Psion Series 3 Hinge Repair

The Series 3 uses the same four-hinge clamshell as the rest of the family, so the repair is the same — but the screen and its ribbon are not interchangeable with a 3a.

Hinge repair for the Psion Series 3 (1991).

The Series 3 uses the same case and the same four hinges as the 3a, 3c and 3mx. The full procedure — hinge locations, both failure modes, the epoxy repair, the complete teardown and the lid separation and reassembly sequence — is on the Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair page and applies here unchanged.

This page records the differences.

The four hinges

Two visible hinges just beyond either end of the button bar, with a metal rod down the centre; two hidden plastic nipples between the battery compartment and the button bar.

• Visible hinge: the 8 mm-wide neck joining the hinge to the lid shears off, about 2 mm above the hinge. Caused by over-opening the lid.
• Hidden hinge: the plastic nipple breaks off. The back edge then looks crooked while opening and the button bar flexes out.

Both are repairable with epoxy, optionally with a thin steel strip bridging the visible-hinge neck.

⚠️ The Series 3 difference: donor lids

A Series 3a lid will not work on a Series 3.

The Series 3 screen is 240 × 80 and the 3a's is 480 × 160; they are physically different panels with different ribbons.

So if the repair route is "fit a donor lid" rather than "bond the broken hinge", the donor must be another Series 3. Check the screen resolution before buying — the two machines look almost identical from the outside, and the Series 3's smaller display area is the giveaway.

Everything else

Follow Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair for:

• The complete teardown (four base screws, the battery connector, the two SSD-slot screws, the keyboard cover tabs, the mainboard)
• Removing the button bar and its springs
• Disconnecting the LCD ribbon
• Extracting the hinge pins without damaging them
• The pre-reassembly power-up test
• Refitting the springs and the button bar

Open both SSD doors before lifting the mainboard, as on every machine in this family.

Related pages

• Psion Series 3 · Psion Series 3 General Maintenance · Psion Series 3 Troubleshooting Guide
• Psion Series 3a Hinge Repair — the full procedure
• Recommended Tools