Editing Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair (section)

== Route 1: repair the broken hinge in place ==

This is the quick route, and both variants are reported as holding up in service.<ref name="mackay" />

=== Visible hinge — sheared neck ===

# Recover the broken-off piece. It is usually still inside the case.
# Degrease both faces with isopropyl alcohol.
# '''Bond with epoxy''' (Araldite or similar). Two approaches are documented and both worked:
#* Epoxy '''plus a thin strip of steel''' bridging the joint, which reinforces the narrow neck.
#* '''A plain blob of epoxy''' with no reinforcement.
# Clamp lightly and leave it to cure fully — the full cure, not the handling time.
# '''Do not over-open the lid afterwards.''' The repair is stronger than nothing, not stronger than the original.

A third documented approach used '''paperclips, solder and pins''' to build a replacement, though the write-up is no longer online.<ref name="mackay" />

=== Hidden hinge — broken nipple ===

The nipple is a plastic peg in a plastic hole. Once broken there is nothing to bond to on the peg side, so the practical options are to bond a replacement peg (a short length of plastic rod or a trimmed panel pin bedded in epoxy) into the original location, or to move to Route 2 and fit a donor lid.