SVGA TFT transmissive display with a CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet">Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight, gives the weight as 2.4 lb, humidity as ~~5–93~~ % RH at 40 °C and a temperature shock rating of ~~±10~~ °C over 5 minutes.</ref>		\| '''Display''' \|\| "High-quality SVGA size. '''800 × 600 pixels 16-bit colour''' display with backlight", touch-sensitive. Psion's specification sheet is more specific: an '''SVGA TFT transmissive display with a CCFL backlight'''<ref name="specsheet">Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight, gives the weight as 2.4 lb, humidity as 5-93 % RH at 40 °C and a temperature shock rating of +/-10 °C over 5 minutes.</ref>
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	\| '''Keyboard''' \|\| '''58 full-size keys''', compact layout		\| '''Keyboard''' \|\| '''58 full-size keys''', compact layout
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	\| '''Size''' \|\| 235 × 184 × 35 mm (9.25 × 7.24 × 1.38 in)		\| '''Size''' \|\| 235 × 184 × 35 mm (9.25 × 7.24 × 1.38 in)
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	\| '''Weight''' \|\| '''1100 g''' including the 2200 mAh pack. The manual's "2.95 lb" is wrong — 1100 g is 2.43 lb, and the specification sheet gives '''2.4 lb'''<ref name="specsheet"~~>Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05~~/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight, gives the weight as 2.4 lb, humidity as 5–93 % RH at 40 °C and a temperature shock rating of ±10 °C over 5 minutes.</ref>		\| '''Weight''' \|\| '''1100 g''' including the 2200 mAh pack. The manual's "2.95 lb" is wrong — 1100 g is 2.43 lb, and the specification sheet gives '''2.4 lb'''<ref name="specsheet" />
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	\| '''Shock''' \|\| Withstands a '''0.7 m''' drop onto carpet		\| '''Shock''' \|\| Withstands a '''0.7 m''' drop onto carpet
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	\| '''Environmental''' \|\| IP30; operating 0 to +50 °C; storage −10 to +60 °C; 0–93 % RH non-condensing at 40 °C (the specification sheet says 5–93 %), and a temperature shock rating of ±10 °C over 5 minutes<ref name="specsheet"~~>Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, document code NBPRO 05~~/05, hosted at [[Psion netBook Pro Documentation]]. Identifies the display as an SVGA TFT transmissive panel with a CCFL backlight, gives the weight as 2.4 lb, humidity as 5–93 % RH at 40 °C and a temperature shock rating of ±10 °C over 5 minutes.</ref>		\| '''Environmental''' \|\| IP30; operating 0 to +50 °C; storage −10 to +60 °C; 0–93 % RH non-condensing at 40 °C (the specification sheet says 5–93 %), and a temperature shock rating of ±10 °C over 5 minutes<ref name="specsheet" />
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	\| '''Approvals''' \|\| FCC Part 15 Class B; EN55022 Class B, EN 55024; EN60950		\| '''Approvals''' \|\| FCC Part 15 Class B; EN55022 Class B, EN 55024; EN60950

Psion netBook Troubleshooting Guide

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:06 GMT

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	\| '''RAM (board-level)''' \|\| For SMD-capable hands \|\| Two unfitted DRAM sites exist on the board; use low-power parts, since the DRAM is powered continuously.<ref name="lindsay" />		\| '''RAM (board-level)''' \|\| For SMD-capable hands \|\| Two unfitted DRAM sites exist on the board; use low-power parts, since the DRAM is powered continuously.<ref name="lindsay" />
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	\| '''PC Card power capability''' \|\| '''No''' \|\| A property of the board revision: 300 mA before September 2002, 800 mA after<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</~~ref~~>. A revision 7 board will not become a revision 10 one.<ref name="lindsay" />		\| '''PC Card power capability''' \|\| '''No''' \|\| A property of the board revision: 300 mA before September 2002, 800 mA after<ref name="psionfaq" />. A revision 7 board will not become a revision 10 one.<ref name="lindsay" />
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	\| '''Screen cable clamp''' \|\| '''No, practically''' \|\| Soldered to the motherboard; breaking it means a donor board.		\| '''Screen cable clamp''' \|\| '''No, practically''' \|\| Soldered to the motherboard; breaking it means a donor board.

