Editing Psion Series 3a User Guide

[[File:Psion Series 3a User Guide cover.jpg|thumb|250px|Front cover of the guide.]]
The '''Psion Series 3a User Guide''' is Psion PLC's user manual for the [[Psion Series 3a]]: version 1.0, July 1993, part no. 6103-0044-01, in English, copyright 1991-1993.<ref name="ug">Psion PLC, ''Series 3a User Guide'', version 1.0, July 1993, part no. 6103-0044-01. Hosted on this wiki: [[:File:Psion Series 3a User Guide (July 1993).pdf]]. Copyright page (PDF p. 4) and contents (PDF pp. 7-11).</ref> The hosted PDF has 290 pages and is a text version of the printed guide made by David Kimberlin-Wyer in 2013, as its copyright page records. Printed page numbers are twelve lower than PDF page numbers (printed p. 244 is PDF p. 256).<ref name="ug" />

It is a user manual, not a service document. For a repairer it records the battery arrangements, the battery warnings, the reset procedures and Psion's specification for the early 256K and 512K machines.

== Contents ==

The guide has seventeen chapters and four appendices: Getting started; World; The Calculator; Time and alarms; The Database; The Agenda; The Word Processor; The Spreadsheet; The sound recorder; Dialling; Printing; Open files; Moving information with 'Bring'; Files and disks; Security and backups; The System screen; Troubleshooting; and appendices on the character set, the specification, changes for Series 3 users and the serial 3 Link, followed by an index and the warranty.<ref name="ug" />

<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:80%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Sections most useful for repair'''<ref name="ug" />
! Section !! Printed page !! PDF page !! Covers
|-
| Where things are; powering the Series 3a || 2 || 14 || Reset hole, expansion and mains sockets; AA and backup batteries; mains adaptor
|-
| Fitting the batteries || 3 || 15 || Main AA cells and the backup cell under door B
|-
| Changing the batteries || 17-19 || 29-31 || Battery warnings, the usage monitor, alkaline and rechargeable cells, changing the main and backup batteries
|-
| Files and disks || 205-219 || 217-231 || Solid State Disks and the "Batteries too low to write to Flash" warning
|-
| Troubleshooting || 237-244 || 249-256 || General problems, memory full messages, soft and hard reset
|-
| Specification || 249-250 || 261-262 || Size, weight, screen, memory, SSDs, processor, sound, power, keyboard, temperature, communications
|-
| For Series 3 users || 251-256 || 263-268 || Hardware, power and application changes from the [[Psion Series 3]]
|}

== What it settles ==

* Psion's specification (printed p. 250): 165 × 85 × 22 mm, 275 g with batteries; 480 × 160 screen; 1 MB ROM; 256K or 512K RAM; NEC V30H at 7.68 MHz; two AA cells giving about 80 hours; a lithium backup battery; an optional 9-10 V 150 mA mains adaptor; 58-key keyboard; 0-50 °C; 1.536 Mbit/s fast serial interface for the 3 Link.<ref name="ug-250">''Series 3a User Guide'', p. 250 (PDF p. 262), Specification.</ref>
* Never remove the main batteries and the backup battery at the same time; with both out, internal memory is lost within a few seconds. The backup battery should last several years and should be changed within a week or two of the "Replace backup battery" message.<ref name="ug-19">''Series 3a User Guide'', pp. 17-19 (PDF pp. 29-31), Changing the batteries.</ref>
* Soft reset: press an unfolded paper clip gently into the reset hole above the On/Esc key. Hard reset: hold the right-hand Shift key while pressing the reset hole, then press On/Esc still holding Shift; everything in internal memory is lost.<ref name="ug-244">''Series 3a User Guide'', p. 244 (PDF p. 256), Resetting the Series 3a.</ref>

== What it does not contain ==

* No disassembly, parts list, schematic or component values; see [[Psion Series 3a Service Manual]]
* No coverage of the later 1 MB and 2 MB Series 3a models; this edition describes the 256K and 512K machines<ref name="ug-250" />
* The backup cell is described but not identified by type

== Pages that cite this document ==

* [[Psion Series 3a]]
* [[Psion Series 3a General Maintenance]]
* [[Psion Series 3a Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[Psion Series 3c Troubleshooting Guide]]

== Document ==

<pdf width="800" height="500">File:Psion Series 3a User Guide (July 1993).pdf</pdf>

Download: [[:File:Psion Series 3a User Guide (July 1993).pdf|Psion Series 3a User Guide (July 1993).pdf]]

See also [[Psion Series 3a Service Manual]] and [[Psion Series 3c User Guide]].

== References ==

<references />

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[[Category:Service Manuals]]
[[Category:Psion]]