Josh: Create general maintenance guide: preventive care, disassembly and cited manufacturer advice

2026-09-09T10:28:41Z

Create general maintenance guide: preventive care, disassembly and cited manufacturer advice

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[[File:Psion netBook.jpg|thumb|420px|The badge above the keyboard covers the only screw holding the top cover on — and is the point to press when the screen fades. This is a [[Psion netBook|netBook]]; the Series 7 is the same machine under blue leather.]]

Preventive maintenance for the '''[[Psion Series 7]]'''. The '''[[Psion netBook]]''' shares the case, board, screen and battery, so almost all of this applies to it too; the netBook's own page covers what differs.

The Series 7 is a well-built machine — "the hinges are sturdy and the case is solid plastic with no small or loose parts likely to snap off"<ref name="faqgen">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/general.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: General & hardware information"], oocities.org/epoc_32 (February 2000). Source for the robustness and hinge assessment, the leather description, the screen behaviour and brightness advice, the keyboard legends, the microphone location, the CompactFlash advice, the reset procedures and the RAM figures.</ref> — and it has aged better than most of its contemporaries. What kills them is not wear. It is '''the screen cable working loose in its clamp''', and '''pulling the battery out at the wrong moment'''.

Three habits keep one alive: keep the machine out of vibration, never remove the main pack without watching the screen, and back up before you touch anything.

== ⚠️ Safety ==

There are '''no mains voltages inside the machine'''. The external supply is 15.5 V at 1.5 A.<ref name="faqpower">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/power.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: Power supply & charging"], oocities.org/epoc_32. Source for the adapter rating and universal input, the ferrite core, the charging behaviour and 70 % LED cut-out, the runtime figures and the storage-charge advice.</ref>

The '''lithium-ion battery pack''' is the real hazard here, and it deserves the respect [[Battery Refurbishment]] describes. Do not puncture, crush or short it, and do not attempt to open it without reading [[Psion netBook Battery Service]] first.

Everything inside is CMOS. Use an anti-static strap.

== Back up, always ==

'''The internal C: drive is RAM.''' Several ordinary maintenance operations on this machine can empty it.

Psion's own supplied route is the desktop software, but a route that needs nothing but the machine is to copy the whole of C:, including the System directory, to a folder on a CompactFlash card, and copy it back afterwards. You have to close every application that starts at boot first, and you will have to reset the time, home city, sound and hidden-file preferences afterwards.<ref name="openpsion">OpenPsion, [https://linux-7110.sourceforge.net/howtos/netbook_new/x1042.htm "Linux on the Psion netBook HOWTO — FAQs"]. Source for the CompactFlash backup procedure, the serial-mouse warning, the null-modem cable, the X-ray discussion and the CompactFlash size limits.</ref>

Do this before changing either battery, before any disassembly, and before swapping a personality module.

== Batteries ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:80%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Power'''<ref name="faqpower" /><ref name="openpsion7">OpenPsion, [https://linux-7110.sourceforge.net/howtos/netbook_new/x43.htm "Linux on the Psion netBook HOWTO — section 3.4"]. Source for the pack rating and cell type, the CR2032 backup cell and the adapter connector dimensions.</ref>
! Item !! Specification
|-
| Main || Proprietary Li-ion pack, '''three 18650 cells''', 11.1 V nominal, 1500 mAh. 8½–10 hours
|-
| Backup || '''CR2032''' lithium coin cell
|-
| External || '''15.5 V, 1.5 A''', 100–240 V 50/60 Hz
|}

* '''Charge for the full three hours, not until the LED goes out.''' The charge LED extinguishes at about '''70 % capacity''', which is the commonest reason a healthy pack seems to be fading.<ref name="faqpower" />
* '''Replace the CR2032 on a schedule.''' It holds your data while the main pack is out.
* '''Give a stored spare pack a full charge every three months.'''<ref name="faqpower" />
* '''Never use another Psion adapter.''' Nothing else in the range is 15.5 V at 1.5 A.<ref name="faqpower" />
* '''Do not deep-cycle to "condition" the pack.''' There is no memory effect on lithium cells.<ref name="faqpower" />

Full detail, including the pack rebuild, is on [[Psion Series 7 Battery Service]] and [[Psion netBook Battery Service]].

