Psion Siena
 | |
| A Psion Siena, open | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Psion PLC |
| Manufacturer | Psion PLC |
| Type | Pocket organiser / PDA |
| Released | 1996 |
| CPU | NEC V30H (80C86-compatible) @ 7.68 MHz |
| Memory | 512 KB ROM; 512 KB or 1 MB RAM |
| Storage | No internal SSD bay — external SSD or PC-Card drive via the serial port |
| Display | 240 × 160 monochrome LCD |
| Sound | Piezoelectric beeper |
| Dimensions | 150 mm × 73 mm × 19 mm |
| Weight | 183 g including batteries |
| OS / Firmware | EPOC16 (SIBO), with OPL |
| Predecessor | Psion Series 3 |
| Successor | Psion Revo |
| Model no. | 512 KB and 1 MB versions |
The Psion Siena of 1996 is the small, cheap member of the SIBO family: the same 16-bit architecture and the same operating system as the Series 3a, in a case a third smaller and lighter, with a numeric keypad beside the screen.[1]
It is binary compatible with the Series 3, but the smaller screen and smaller memory mean many Series 3 programs had to be modified to run on it.[1]
What the Siena is not
Three omissions define the machine, and all three are regularly mistaken for faults:
| Omission | Detail |
|---|---|
| No internal SSD bays | The Series 3 machines have two. The Siena has none — an external SSD or PC-Card drive connects via the RS-232 serial port instead. |
| No external power socket | There is nowhere to plug a mains adapter in. The Siena runs from its AAA cells and nothing else. |
| No sound recording | A piezoelectric beeper only, where the 3a and 3c have a microphone, speaker and 12-bit recording. |
Hardware
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | NEC V30H (80C86-compatible, 16-bit) at 7.68 MHz — the same as the Series 3a |
| ROM | 512 KB |
| RAM | 512 KB or 1 MB |
| Display | 240 × 160 monochrome LCD. No backlight. |
| Keyboard | 48-key QWERTY plus 8 reprogrammable application buttons, and a separate numeric keypad beside the screen |
| Sound | Piezoelectric beeper |
| Communications | RS-232C at 19,200 bit/s, plus infrared next to the serial port |
| Main power | 2 × AAA cells |
| Backup power | CR1620 lithium coin cell |
| Size and weight | 150 × 73 × 19 mm, 183 g with batteries |
The screen is an unusual shape for the family: 240 × 160 is half the width of the 3a's 480 × 160 but twice the height of the Series 3's 240 × 80.[2]
For the underlying architecture — the SIBO power states, the supply rails and the ASIC arrangement — see Psion Series 3a, which describes the same platform.[3]
The serial port is the whole expansion story
Because there are no internal bays, the serial port carries everything: PC connectivity through PsiWin, the external SSD or PC-Card drive, and dial-up through the Travel Modem accessory.[1]
The connector is the same as the 3c's, not the Series 3 or 3a's.[4]
The practical consequence for a collector: a Siena without its serial cable and external drive is a machine you cannot get data on or off. Source the accessories with the machine if you can.
General maintenance
Troubleshooting
See also
- Psion Series 3 · Psion Series 3a · Psion Series 3c · Psion Series 3mx
- Psion Revo — the 32-bit machine that took over the small-palmtop role
- Battery Refurbishment
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Psion Siena", Wikipedia. Source for the release date, memory versions, battery arrangement, the absence of an external power socket and of internal SSD bays, the external drive option, the screen size, the numeric keypad, the processor and the binary compatibility note.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Psion specifications", netogram.com. Source for the Siena's dimensions, weight, ROM and RAM sizes, screen resolution, keyboard layout, sound hardware, serial speed and expansion arrangement.
- ↑ Psion PLC, SIBO Hardware Reference, version 2.10, 3 February 1995, in the Psion Documentation Project. Source for the SIBO architecture, power states and supply rails shared across the family.
- ↑ "Psion Series 3", Wikipedia. Source for the statement that the 3c's serial port was changed to match the Siena's.