Apple Lisa 2
 | |
| Apple Lisa 2 with 3.5" Sony floppy drive | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Personal/business computer |
| Released | January 1984 |
| Discontinued | April 1985 (rebranded as Macintosh XL) |
| Intro price | US$3,495 (Lisa 2/5) |
| Units sold | ~60,000 (including Macintosh XL) |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 5 MHz |
| Memory | 512 KB RAM standard (expandable to 2 MB) |
| Storage | One 3.5″ 400 KB floppy in every Lisa 2 configuration Lisa 2/5: + external 5 MB ProFile Lisa 2/10: + internal 10 MB Widget |
| Display | 12″ monochrome CRT, 720 × 364 pixels |
| Sound | Mono, via a continuously variable slope demodulator (CVSD) |
| Graphics | Integrated raster display controller |
| Input | Detachable keyboard, one-button mouse |
| Connectivity | 2 × RS-232 serial (Apple calls them RS232 port A and port B); parallel printer |
| Expansion | 3 × internal Lisa slots; 2 MB RAM expansion board |
| Dimensions | 15.2″ H × 18.7″ W × 13.8″ D |
| Weight | 48 lb (21.8 kg) |
| OS / Firmware | Lisa OS 2.0–3.1; MacWorks XL (optional) |
| Predecessor | Apple Lisa |
| Successor | Macintosh XL (rebrand) |
The Apple Lisa 2 was Apple Computer's redesigned and more affordable iteration of the original Apple Lisa, introduced in January 1984. The Lisa 2 addressed the original's most critical flaws by replacing the unreliable "Twiggy" floppy drives with industry-standard 3.5″ Sony drives and reducing the entry price by 65%. Available in two configurations—the Lisa 2/5 with external ProFile drive and the Lisa 2/10 with internal Widget hard drive—the Lisa 2 represented Apple's final attempt to salvage the Lisa platform before its transformation into the Macintosh XL.
Development and Market Positioning
Engineering Response to Lisa 1 Failures
The Lisa 2 project began immediately after the original Lisa's troubled launch in mid-1983. Apple engineers, led by the Lisa hardware team under Wayne Rosing, focused on addressing the three primary complaints: the unreliable Twiggy drives, the prohibitive $9,995 price point, and limited software availability.[1]
Sony Drive Integration
The transition from Twiggy to Sony 3.5″ drives required significant engineering effort. The new drive controller, designed by the team that would later create the Macintosh IWM (Integrated Woz Machine), provided compatibility with the emerging 3.5″ standard while maintaining backward compatibility with existing Lisa software through a ROM update.[2]
Price Reduction Strategy
To achieve the dramatic price reduction, Apple:
- Eliminated one floppy drive in the base model
- Reduced standard RAM from 1 MB to 512 KB
- Simplified the packaging and documentation
- Leveraged economies of scale from shared components with Macintosh[3]
Hardware Specifications
Core Architecture
The Lisa 2 retained the original's fundamental architecture while implementing cost-saving measures:
| Component | Lisa 1 | Lisa 2/5 | Lisa 2/10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 5 MHz | Motorola 68000 @ 5 MHz | |
| Standard RAM | 1 MB | 512 KB | 512 KB |
| Maximum RAM | 2 MB | 2 MB | |
| Floppy drives | 2 × Twiggy (871 KB) | 1 × Sony (400 KB) | 1 × Sony (400 KB) |
| Hard drive | External ProFile 5 MB | External ProFile 5 MB | Internal Widget 10 MB |
| List price | US$9,995 | US$3,495 | Reported variously as US$4,995 and US$5,495; neither could be confirmed against an Apple document |
Memory Configuration
The Lisa 2 introduced a new memory architecture to reduce costs:[4]
- Base configuration: 512 KB using 256K×1 DRAM chips
- Expansion options:
512 KB card (bringing total to 1 MB) 1.5 MB card (bringing total to 2 MB)
- Memory map: Identical to Lisa 1, maintaining software compatibility
Storage Subsystem
Sony 3.5″ Floppy Implementation
The Sony MP-F51W drives offered:[5]
- 400 KB formatted capacity (single-sided)
- Variable-speed rotation (the zoned scheme Apple also used on the 400 KB Macintosh drive)
- Automatic disk ejection mechanism
- Enhanced reliability over Twiggy drives
Widget Hard Drive (Lisa 2/10)
The internal Widget drive represented a significant advancement:[6]
- 10 MB capacity (compared to 5 MB ProFile)
- Integrated controller board
- Faster seek times (65 ms average)
- Direct connection to Lisa's parallel port
- Built-in diagnostics ROM
I/O Port Configuration
The Lisa 2 maintained the original's connectivity while adding AppleTalk support:
| Port | Notes |
|---|---|
| Serial A, Serial B | RS-232, DB-25. Apple's error codes call them "RS232 port A" and "RS232 port B" (codes 55 and 56)[7] |
| Parallel | For a ProFile or a dot-matrix printer. Absent on the Lisa 2/10, where it is used internally for the Widget; a Parallel Interface Card in an expansion slot restores it[7] |
| Mouse | DE-9 |
| Keyboard | Coiled cord to the I/O board |
Maximum data rates and an AppleTalk capability were previously tabulated here and are not supported by anything held on this wiki. The Lisa has no AppleTalk hardware; its serial ports are RS-232. The figures have been removed.
