Josh: Remove the Category:Home Computers link — the category has no page and renders as a red link

2026-09-09T10:50:32Z

Remove the Category:Home Computers link — the category has no page and renders as a red link

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:50, 9 September 2026
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	[[Category:Psion]]		[[Category:Psion]]
	~~[[Category:Home Computers]]~~

Josh: /* The three-chip architecture */

2026-09-09T10:22:09Z

The three-chip architecture

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	=== The three-chip architecture ===		=== The three-chip architecture ===

	{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:~~100~~%; text-align:left;"		{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:left;"
	\|+'''SIBO principal chips as used in the Series 3'''<ref name="sibo" />		\|+'''SIBO principal chips as used in the Series 3'''<ref name="sibo" />
	! Device !! Package !! Function		! Device !! Package !! Function

Josh: /* Hardware */

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Hardware

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	== Hardware ==		== Hardware ==

	{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:~~100~~%; text-align:left;"		{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:left;"
	\|+'''Psion Series 3 specification'''<ref name="wp3" /><ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications.html "Psion specifications"], netogram.com. Source for the comparative specification figures, video memory access mode, screen dimensions, weight and serial speed.</ref>		\|+'''Psion Series 3 specification'''<ref name="wp3" /><ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications.html "Psion specifications"], netogram.com. Source for the comparative specification figures, video memory access mode, screen dimensions, weight and serial speed.</ref>
	! Item !! Specification		! Item !! Specification

Josh: Create Psion page set: researched from Psion manuals, service documentation and community repair sources

2026-09-08T22:52:26Z

Create Psion page set: researched from Psion manuals, service documentation and community repair sources

New page

{{Infobox computer
| name = Psion Series 3
| image = [[File:Psion Series 3.jpg|250px]]
| caption = A Psion Series 3 (1991)
| developer = Psion PLC
| manufacturer = Psion PLC
| type = Clamshell palmtop / PDA
| release_date = 1991
| discontinued = Superseded by the Series 3a in 1993
| price = £179 (128 KB), £249 (256 KB)
| cpu = NEC V30H (80C86-compatible) @ 3.84 MHz, with Psion ASIC1 and ASIC2
| memory = 128 KB or 256 KB RAM
| storage = Two internal Solid State Disk (SSD) slots
| display = 240 × 80 monochrome LCD, 97 × 39 mm
| sound = Piezoelectric buzzer, with DTMF tone dialling
| dimensions = 165 mm × 85 mm × 22 mm
| weight = 275 g including batteries
| os = EPOC16 (SIBO), with OPL
| predecessor = [[Psion Organiser II]]
| successor = [[Psion Series 3a]]
| model = Also sold as the Acorn Pocket Book
}}
The '''Psion Series 3''' of 1991 is the machine that established the Psion clamshell: a pocketable palmtop with a real keyboard, a multitasking 16-bit operating system, a built-in programming language and two removable solid-state storage bays. About 1.5 million machines were made across the whole Series 3 range.<ref name="wp3">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Series_3 "Psion Series 3"], Wikipedia. Source for the model history and dates, prices, production numbers, screen sizes, the Acorn Pocket Book, the DTMF dialling feature, the SSD arrangement and the documented clamshell problems.</ref>

It is the '''slowest and lowest-resolution''' member of the family, and — more importantly for anyone repairing one — the only one built on the '''three-chip''' SIBO architecture rather than the integrated ASIC9 of the [[Psion Series 3a|3a]] and later.

== Hardware ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Psion Series 3 specification'''<ref name="wp3" /><ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications.html "Psion specifications"], netogram.com. Source for the comparative specification figures, video memory access mode, screen dimensions, weight and serial speed.</ref>
! Item !! Specification
|-
| '''Processor''' || NEC '''V30H''' (80C86-compatible, 16-bit) at '''3.84 MHz'''
|-
| '''System chips''' || Psion '''ASIC1''' (system controller) and '''ASIC2''' (clock, keyboard, buzzer, SSD and PSU interface)
|-
| '''RAM''' || 128 KB or 256 KB
|-
| '''Display''' || 240 × 80 monochrome LCD, 97 × 39 mm, black/white only. No grey plane, no backlight.
|-
| '''Video memory''' || 8-bit access at half speed
|-
| '''Sound''' || Piezoelectric buzzer. '''No sound recording.''' DTMF tone dialling through the speaker
|-
| '''Storage''' || Two internal SSD slots
|-
| '''Serial''' || 9600 baud via the optional link pod, with the software held in the pod's ROM
|-
| '''Main power''' || 2 × AA cells
|-
| '''Backup power''' || '''CR1620''' lithium coin cell
|-
| '''Size and weight''' || 165 × 85 × 22 mm, 275 g with batteries
|}