Psion Series 7 Troubleshooting Guide

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:05 GMT

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	\| '''PC Card modem unrecognised, or connects only at low speed''' \|\| '''Current draw, and Psion published the number: the Series 7 slot is limited to 200 mA''', against 800 mA on a late netBook<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>. V90 cards are the worst offenders — including Psion's own Gold cards \|\| Force V34: set the modem Data Init string to '''AT+MS=11''' in the Control Panel. Winmodems will never work — they need Windows.<ref name="faqbugs" />		\| '''PC Card modem unrecognised, or connects only at low speed''' \|\| '''Current draw, and Psion published the number: the Series 7 slot is limited to 200 mA''', against 800 mA on a late netBook<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>. V90 cards are the worst offenders — including Psion's own Gold cards \|\| Force V34: set the modem Data Init string to '''AT+MS=11''' in the Control Panel. Winmodems will never work — they need Windows.<ref name="faqbugs" />
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	\| '''PC Card works in a netBook but not this Series 7''' \|\| '''Expected, and not fixable.''' A Series 7 slot supplies 200 mA; a netBook built from September 2002 supplies 800 mA, and one built before it 300 mA<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</~~ref~~> \|\| Nothing to repair. Note that Psion's September 2002 board change and the independently-reported '''revision 10, week 35 of 2002''' are the same event.<ref name="lindsay" />		\| '''PC Card works in a netBook but not this Series 7''' \|\| '''Expected, and not fixable.''' A Series 7 slot supplies 200 mA; a netBook built from September 2002 supplies 800 mA, and one built before it 300 mA<ref name="psionfaq" /> \|\| Nothing to repair. Note that Psion's September 2002 board change and the independently-reported '''revision 10, week 35 of 2002''' are the same event.<ref name="lindsay" />
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	\| '''Microphone records nothing, or works intermittently''' \|\| '''The microphone connection is a press fit and tends to fail''' \|\| "Pressing down very hard on the case above the microphone (near right hand shift key) will often cure it for a while."<ref name="lindsay" />		\| '''Microphone records nothing, or works intermittently''' \|\| '''The microphone connection is a press fit and tends to fail''' \|\| "Pressing down very hard on the case above the microphone (near right hand shift key) will often cure it for a while."<ref name="lindsay" />

Psion netBook

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:04 GMT

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	=== PC Card slot current, and what the board change did ===		=== PC Card slot current, and what the board change did ===

	Psion Teklogix published the actual limits, which explain a great deal of otherwise mysterious card behaviour:<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. ~~Source for the~~ PC Card slot current limits — 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, ~~and~~ 200 mA on the Series 7 ~~— and for~~ the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>		Psion Teklogix published the actual limits, which explain a great deal of otherwise mysterious card behaviour:<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>

	* '''netBook built from September 2002: 800 mA''', supporting 3 V and 5 V cards. A '''main logic board design change''' that month raised the available power, which is what allows GPRS cards such as the Option GlobeTrotter to work.		* '''netBook built from September 2002: 800 mA''', supporting 3 V and 5 V cards. A '''main logic board design change''' that month raised the available power, which is what allows GPRS cards such as the Option GlobeTrotter to work.
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	* '''[[Psion Series 7\|Series 7]]: 200 mA''' — the hard number behind that machine's reputation for refusing cards a netBook runs happily.		* '''[[Psion Series 7\|Series 7]]: 200 mA''' — the hard number behind that machine's reputation for refusing cards a netBook runs happily.

	Psion's stated reason is thermal: PC Cards are designed either for machines with cooling fans or for machines without, and the netBook is in the second group.<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Source for the PC Card slot current limits — 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, and 200 mA on the Series 7 — and for the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</~~ref~~>		Psion's stated reason is thermal: PC Cards are designed either for machines with cooling fans or for machines without, and the netBook is in the second group.<ref name="psionfaq" />

	Two independent sources agree on the timing. Psion date the board change to '''September 2002'''; the community record has '''revision 10 beginning in week 35 of 2002''' — the same month.<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Source for the PC Card slot current limits — 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, and 200 mA on the Series 7 — and for the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</~~ref~~><ref name="lindsay" /> That convergence is worth noting, because it means the manufacturing week in the serial number is a reliable way to predict what a machine's PC Card slot will do.		Two independent sources agree on the timing. Psion date the board change to '''September 2002'''; the community record has '''revision 10 beginning in week 35 of 2002''' — the same month.<ref name="psionfaq" /><ref name="lindsay" /> That convergence is worth noting, because it means the manufacturing week in the serial number is a reliable way to predict what a machine's PC Card slot will do.

