Psion Revo
The Psion Revo, launched in November 1999, is the small, light EPOC machine: the same 36 MHz ARM710T and the same software as the Series 5mx, in a case 157 × 79 × 17 mm weighing 200 g against the 5mx's 354 g.[1]
 | |
| A Psion Revo | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Psion Teklogix |
| Manufacturer | Psion Teklogix |
| Type | Clamshell palmtop / PDA |
| Released | November 1999 |
| Discontinued | 2003 |
| CPU | ARM710T @ 36 MHz |
| Memory | 8 MB ROM; 8 MB RAM |
| Storage | Internal RAM disk only — no CompactFlash slot |
| Display | 480 × 160 monochrome LCD, 16 greyscales, resistive touchscreen, no backlight |
| Sound | Speaker |
| Dimensions | 157 mm × 79 mm × 17 mm |
| Weight | 200 g |
| OS / Firmware | Symbian (EPOC32) Release 5 |
| Predecessor | Psion Series 5mx |
| Successor | Conan (prototype, never released) |
| Model no. | Rebadged as the Diamond Mako; Chinese-market 618C and 618S |
The weight came out of the specification. Relative to the Series 5 and 5mx the Revo has a smaller screen (480 × 160 rather than 640 × 240), no flash-card slot and no backlight — and, most consequentially for anyone owning one today, no user-replaceable batteries.[1]
Hardware
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | ARM710T at 36 MHz — the same part as the Series 5mx |
| ROM | 8 MB |
| RAM | 8 MB (16 MB on the Revo Plus) |
| Display | 480 × 160, 16 greyscales, resistive touchscreen. No backlight. |
| Storage | Internal RAM disk. No CompactFlash or other card slot. |
| Interfaces | IrDA, and RS-232 on a 9-pin D-sub, at up to 115,200 bit/s |
| Connectivity | Docking station |
| Power | Two internal, non-user-replaceable NiMH AAA cells, 700 mAh, about 14 hours |
| Mains adapter | 100–240 V AC ±10 %, 50/60 Hz |
| Size and weight | 157 × 79 × 17 mm, 200 g |
| Operating system | Symbian (EPOC32) Release 5 |
It is software compatible with the 5mx and, like it, carries a small suite of office and communications applications in ROM. Extra software is installed from a desktop computer through the docking station.[1]
⚠️ The batteries
The Revo was notorious for battery and charging problems, and this is the single most important thing to know about the machine.[1]
Where the 5mx takes two ordinary AA cells you can change in a corner shop, the Revo's two 700 mAh NiMH AAA cells are soldered to a connector and sealed inside the case, under the nameplate. Twenty-five years on, essentially every surviving Revo needs them replaced.[1][3]
Three specific behaviours are worth knowing before you touch one:
- Revos suffer from batteries coming loose and unplugging inside the case — a problem Psion fixed in the Revo Plus.[1]
- Use NiMH cells only. Because of the way the charging circuit works, nothing else is recommended.[1]
- Do not put a Revo on charge when the battery is already above about 80 %. The charge termination depends on sensing a thermal change around that level, and missing it can and does lead to overcharging.[1]
The full procedure, including the recalibration charge that has to follow it, is on the Psion Revo Battery Replacement page.
Variants and relatives
| Machine | Difference |
|---|---|
| Psion Revo Plus | 16 MB of RAM instead of 8 MB, a larger battery, and the loose-battery problem fixed |
| Diamond Mako | A Revo Plus rebadged by SONICblue for the United States and Canada |
| 618C and 618S | Chinese-market Revos produced with Enfour, for traditional and simplified characters respectively |
| Conan | The unreleased successor. A third-generation PDA running EPOC Release 6, intended to have Bluetooth and a backlight — although Bluetooth did not function in the development builds |
The backlight that isn't
The Revo has no backlight, and there is a persistent story that the wiring for one was left in place. Pads marked EL+ and EL− do exist under black tape on the screen PCB — but a voltmeter across them shows no reading, AC or DC, with the unit on or with the Fn + Space sequence that works on a Series 5.[3]
Fitting a backlight to a Revo has not been shown to work.
Linux
The OpenPsion project (formerly PsiLinux) ports Linux to the Revo, and Revol is an optimised version of OpenPsion specifically for it.[1]
General maintenance
Troubleshooting
Battery replacement
See also
- Psion Revo Plus · Psion Series 5mx · Psion Series 5
- Psion Series 3mx — the SIBO machine the Revo replaced in the small-palmtop role
- Battery Refurbishment
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Psion Revo", Wikipedia. Source for the launch date and lifespan, dimensions and weight, the processor and memory, the omissions relative to the 5mx, the Revo Plus, the Diamond Mako and Chinese-market rebadges, the Conan prototype, the OpenPsion and Revol projects, and the entire battery and charging discussion.
- ↑ "Psion 3mx, Psion 5, Psion 5mx, Psion Revo and Psion Revo Plus specifications", netogram.com. Source for the ROM and RAM sizes, interfaces, docking station, average run time and power adapter rating.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 David Savery, "Psion Revo/Diamond Mako Disassembly & Battery Replacement", R3UK, 2004. Source for the disassembly and battery replacement procedure, the cell specification, the temperature sensor and the case microswitch.