Software Compatibility
Lisa Office System 2.0
The Lisa 2 shipped with an updated Lisa Office System optimized for the reduced memory configuration:[8]
- Memory optimization: Applications redesigned to run in 512 KB
- Disk handling: New floppy driver for Sony mechanisms
- Performance improvements: Faster application switching
- Bug fixes: Addressed over 200 issues from Lisa OS 1.0
MacWorks Compatibility Layer
In late 1984, Apple introduced MacWorks, allowing Lisa 2 to run Macintosh software:[9]
- Emulated Macintosh 64K ROM routines
- Provided 400 KB RAM to applications
- Supported most Macintosh software except games
- Limited by lack of Macintosh sound hardware
Models and Configurations
Lisa 2/5
The entry-level configuration included:
- Single 3.5″ floppy drive
- External ProFile 5 MB hard drive
- 512 KB RAM standard
- Lisa Office System 2.0
- US$3,495 list price
Lisa 2/10
The premium configuration featured:
- One 3.5″ floppy drive — Apple's service manual states plainly that "Lisa 2, 2/5, and
2/10 have only one disk drive"[7]
- Internal Widget 10 MB hard drive
- 512 KB RAM standard
- Lisa Office System 2.0
- US$5,495 list price
Upgrade Paths
Apple offered official upgrade programs:[10]
- Lisa 1 to Lisa 2/5 (I/O board and drive module swap)
- Lisa 1 to Lisa 2/10 (Widget drive as well)
- Lisa 2/5 to Lisa 2/10 (the Widget drive and the 2/10 I/O board, motherboard and power supply)
Manufacturing and Quality Control
Production Changes
The Lisa 2 incorporated several manufacturing improvements:[11]
- Simplified motherboard with reduced chip count
- Improved power supply reliability
- Better thermal management
- Streamlined assembly process
Identifying which Lisa you have
Apple's own identification method is a picture, not a serial number: the Lisa 2 Diagnostics section prints line drawings distinguishing the three machines by what is attached — a bare 3.5-inch Microdisk drive (Lisa 2), that drive plus an external 5 MB ProFile (Lisa 2/5), or that drive plus a built-in 10 MB hard disk (Lisa 2/10).[7] Page 3 of the Apple Lisa 2 Owners Guide 1984 is Apple's customer-facing version of the same question. A further check: the Lisa 2/10 I/O board has no switch where the earlier boards do.[7]
Serial-number prefix ranges previously listed here could not be traced to any Apple document and have been removed.
Apple's start-up self-test
On power-up the Lisa runs a self-test from the boot ROM on the CPU board. Apple's own description of what should happen:[7]
- The on/off lamp lights.
- The machine is silent for about three seconds, then emits a single click.
- About 30 seconds after power-on, as the picture tube warms up, the screen shows
four icons representing the CPU, I/O, Memory and Expansion cards, each highlighted in turn as the boot ROM tests it.
- If a card fails you hear error tones and its icon appears with a large X through
it, and testing stops. Reseat the board, power up again, and swap it out if the same error returns.
- Or an error icon and a numeric error code are displayed — see the table below.
