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Old 9th May 2020, 9:08 pm   #1
Retrotechie
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Default Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I have recently dusted of my old Psion series 3mx, which I want to use for terminal de-bugging, rather than a bulky laptop.
Any software that I had on the Psion has been lost, due to the battery expiring.
Originally, I used a piece of software called VT100 and I have found a download link for this, but presumably, I would need psiwin software to get it from the PC, onto the Psion (this is where my memories a bit rusty) and a PC running windows XP or maybe even windows 98.

I still have the original Psion Comms lead but nothing else.

Any thoughts ? Anyone else still using a Psion ?
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Old 9th May 2020, 10:56 pm   #2
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I have a Psion 3mx which I haven't used in years. Yes, you'll need Psiwin but you should be able to install Windows 98 into a virtual machine using Virtualbox or similar.
I used my Psion as a terminal using VT100 years ago to administer my linux server I had in my garden shed office.
You may need a crossover serial cable - I believe I used an adapter of which I used to have many back in the days I messed with serial communications!
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Old 9th May 2020, 10:56 pm   #3
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

This page may be of use to you, but as always, if you do download anything from there take sensible precautions to scan before installing. You'll probably need quite an old version of Windows to run any of them.

http://www.bioeddie.co.uk/Psion/main/psionconnect.html

I have not downloaded or checked any of it myself.
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Old 9th May 2020, 10:58 pm   #4
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I found a download for psiwin here https://winworldpc.com/product/psiwin/2x
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Old 9th May 2020, 11:00 pm   #5
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

This guy https://www.garethjmsaunders.co.uk/2...ws-7-ultimate/ got Psiwin 2.3.3 running on Windows 7!
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Old 9th May 2020, 11:05 pm   #6
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

And this chap here offers a CD with just about every Psion related bit of software which could be collected onto one disc, including Psiwin2.3.3, which is probably the final version.

https://stevelitchfield.com/cdrom.htm

Site hasn't been updated for a while, but, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Incidentally for the answer to the question of whether anyone still uses one - to be honest not me, and I never had a Psion 3, but I do still have a Psion II LZ64 in working order. Haven't used it for quite a few years though.
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Old 9th May 2020, 11:43 pm   #7
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Curious I just dragged out my old Psion 3a put batteries in it haven't used it since around 1995 when I moved to my shiny Toshiba laptop it was already a couple of years old and was replaced by my first new laptop aTosh Satellite late that year.

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Old 10th May 2020, 9:31 pm   #8
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Many thanks for all the links guys.
I will give things a try in the next few days and report back.
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Old 10th May 2020, 9:39 pm   #9
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Do please. I still miss my Psion because I miss having a keyboard. Touch screens just don't do it for me and its nice to be able to work offline!
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Old 18th May 2020, 1:22 pm   #10
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I still use a Psion 3a (or a 3c) more or less daily.

I started using a 3a in the early 90's as an alternative to a Filofax. It's more pocketable, secure (with password protection) and you can keep copies of your files.

The apps I use most are the word processor (for all sorts of evolving notes such as ideas for future projects), the spreadsheet (for financial stuff and data such as my valve stock), and of course Agenda (I don't know of an App for any other platform to match it, and where else would you put in a reminder to renew your passport in 10 years time!). Oh, and the data app for phone numbers, bank details etc, suitably protected of course. At one point, I was even using the spreadsheet to analyse clock skews across a VLSI chip.

You can buy them quite cheaply on ebay or at radio rallies, especially if you are prepared to buy faulty units and fix them. The most common faults are broken lid hinges, these are easy to fix provided the broken piece is still there. I've has a few with broken screen ribbon cables, these are reasonably easy to replace.

I haven't connected a Psion to anything else for a long time, but I have several Psions, so I back up my files to another 3a/3c using a RAM card.

Stuart
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Old 18th May 2020, 1:42 pm   #11
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Blimey ... this sounds like a good bit of retro geekiness "in with which to join' ... I've got a Psion somewhere and I remember buying Steve Litchfield's 'Golf' program for it. I wonder ...
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Old 18th May 2020, 3:11 pm   #12
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I wrote software for the 3mx for a couple of years in OPL - I used the DOS emulator to write and debug it because it was easier to use a 'proper' keyboard. You could also define a larger screen size and use the extra bit for debug messages! I really should dig mine out, repair it and play with it again!
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Old 18th May 2020, 3:42 pm   #13
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Do modern batteries help sort their big problem as I remember it - they just ate batteries!

