Psion Organizer II

Last year I had discovered that the display of one of my vintage computer - the Psion S3a [1] [2] - got damaged, I’m watching for a possible replacement through second hand websites, like eBay or Subito.it. This week I found a sale of a Psion Organizer II, a very different and older model. It was not what I was searching for, but the offer was good and I decided to take it.

It is a very simple pocket computer, able to perform common functions that today we would find in a mobile phone: save tasks on an agenda, save addresses on a cardbook, or use the calculator. The power of this thing lies in the possibility to be programmed, through a programming language similar to BASIC, and in the serial connection for outer world interfacing. Unfortunately, all these functions had to be performed onto a 16x2 character display and through an unusual alphabetical ordered keyboard. Not the best… but that’s from the ‘80!

Once received, I tried to plug a new 9V battery in it to power it up. It has an internal spring loaded mechanism that keeps the battery pressed against the contacts to avoid unintended disconnections. Unfortunately, the plastics of the battery holder didn’t handle the pressure of my fingers and it broke in half.

In all of these I had no chance to turn it on… and without the plastic springy mechanism the battery wasn’t able to make contact. So I tried first to use my trusty power supply just to turn it on and check its operation.

Then, I tried somehow to repair the damage. I already had this experience with others vintage items, like the hinge of the aforementioned Psion Series 3a, where some bicomponent glue perfectly solved the issue. The glue alone was not enough, it would have immediately unglued, so I applied some adhesive paper strips before, to give it mechanical stability. Then I applied the glue, to strengthen it. After one day of patience, the piece was repaired and usable.

I don’t know exactly what to to with this thing. I still have to explore its functions and the content of the memory included with the sell. If I can do something interesting, I’ll write it down on these pages.