	A teardown in December 1999 found an '''SA1100''', an '''ASIC manufactured by NEC''' and a '''Philips CPLD''' with five visible JTAG programming pads on the underside of the board.<ref name="newell">Craig Newell, [http://netwinder.osuosl.org/users/c/craign/public_html/netbook/insides/index.html "Disassembling the NetBook"], 14 December 1999. Source for the disassembly sequence and the identification of the SA1100, the NEC ASIC and the Philips CPLD.</ref>		A teardown in December 1999 found an '''SA1100''', an '''ASIC manufactured by NEC''' and a '''Philips CPLD''' with five visible JTAG programming pads on the underside of the board.<ref name="newell">Craig Newell, [http://netwinder.osuosl.org/users/c/craign/public_html/netbook/insides/index.html "Disassembling the NetBook"], 14 December 1999. Source for the disassembly sequence and the identification of the SA1100, the NEC ASIC and the Philips CPLD.</ref>

Psion Series 7

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:54:03 GMT

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	\| '''Display''' \|\| 7.7 in '''640 × 480 backlit colour STN''' touchscreen, '''256 colours''', nine brightness levels		\| '''Display''' \|\| 7.7 in '''640 × 480 backlit colour STN''' touchscreen, '''256 colours''', nine brightness levels
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	\| '''Storage''' \|\| CompactFlash Type I/II (IBM Microdrive supported); one PC Card Type I/II slot, '''limited to 200 mA'''<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. ~~Source for the~~ PC Card slot current limits — 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, ~~and~~ 200 mA on the Series 7 ~~— and for~~ the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>		\| '''Storage''' \|\| CompactFlash Type I/II (IBM Microdrive supported); one PC Card Type I/II slot, '''limited to 200 mA'''<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Psion's own PC Card slot current limits: 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, 200 mA on the Series 7. Also confirms the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</ref>
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	\| '''Serial''' \|\| RS-232 to 115200 baud; SIR infrared		\| '''Serial''' \|\| RS-232 to 115200 baud; SIR infrared
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	* '''The safe direction is netBook down to Series 7.''' Upgrading the other way "may not work, as some Series 7 failed the test for being able to work reliably at the higher speed" — the parts were binned.<ref name="lindsay" />		* '''The safe direction is netBook down to Series 7.''' Upgrading the other way "may not work, as some Series 7 failed the test for being able to work reliably at the higher speed" — the parts were binned.<ref name="lindsay" />
	* '''The Series 7 still cannot supply as much current to the PC Card slot''' as a netBook, and that does not change when the ROM board does.<ref name="faqgen" /> Psion Teklogix put a number on it: the '''Series 7 slot is limited to 200 mA''', against '''800 mA''' on a netBook built from September 2002 and '''300 mA''' on one built before that.<ref name="psionfaq">Psion Teklogix, netBook customer FAQ, hosted at [[Psion netBook Documentation]]. Source for the PC Card slot current limits — 800 mA on the netBook after the September 2002 main logic board change, 300 mA before it, and 200 mA on the Series 7 — and for the Series 7's 133 MHz clock and ROM-resident operating system.</~~ref~~> That is the whole explanation for why modems and radio cards that work in a netBook are dead in a Series 7, and no module swap changes it.		* '''The Series 7 still cannot supply as much current to the PC Card slot''' as a netBook, and that does not change when the ROM board does.<ref name="faqgen" /> Psion Teklogix put a number on it: the '''Series 7 slot is limited to 200 mA''', against '''800 mA''' on a netBook built from September 2002 and '''300 mA''' on one built before that.<ref name="psionfaq" /> That is the whole explanation for why modems and radio cards that work in a netBook are dead in a Series 7, and no module swap changes it.

	Only '''16, 32 and 64 MB''' memory configurations are accepted; 48 MB does not work, and a Series 7 memory upgrade will not work in a netBook.<ref name="lindsay" />		Only '''16, 32 and 64 MB''' memory configurations are accepted; 48 MB does not work, and a Series 7 memory upgrade will not work in a netBook.<ref name="lindsay" />

Psion netBook Pro General Maintenance

Josh — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:53:50 GMT