=== ⚠️ Removing the main pack ===

'''Watch the screen every time.''' A microswitch in the battery lock is meant to switch the machine off as you release the catch. On some machines it turns the backlight on instead, the system never shuts down, and pulling the pack wipes the internal disk.<ref name="faqbugs">[https://www.oocities.org/epoc_32/bugs.html "Psion Series 7 FAQ: Known issues & bugs"], oocities.org/epoc_32. Source for the battery-catch microswitch fault and the rubber foot mounted on the catch, the touchscreen calibration bug and its cure in build 756, and the CompactFlash drawer play.</ref>

If the screen lights but stays black, hold the catch open with one hand and switch the machine off with the other before sliding the pack out.<ref name="faqbugs" />

'''Check the battery catch periodically.''' One of the rubber feet sits on its underside, and sliding the machine across a desk or carrying it loose in a bag has been enough to drag the catch open and reset the machine.<ref name="faqbugs" />

== The screen cable ==

This is the fault that ends these machines, and most of what you can do about it is preventive.

* '''Keep the machine out of vibration.''' An owner traced repeat failures to carrying it in a rucksack pocket resting against a bicycle frame; moving it to a front pocket stopped the recurrence.<ref name="pwiki">[http://psionwiki.wikidot.com/series-7-repair-and-supplies "Series 7 Repair And Supplies"], PsionWiki. Source for the dismantling procedure originating with Thomas F. van der Zijden, the fragility of the white clamp, the paper-shim preventative and the vibration observation.</ref>
* '''Carry it in a case, in a padded compartment.'''
* '''If the display starts to fade or the touchscreen drifts''', act rather than living with it — the temporary fix is a firm press on the badge above the keyboard, and the durable one is a paper or cardboard shim under the cable.<ref name="pwiki" />

The full diagnosis and repair procedure is in the [[Psion Series 7 Troubleshooting Guide#Step 2: the screen cable — the defining fault|troubleshooting guide]], including the one step that will destroy the motherboard if you rush it.

== Opening the machine ==

The whole machine is reached through one screw, and the route to it is a piece of tape.<ref name="pwiki" /><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, the keyboard flexible-PCB connector, the side mouldings and their three screws, the microphone in the right-hand moulding, the battery sense switch and the LCD ribbon screws.</ref>

# '''Remove everything first''' — main pack, backup cell, the personality/ROM module and any memory expansion.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Warm the badge sticker''' with a hairdryer for about 15 seconds, '''covering the keyboard with paper or card first''' — otherwise you will lift the key legends with it. Peel it off; if it resists, warm it again.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Remove the single screw underneath.'''<ref name="pwiki" /><ref name="newell" />
# With the lid half open, '''remove the hinge pins''' beside the module slots.<ref name="pwiki" />
# '''Unclip the front of the top cover and draw it forward.''' It carries the badge, the on/off button and the stylus button, and it takes some force.<ref name="pwiki" /><ref name="newell" />
# '''Disconnect the keyboard''' at its flexible PCB connector by releasing the two locking tabs; the keyboard then lifts out as a module and unclips from slots at the front.<ref name="newell" />
# '''Remove the side mouldings''' — three screws. The right-hand moulding carries the microphone.<ref name="newell" />
# '''The battery sense switch lifts straight off''' the top left corner of the board.<ref name="newell" />
# '''You do not have to disconnect the LCD ribbon to lift the board''' — remove the two screws holding it and leave the ribbon connected. Watch the PCMCIA eject button on the right as the board comes out.<ref name="newell" />

'''The keyboard is a sealed unit and should not be disassembled further.'''<ref name="lindsay">Eric Lindsay, [http://psiphi.server101.com/epoc/psion7.htm "Psion 7 and NetBook Portable Computers"], mirrored at ericlindsay.com. Source for the sealed-keyboard warning, the wet-keyboard procedure posted to comp.sys.psion by Ralph Barrett, the microphone press-fit fault, the motherboard revisions and the RS-232 port cover comment.</ref>

If a keyboard has been soaked, the documented recovery is to strip it out by the route above and dry it with a dehumidifier rather than heat.<ref name="lindsay" />

