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

2026-09-08T22:56:38Z

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

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[[File:Psion Siena battery compartment.jpg|thumb|420px|The Siena with its detachable top casing removed, showing the two AAA cells and the backup cell. There is no external power socket, so those cells are the machine's only supply.]]

Preventive maintenance for the '''[[Psion Siena]]''' (1996).

The Siena runs the same SIBO architecture as the [[Psion Series 3a|Series 3a]], but it is a '''different, smaller machine''' in a different case — so the Series 3 hinge, button bar and battery-lead procedures do '''not''' apply. What it has instead is a set of concerns of its own, and most of them come back to power.

== ⚠️ Safety ==

No mains voltages, and — unusually — '''no mains socket at all'''. The Siena has '''no external power input'''.<ref name="wpsiena">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Siena "Psion Siena"], Wikipedia. Source for the battery arrangement, the CR1620 backup cell, the detachable battery casing, the absence of an external power socket and of internal SSD bays, and the external drive option.</ref> Everything is CMOS; use an anti-static strap when the machine is open.

== Batteries — the Siena's central maintenance issue ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:75%; text-align:left;"
|+'''Power'''<ref name="wpsiena" /><ref name="spec">[https://www.psion.netogram.com/psionspecifications.html "Psion specifications"], netogram.com. Source for the Siena's specification including weight, dimensions, memory and expansion arrangement.</ref>
! Item !! Specification
|-
| Main || '''2 × AAA cells'''
|-
| Backup || '''CR1620''' lithium coin cell
|-
| External || '''None.''' There is no socket.
|}

Three things follow from that, and together they make battery discipline more important on a Siena than on any other SIBO machine:

* '''You cannot run it from the mains while you work on it.''' On a Series 3 you can pull the AA cells and keep the machine alive on an adapter. On a Siena you cannot — the backup cell is the only thing holding your data during a change.
* '''AAA cells hold roughly a third of the energy of AAs''', so the Siena is emptying its cells faster than a Series 3 does for the same use.
* '''The backup cell therefore matters more here than anywhere else in the range.''' Replace the CR1620 on a schedule, not on failure.

The cells and the backup cell sit in a compartment '''below a detachable casing in the top of the device'''.<ref name="wpsiena" /> Check the casing clips and the contacts whenever it is off.

'''Remove the AAA cells for storage''' and back up first. A leaked AAA in a machine this small has very little distance to travel before it reaches something important.

== The serial port carries everything ==

With no internal SSD bays, '''the serial port is the machine's only route in and out''' — PC connectivity, the external SSD or PC-Card drive, and the Travel Modem all go through it.<ref name="wpsiena" />

* '''Keep the connector clean''' and its cover closed. A dirty or damaged serial port effectively bricks the machine's ability to exchange data.
* '''The connector matches the [[Psion Series 3c|3c]]''', not the Series 3 or 3a.<ref name="wp3">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Series_3 "Psion Series 3"], Wikipedia. Source for the statement that the 3c serial port was changed to match the Siena's.</ref>
* '''Keep the accessories with the machine.''' Without the cable and the external drive there is no way to get data off a Siena.
* '''Keep the infrared window clean''', next to the serial port — it is the only wireless route.<ref name="wpsiena" />

== Case, keyboard and screen ==

* The Siena is a '''smaller, lighter clamshell''' at 150 × 73 × 19 mm and 183 g.<ref name="spec" /> It has none of the Series 3's four-hinge button-bar arrangement, so the [[Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair|Series 3 hinge repair]] does not apply — but the lid still deserves the same discipline: '''open it squarely, to a comfortable angle, and stop'''.
* The keyboard is '''48 keys plus 8 application buttons and a separate numeric keypad''' beside the screen.<ref name="spec" /> Clean the membrane and pads as on any Psion — warm water and washing-up liquid for the membrane, isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free swab for the pads, no abrasives.
* The screen is '''240 × 160 with no backlight'''.<ref name="spec" /> A Siena that seems dim in poor light is behaving normally.

== Capacitors ==

'''Not a recap candidate.''' The Siena is a low-voltage SIBO machine of the same generation and construction as the Series 3 family, with no bulk electrolytic smoothing stage and no community history of recapping. See the reasoning in [[Psion Series 3a General Maintenance]].

== Preventive maintenance checklist ==

# Back up through the serial port before doing anything else — you have no other route.
# Remove the AAA cells for storage; inspect the compartment and contacts for corrosion.
# Replace the CR1620 if you do not know its age.
# Check the detachable top casing clips and seats properly.
# Clean the serial connector and the infrared window.
# Confirm the external drive is recognised, if you have one.
# Clean the keyboard membrane and pads if any key needs a hard press.

== Recommended tools ==

* Jeweller's screwdrivers, plastic spudgers, anti-static strap.
* Isopropyl alcohol, lint-free and foam swabs.
* Fresh AAA cells and a CR1620.
* The Siena serial cable — the 3c/Siena type, not the 3/3a one.

See [[Recommended Tools]] for the general workshop kit.

== Related pages ==

* [[Psion Siena]] · [[Psion Siena Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[Psion Series 3a General Maintenance]] — the shared SIBO material
* [[Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage]] · [[Recommended Tools]]

== References ==

<references />

{{Navbox-Psion}}

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

Psion Siena General Maintenance - Revision history

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