=== Why the Series 3 is slower ===

The clock is held to 3.84 MHz for a specific, documented reason. '''ASIC1 assembles each 16-bit word from two 8-bit ROM reads''', which needs ROM with about a 250 ns access time at that clock. Readily available mask ROMs of the period managed 200 ns, and that is what capped the Series 3.<ref name="sibo">Psion PLC, ''SIBO Hardware Reference'', version 2.10, 3 February 1995, in the [https://doc.psion.info/books/the-psion-sibo-software-development-kit/page/hardware-reference Psion Documentation Project]. Source for the SIBO architecture, ASIC1 and ASIC2 functions, the clock-speed limitation, the memory and I/O decoding, the interrupt table, the watchdog, the NMI sources, the timekeeping mechanism and the supply rails.</ref>

The [[Psion Series 3a|3a]]'s ASIC9 does 16-bit accesses instead, which doubled the clock for the same ROM.<ref name="sibo" />

=== The three-chip architecture ===

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:left;"
|+'''SIBO principal chips as used in the Series 3'''<ref name="sibo" />
! Device !! Package !! Function
|-
| '''V30H''' || — || 80C86-compatible CPU, fully static, so the clock can be stopped at any time with no loss of state — the basis of the whole SIBO power-saving strategy
|-
| '''ASIC1''' || 100-pin QFP, ~4300 gates || Bus controller, bus converter, 16-bit timer, LCD controller, memory and I/O decoding, 8-channel interrupt controller, watchdog, address and I/O protection
|-
| '''ASIC2''' || 80-pin QFP, ~2200 gates || System clock oscillator, on/off control, the SIBO serial protocol controller, keyboard interface, buzzer interface and NMI generation
|}

Two consequences matter on the bench:

* '''ASIC1 stops the processor clock on a HALT instruction''' and holds it low until an interrupt or NMI arrives. A machine that appears frozen may simply be waiting for an interrupt that never comes.<ref name="sibo" />
* '''The watchdog is a 2-bit counter clocked at 4 Hz''' that raises an NMI if it is not reset — roughly 0.75 seconds with interrupts disabled.<ref name="sibo" />

=== Timekeeping — a Series 3-specific weakness ===

The ASIC1/ASIC2 machines have '''no hardware real-time clock'''. They keep time using the free-running counter, which means '''the CPU must wake up periodically (roughly every 8 hours) to maintain the time'''. If the CPU cannot start — because there are no main batteries — '''the time is lost'''.<ref name="sibo" />

This was one of the specific limitations ASIC9 was designed to remove, and it is why a Series 3 that has been left with the AA cells out comes back with the clock wrong while a 3a does not.<ref name="sibo" />

=== SIBO serial channels ===

ASIC2 contains an 8-channel serial protocol controller. The channel assignment is worth knowing, because it explains what shares a path with what:<ref name="sibo" />

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:60%; text-align:left;"
! Channel !! Function
|-
| 0 || Power supply
|-
| 1–4 || SSDs
|-
| 5, 6 || Expansion ports
|-
| 7 || High-speed link
|}

== Acorn Pocket Book ==

Acorn sold a rebadged Series 3 as the '''Acorn Pocket Book''', aimed at schoolchildren rather than executives. The hardware was the same; the bundled applications differed. '''Agenda was omitted''' (supplied separately on floppy disk), and System, Word, Sheet and Data were renamed '''Desktop, Write, Abacus and Cards'''.<ref name="wp3" />

== Known problems ==

The Series 3 clamshell has three documented weak points:<ref name="wp3" />

* '''Breakage of any of the four hinges'''
* '''Loss of function in the button bar''' between the two halves
* '''Deterioration of the screen cable''', producing '''vertical lines'''

The '''battery lead''' is a fourth, and it is the one most often missed — see the [[Psion Series 3 Troubleshooting Guide]].

== General maintenance ==
{{Main|Psion Series 3 General Maintenance}}

== Troubleshooting ==
{{Main|Psion Series 3 Troubleshooting Guide}}

== Hinge repair ==
{{Main|Psion Series 3 Hinge Repair}}

== See also ==

* [[Psion Series 3a]] · [[Psion Series 3c]] · [[Psion Series 3mx]] · [[Psion Siena]]
* [[Psion Organiser II]] — the machine the Series 3 replaced
* [[Battery Refurbishment]]

== References ==

<references />

{{Navbox-Psion}}

[[Category:Psion]]
[[Category:Home Computers]]

Psion Series 3 - Revision history

Josh: Remove the Category:Home Computers link — the category has no page and renders as a red link

Josh: /* The three-chip architecture */

Josh: /* Hardware */

Josh: Create Psion page set: researched from Psion manuals, service documentation and community repair sources