I used the original Psion a lot, until it broke. I was given the later one but did not like it so much as it was not as nice to program it, and the cost of ownership was huge due to the battery issue.
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Old 18th May 2020, 7:01 pm   #14
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slothie View Post
I wrote software for the 3mx for a couple of years in OPL
I wonder why they didn't just admit it was BASIC?

That's what it was, to all intents and purposes. Somewhere around here, I still have a computer with the OPL IDE on it.
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Old 19th May 2020, 11:12 am   #15
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

I’ve just checked the usage monitor on my 3c. Since its latest battery replacement, it reports batteries fitted on 18 April, time on batteries 22h 40m, total battery used 669mAh, average battery current 29mA. That gives a life of about 80 hours on a pair of Alkaline AA cells, about what I get.

A pack of 8 Alkaline AA cells in Lidl or Aldi costs £1.99, so those 80 hours of use would cost 50 pence. It’s taken me a month to use the Psion for 22 hours, so at that rate a pair of cells would last over 3 months (about what I get), and the £1.99 pack of AA cells would last me more than a year.

If I used the Psion for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week it would be costing a horrendous £1/month. In that case, I might think about using it on mains power, but with that sort of usage pattern, I’d probably be using it sitting at a desk anyway. For my use, I value portability higher than £2/year.

I like the Psion 3a/c. 3a and 3c models are software compatible, although the 3c has some additional apps and tweaks to existing apps. The later Psion 5 has a touch screen with poorer contrast, and a new 32 bit OS which meant all the apps had to be rewritten, and some apps were rushed through and significantly less good than the series 3 apps (for example the word processor lost the very useful “outline” mode). I picked up a couple of series 5s, and they’re no-where near as good as the 3a/c in my opinion. Apparently the 5mx fixed some (but not all) the shortcomings of the 5 series, but all my 3 series files would need translating, and the agenda app would still be inferior, so I’ll stick with 3 series.

Stuart
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Old 15th Jun 2020, 7:51 pm   #16
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

Quote:
Originally Posted by SiriusHardware View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slothie View Post
I wrote software for the 3mx for a couple of years in OPL
I wonder why they didn't just admit it was BASIC?

That's what it was, to all intents and purposes. Somewhere around here, I still have a computer with the OPL IDE on it.
Well, yes, I agree it was certainly based on BASIC, versions for later (series 3 or MC onwards?) machines did have the additional commands such as "menu", "dialog" and "messagebox" which hooked into the system and allowed the OPL programs to look and behave just like those written in C and compiled or the built in Applications loaded from ROM.

I do presume it was written by Psion themselves and perhaps they just didn't want to call it BASIC?

I loved my Psion machines. I had one (now have more than one of most) of almost every machine they made, from the calculator like Organiser, all the way up to the Series 7. My favourite was probably the 3mx which was nearly perfect. The revo was a superb device but had a few flaws (poor build quality and failing batteries) that meant it fell short of being great. I had the OPL IDE, the (rarer) OVAL IDE, Neuon's OPL editor and pre-processor. I was a Psion registered developer with a set of personal IDs for signing Applications for the 32bit machines. I think they may have been called UUID's? I wrote a fair number of programs for the Psion. Including some PC interfaces for the database, including one that allowed me to enter TV Licensing information on either PC or Psion and then format it and upload it to the TV Licence authority.

I don't use my Psions anymore which is a pity. I have managed to get the Series 3c emulator loaded onto my Android laptop, and also onto my iMac.

If I need any nostalgia, or if I need to check my microwave using one of the programs I wrote that performed the power testing calculations, I power up my 3mx.

Had Psion stayed true to their original designs I wonder if their future would have looked like the Planet Computing Gemini? I sometimes look at the Gemini and think "I really like that. It does look like a modern Psion." but then I give it a little thought and realise that I doo so little typing on my 'phone that the keyboard would just add weight (and cost) to my pocket and go back to the touchscreen 'phone.

But I still love those Psions...
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Old 15th Jun 2020, 10:17 pm   #17
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Default Re: Psion series 3mx and terminal software

OPL was based on a PC database package called xchange, so I assume PSION wanted to emphasise its integration with the organiser rather than have people think "oh it's only BASIC".
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