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Psion Revo General Maintenance

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Revision as of 11:40, 30 September 2026 by Josh (talk | contribs) (Restructure to maintenance template; fix charging advice (page said run down before charging and never top up; Psion's handbook says charge any time and keep topped up); add Psion care, storage and retention figures; drop uncited capacitor section)
A Psion Revo

Routine care of the Psion Revo, and with the differences noted the Psion Revo Plus and Diamond Mako, is mostly about the two internal NiMH AAA cells and the charging circuit that manages them. The cells are soldered to a connector and sealed under the lid nameplate, so they cannot be changed without opening the case.[1][2]

Regular cleaning

Screen and keyboard

  • Switch the Revo off and wipe the screen and keyboard with a soft, clean, dry cloth. Psion says never to use water or corrosive solvents. If the Revo is set to switch on when the case is opened or the screen is tapped, turn that preference off first.[3]
  • Use the supplied stylus on the touch screen. Psion warns against sharp-tipped objects and ink pens.[3]
  • The screen has no backlight, so a Revo that is hard to read in poor light is behaving normally.[3]

Case and connectors

  • Keep the Revo at +5 °C to +40 °C in use and away from direct sunlight, heaters, damp, dust and sand. Do not keep it next to credit cards or transport tickets: the speaker magnet can corrupt magnetic strips.[3]
  • Keep the infrared window, the docking connector and power socket at the rear, and the docking station contacts clean.
  • The nameplate on the lid is glued. If it has been removed, refit it with hot-melt glue rather than superglue.[2]

Battery and charging

Psion's charging instructions:[3]

  • Use only the supplied adaptor or a Psion-approved one (6 V DC, 500 mA).
  • The battery can be charged at any time; it does not have to be run down first. Psion says the battery performs better in the long term if it is kept topped up and not regularly run flat.
  • The Revo fast-charges to 85 % (red light on), then trickle-charges (red light off). A full charge from empty takes up to 6 hours.
  • After a full charge, the Revo does not charge again until it is disconnected from the adaptor and reconnected.

Kevin Millican's notes on the charge controller add one rule: avoid starting a charge when the gauge is above about 80 %. The controller calibrates itself from a thermal change in the cells at about 84 % of indicated capacity, and a charge started above that point may not drop to trickle charge, which overcharges the cells. Any level between 10 % and 80 % is fine.[4]

After a hard reset or a battery replacement, charge without interruption from empty to full so that the gauge recalibrates. Millican recommends doing this with the machine switched off and ignoring the gauge during the charge.[3][4] Replacement cells must be NiMH.[1]

Storage

  • Switched off, the Revo uses about 1 % of its charge per day. Fully charged, it keeps its data for up to 6 weeks; once the battery has run down, the data lasts about 2 weeks.[3]
  • Charge the Revo fully before putting it away, back it up, and store it dry at −10 °C to +40 °C.[3]
  • The Revo Plus and Diamond Mako hold twice the RAM, which Millican estimates doubles the standby drain.[4]

Backups

The Revo has no memory card slot, so data leaves the machine through the docking station's serial link or by infrared.[3][1]

  • Back up regularly with PsiWin, Psion's PC connectivity software.[3]
  • Keep the docking station and its cable with the machine.
  • Back up before any work inside the case: disconnecting the battery resets the Revo.[2]

Common failure points

  • Battery connector. A small number of early 8 MB Revos had cells that shook loose in the pack, resetting the machine and losing data. On older machines the battery cable can wear and develop a high resistance, which switches the machine off under load even with the gauge above 50 %.[4] When the case is open, secure the connector with a dab of hot-melt glue or silicone sealer, not superglue.[2]
  • Case microswitch. A microswitch on the rear switches the Revo on and off as the case is opened and closed. It breaks easily if the battery bay is forced back in during a repair.[2]
  • Screen ribbon. The screen ribbon connector has a restraint that flips up; with it lifted, the ribbon needs no force. Prising the screen out of its surround with too much force cracks it.[2]

Replacing the cells is covered on Psion Revo Battery Replacement.

  • Scalpel or watchmaker's knife, jeweller's screwdrivers and a small flat screwdriver
  • Dental floss for lifting the nameplate without bending it[2]
  • Fine-tipped soldering iron, heatshrink or tape, hot-melt glue or silicone sealer
  • NiMH AAA cells with solder tags, when the cells need replacing
  • The docking station, cable and Psion adaptor

See Recommended Tools for the general workshop kit.

Preventive maintenance checklist

  1. Back up with PsiWin.
  2. Charge when the gauge is between 10 % and 80 %, and let each charge finish.
  3. Charge fully before storing the machine, and recharge at least every few weeks in storage.
  4. If the running time has collapsed, recalibrate with a hard reset and full charge, then plan a cell replacement if that does not help.
  5. Check that the case microswitch still switches the machine on and off.
  6. Clean the infrared window, the rear docking connector and the dock contacts.
  7. Wipe the screen with a soft dry cloth.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Psion Revo", Wikipedia.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 David Savery, "Psion Revo/Diamond Mako Disassembly & Battery Replacement", R3UK, 9 August 2004.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Psion Computers PLC, Psion Revo Handbook, version 1.1, February 2000: "Getting started" (pp. 14–18), "Care & safety" (pp. 196–198) and "Specification" (p. 206). Hosted on this wiki as File:Psion Revo Handbook (February 2000).pdf.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kevin Millican, "Revo Battery Information", 25 May 2003.


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