Thirty seconds of blank screen is normal. Apple's own flowchart only sends the reader to the video repair procedures if there is no picture after 30 seconds.[7]
LisaTest needs two memory boards fitted to run at all, in any Lisa 2 configuration, and APPLE-SHIFT-S switches it from Customer Level to Service Level, where individual modules can be tested.[7]
| Code | Apple's description | Apple's action, in order |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Unable to clamp diskette | See the start-up error messages for the "bad diskette" icon |
| 23 | Unable to read diskette | As above |
| 25 | Unable to unclamp diskette | As above |
| 38 | No boot file on diskette | As above |
| 39 | Disk controller timeout | I/O board → CPU board → motherboard |
| 40 | HMU | CPU board |
| 41 | CPU selection logic | CPU board |
| 42 | Video circuitry | CPU board |
| 43 | Parity circuitry | CPU board → memory board 1 → memory board 2 → motherboard |
| 44 | NMI error | CPU board → I/O board → motherboard |
| 45 | BUS error | I/O board → CPU board → motherboard |
| 46 | Address error | CPU board → memory board 1 → memory board 2 |
| 47 | Exception | CPU board → motherboard |
| 48 | Illegal instruction | CPU board → memory board 1 → memory board 2 |
| 49 | 1010 or 1111 trap | CPU board → memory board 1 → memory board 2 |
| 50 | COPs VIA | I/O board → CPU board → motherboard |
| 51 | Parallel port VIA | I/O board → CPU board → motherboard |
| 52 | I/O board COPs | I/O board |
| 53 | Keyboard COPs | Keyboard → I/O board → keyboard cable → motherboard |
| 54 | Clock error | I/O board |
| 55 | RS232 port A | I/O board |
| 56 | RS232 port B | I/O board |
| 57 | Disk controller | I/O board → disk drive → disk drive cables → CPU board → motherboard |
| 58 | I/O board access | I/O board → CPU board → motherboard |
| 59 | I/O board COPs code | I/O board |
| 60 | I/O or keyboard error | Keyboard → I/O board → keyboard cable → motherboard |
| 70 | Memory data | Replace the memory board named by the icon displayed |
| 71 | Memory parity | As above |
| 75 | Boot failure | See the start-up error messages for the icon shown |
| 80–85 | ProFile errors | See the start-up error messages for the "bad ProFile" icon |
| 90–93 | Expansion card error | See the start-up error messages for the "bad expansion card" icon |
There are no codes in the 10s, and none between 60 and 70. A banded table of the form "10–19 = CPU board, 20–29 = I/O board" was previously published here and is not Apple's: 22, 23 and 25 are diskette-handling failures, and the CPU-board codes are 40–49.[7]
Apple part numbers
| Assembly | Lisa 1 / Lisa 2 | Lisa 2/5 | Lisa 2/10 and Macintosh XL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power supply | 661-93108 (US), 661-93149 (European) | 661-93108 | 661-73172 |
| Motherboard | 661-93106 | 661-93106 | 661-93170 |
| I/O board | 661-93104 (Lisa 1.0) | 661-93198 | 661-93171 |
| CPU board | 661-93103 throughout; the Macintosh XL modified CPU card is 661-0298 | ||
| Memory board | 661-93105 | ||
| Video board | 661-93107 | ||
| Flyback transformer | 076-0106; CRT/yoke assembly 076-0150; yoke trim magnets 159-0015, 159-0020 (yellow), 159-0021 (red), 159-0022 (green), 159-0023 (blue) | ||
| 3.5-inch Microdisk assembly | 661-76156; Microdisk Adapter PCB 661-93194 | ||
| Internal hard disk assembly | — | 661-93176 | |
| Keyboard / mouse | Keyboard 661-93109; mouse 661-93111 (Lisa 1.0/2.0) or 661-96155 (Macintosh-Lisa 2/10); mouse ball 699-8001 | ||
The one-line answer to "is the Lisa 2/10 supply different?" Yes — Apple lists it as a different part, 661-73172 against 661-93108 for the Lisa 1 and Lisa 2. So is the motherboard and so is the I/O board. Current ratings quoted elsewhere for these two supplies could not be sourced and are not given here.[7]
Common Issues and Maintenance
Power Supply Problems
The supply is a known weak point and a full recap is the usual remedy. Two points of caution:
- Apple publishes no rail tolerance and no voltage-adjustment procedure for the Lisa. The
Level 1 procedures cover video adjustments — horizontal phase, brightness and contrast, yoke and trim magnets — and nothing else.[7] Designators for "+5 V" and "+12 V" adjustment potentiometers were previously given here; they are not in any Apple document held and have been removed rather than left for someone to turn.