== Keyboard and case ==

* '''The legends do not fade.''' They are bright white transfers rather than the hot stamping or laser etching used on the Series 5 and 5mx, and this is one of the few Psions where worn lettering is not a concern.<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''Clean with a barely damp cloth.'''
* '''The leather has worn well.''' Contemporary assessment was that it "is very well adhered to the casing", with no coating that can peel; an owner writing eighteen years later described it as having "gained a patina".<ref name="faqgen" /><ref name="mms">Adam Richardson, [https://www.massmadesoul.com/features/psion7 "Psion Series 7"], Mass Made Soul, 2018. Source for the long-term condition of the leather and the assessment of the hinge.</ref> Treat it as leather: keep it dry, keep it out of direct sun, and clean it gently.
* '''One point of the leather is tightly folded when the screen is pushed fully back.'''<ref name="faqgen" /> Not opening the lid to its absolute limit is cheap insurance for both the leather and the screen cable.
* '''The rubber RS-232 port cover is poor.''' One long-term owner called it "lousy", though his had survived four years.<ref name="lindsay" />

== Screen ==

* '''Run the brightness as low as you can live with.''' Full brightness costs roughly '''50 % of runtime''' and "probably shortens the overall life of the screen".<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''The backlight cannot be turned off''' — there is no function for it, even in OPL.<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''The 20-second dimness at power-on is normal.'''<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''Clean the touchscreen with a barely damp lint-free cloth.''' No solvents.
* The panel is far less temperature-sensitive than the Series 5's — it "barely changes enough to bother adjusting the contrast" after time in a hot room.<ref name="faqgen" />

== Storage and expansion slots ==

* '''Clean the CompactFlash and PC Card contacts''' with a foam swab and isopropyl alcohol.
* '''About 6 mm of play in a Type I CompactFlash card is normal''' — the drawer accepts Type II devices. If a card is not reliably recognised, shim behind it with a thin piece of card, and make sure the shim cannot come loose inside.<ref name="faqbugs" />
* '''Reformat cards brought over from a Series 5 on the Series 7 itself.''' Copy the contents off, format the D: drive, copy them back. Series 5 system files can interfere with the Series 7, and applications installed from SIS files should be reinstalled rather than copied.<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''Prefer CompactFlash to a Microdrive''' unless you need the write endurance. A Microdrive spins, draws more power and can be damaged by a drop.<ref name="faqgen" />
* '''Avoid powering a serial mouse from the RS-232 port.''' A mouse draws its power from the port, and at least one Psion serial port was burnt out this way — the mouse worked right up to the moment it did.<ref name="openpsion" />

== Resets ==

Both use the '''reset hole under the backup battery hatch'''.<ref name="faqgen" />

* '''Soft reset:''' paperclip in gently until you feel a click, then switch on without touching any keys.
* '''Hard reset:''' with the machine on, press until the screen turns off, then hold '''both Shift keys''' while switching on. '''The Series 7 manual is wrong''' when it says a hard reset needs all batteries removed for a period.<ref name="faqgen" />

== Preventive maintenance checklist ==

# Back up C: to a CompactFlash card or a PC.
# Charge the main pack for a full three hours — ignore the LED.
# Replace the CR2032 if you do not know its age.
# '''Check the battery catch''', and the rubber foot mounted on it.
# Press gently on the badge and watch the display. If it changes, the screen cable needs attention before it gets worse.
# Clean both card slots and confirm cards are recognised reliably.
# Inspect the leather, particularly the fold behind the hinge.
# Confirm the microphone still records — the contact is a press fit and known to fail.<ref name="lindsay" />
# Store with the machine closed, in a case, away from vibration.

== Recommended tools ==

* Cross-head and jeweller's screwdrivers, plastic spudgers, fine long-nose pliers.
* Anti-static strap.
* A hairdryer, for the badge sticker.
* Isopropyl alcohol and lint-free and foam swabs.
* A fresh CR2032 and a known-good CompactFlash card for testing.
* A '''15.5 V, 1.5 A''' supply with the correct barrel — 4.75 mm OD, 1.75 mm ID.<ref name="openpsion7" />

See [[Recommended Tools]] for the general workshop kit, and [[Battery Refurbishment]] for the cell-work equipment.

== Related pages ==

* [[Psion Series 7]] · [[Psion Series 7 Troubleshooting Guide]] · [[Psion Series 7 Battery Service]]
* [[Psion netBook General Maintenance]] · [[Psion netBook Pro General Maintenance]]
* [[Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage]] · [[Recommended Tools]]

== References ==

<references />

{{Navbox-Psion}}

[[Category:Psion]]
[[Category:Maintenance Guides]]

Psion Series 7 General Maintenance - Revision history

Josh: Create general maintenance guide: preventive care, disassembly and cited manufacturer advice