Connecting your Psion

Conecting your Psion to another computer or equipment is simple. Once you have your Cable, then the next step is software or an understanding of Comms

PC Link Software
There are two packages worth mentioning,PsiWin and Rcom. Psiwin is a huge package for what it does. Relying on Windows 95/98/NT® The PC takes over your Psion.This bolts itself into the Windows GUI, but for Series 3 users the only decent one is v2.3, which costs.From this you can sync with Outlook and other packages, backup, copy and convert from files to Psion format docs. Rcom on the other hand is a reliable and not so system hungry as Psiwin. R-com (Freeware), a DOS application, runnable in Windows 95 and NT, lets you copy and backup to and from PC, and you can even have the Psion accessing the PC drives. Printing can be achieved through RCOMs RPRINT facility - so no need for an expensive Printer cable. It can even be run from a floppy - no need for installing it onto your PC.

Mac Link Software
With Macs, you have MacConnect, and MCLink. Tony Hodge has done some Research on MCLink this matter and has produced some pages about it. Psiconnect for the Mac, I have litle info about, if anyone would like to send me some info, please do so.

Comms
This package comes as a standard app on Series 3c and mx, and is proably one of the most powerful packages you have at your control.
Occasionally you will not have the luxury of using link software like the above, you will be faced with the daunting task of connecting your psion to a machine that might have never seen a Psion before, and below is how to do it, as long as you have your trusty link cable.
Comms software is everywhere, the most common is hyperterminal for Windows and Claris Comms for the Mac, but any x,y,z modem protocol software would work (Procomm, pcAnywhere etc).Run the comms package and set it up to the comm port and speed you have your psion, run comms on the Psion and match settings, select the protocol you want to send files, and you have it, and without a Psiwin in sight.
Of course this is only for file transfer, not printing or full backups. Y modem is a batch protocol, but I have not managed to get more than one file transfered at a time.
An alternative to using Psion Comms is Serges ZTERM

Using comms for other things is quite easy once you get the hang of setting up the port speeds and protocols. Scripts can come into play to automatically do tasks.There is a documents about comms in our Technical Docs Page

Infrared

Infrared on Series 3c and mx can be done between two psions or (with success by some) with machines with infrared capabiliity.
To set your Psion to send and recieve through it's infrared port,

  • Press Psion-L on the system screen to open the Communications Screen
  • Change settings to Link Cable and add -sTTY:I to extra parameters.
  • Any comms will be redirected to the IR port.
    This is un-supported by Psion and some people have not got it to work.
    Using your psion to print with infrared or transfer files to another Psion works efficiently.

    Once you are connected then the world is your oyster, backing up becomes easier, moving files around a doddle. With using Comms you can connect to other equipment like Network Terminals, through modems to Bulletin Boards, and of course using Psimail Internet to link to the web.

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