- Apple's video repair table lists "a sizzling noise coming from Lisa" and "power supply
trips (turns off and on)" as symptoms whose first two remedies are brightness and contrast adjustment, before replacing the supply, video board or flyback — so a tripping supply on a Lisa is not automatically a supply fault.[7]
Widget Drive Failures
The Widget drive has specific failure modes:[12]
- Servo failure: Replace servo control board components
- Head crashes: Often irreparable, require drive replacement
- Controller errors: Re-seat or replace controller board
Memory Expansion Issues
The Lisa has no SIMMs — memory is on plug-in memory boards, Apple part 661-93105, in the card cage. Common problems:
- Edge-connector oxidation on the memory boards — clean the contacts
- Codes 70 and 71 name the failing board by icon; try each board on its own
- Compatibility: Some third-party RAM incompatible
Market Performance and Legacy
Sales Impact
The Lisa 2's price reduction had immediate effects:[13]
- Initial sales surge in Q1 1984
- Competition with Macintosh announcement
- Inventory challenges with Lisa 1 units
- Total Lisa 2/XL sales estimated at 60,000 units
Transition to Macintosh XL
In January 1985, Apple rebranded remaining Lisa 2/10 inventory as the Macintosh XL:[14]
- Included MacWorks XL boot disk
- Marketed as high-end Macintosh
- Discontinued April 1985
- Final units sold through 1986
Historical Significance
The Lisa 2 represents a crucial transition in Apple's history:
- Bridge between Lisa and Macintosh platforms
- Demonstrated Apple's ability to respond to market feedback
- Established 3.5″ floppy as Apple standard
- Influenced design of future Apple products
Technical Documentation
Service Information
Key service resources include:
- Lisa 2 Owner's Guide (030-0839-A)
- Lisa 2 Service Manual (072-0061-A)
- Widget Service Guide (072-0089-A)
- MacWorks XL Manual (030-1042-A)
Diagnostic Tools
Apple provided several diagnostic utilities:[15]
- Lisa Test Disk 3.0 (comprehensive hardware test)
- Widget Diagnostic (hard drive specific)
- NeoWidEx (third-party Widget tool)
- Service Mode (built-in ROM diagnostics)
Preservation and Collecting
Current Market
Lisa 2 systems have become increasingly collectible:[16]
- Working systems: US$2,000-5,000 (2024 prices)
- Parts machines: US$500-1,500
- Rare configurations command premium prices
- Widget drives particularly sought after
Restoration Considerations
Modern restoration typically involves:
- Complete capacitor replacement
- Battery removal (prevents corrosion)
- Drive mechanism cleaning and lubrication
- ROM updates for reliability
- Modern storage solutions (SCSI2SD, X/ProFile)
Apple's own manuals for this machine on this wiki
- Macintosh XL Screen Kit — Apple's manual for the MacWorks XL screen modification,
part number 030-1240-A, © 1985. It gives the startup key combinations for a converted Lisa: hold the Apple key and type 2 on the main keyboard at the first click to boot from the 3.5-inch disk, Apple key plus On/Off to restart MacWorks from the hard disk, and Option plus On/Off to start from a floppy. It carries no service information at all.
- Apple Lisa 2 Owners Guide 1984 - the 113-page owner's guide, and the one to read first. Two of its four chapters are Troubleshooting (p. 9) and Maintenance (p. 37), and page 3 is Apple's own "Which Lisa 2 System Do You Have?" identification page.
- Apple Lisa 2 Owners Guide 1983 - a longer, differently organised 348-page owner's guide covering setting up, LisaGuide and the Office System. It is not an unabridged version of the 1984 one; the two are complementary.
- Apple Service Technical Procedures Lisa/Macintosh XL - Apple's Level I service manual, part number 072-0085, in the state that includes the Lisa 2 sections, the Lisa 2/10 upgrade and the Macintosh XL Screen Kit.
- Apple Lisa Level 1 Technical Procedures Mar85 - the same manual, fuller in the base sections.
See Also
References
- ↑
Return to the Little Kingdom: Steve Jobs and the Creation of Apple Computer, Overlook Press
- ISBN 978-1590202036}
- ↑ Hide Under This Desk– Andy Hertzfeld, Folklore.org—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Apple Lisa 2 product announcement, Computer History Museum, 1984-01-10—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Apple Lisa Hardware Information, 68kMLA Wiki—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Lisa 2 Floppy Drive Information, Applefritter—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Apple Widget Hard Drive, Vintage Mac World—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 Apple Computer, Apple Lisa Level 1 Technical Procedures (hosted here: Apple Lisa Level 1 Technical Procedures Mar85): Lisa Set-up section 2.6 "Checking the Battery Switch"; Lisa 2 Diagnostics section 5 "Interpreting the Boot ROM"; Lisa Troubleshooting Guide section 6 and Appendix D "Start-up Error Codes"; Video Repair Procedures; and the Lisa 1, Lisa 2, Lisa 2/5, Lisa 2/10 and Macintosh XL Illustrated Parts Lists.
- ↑
Macintosh Revealed, Hayden Book Company
- ISBN 0-8104-6560-2}
- ↑ MacWorks Brings Mac OS to Lisa, Low End Mac, 2006-03-21—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Lisa 2 Upgrade Manual, Apple Computer, 1984—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Lisa Manufacturing Changes, Applefritter—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Widget Hard Drive Service– Patrick Schäfer—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ The Lisa Computer System, BYTE, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 33-50, February 1984
- ↑ Apple Lisa 2/10 - Macintosh XL Specs, EveryMac.com—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Lisa Diagnostics, Lisa FAQ—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
- ↑ Why the Apple Lisa Is a Holy Grail for Vintage Computer Collectors, Cult of Mac, 2018-08-15—link(accessed 2025-01-25)
External Links