Hi all!
My wife and I visited VCF West a few months ago, and came home with a lovely Apple Lisa 2/10. The machine is in good shape overall, including a functional internal 10MB Widget drive with MacWorks XL installed. The only real issue with the machine that I'm aware of is that the upper Parallel port doesn't work properly (according to the previous owner).
I also bought an ESProfile (external hard drive emulator), which I have attached to the lower Parallel port. However, when I power on the Lisa and get to the boot select menu, pressing Apple-4 to select the lower Parallel port (where the ESProfile is attached) causes the ESProfile to blink twice, and then the Lisa emits three loud beeps and asks if I want to try again or just restart.
I've done the following troubleshooting steps:
- Made sure the ESProfile is getting good power via a known-good Micro USB cable and known good wall charger
- Tested the ESProfile on both the upper and lower Parallel ports (same behavior either way)
- Flashed / updated the firmware on the ESP32 module according to the steps on the GitHub page
- Tried with a wide variety of bootable Lisa image files, each placed in the root of the microSD card and renamed "profile.image"
- Downloaded and tried to use the "Selector" bootable image
- Reformatted the microSD card and reinstalled various bootable images, each renamed "profile.image"
- Moved the Parallel card from Slot 1 to Slot 2 (no change in behavior, other than the boot device numbers changing appropriately in the boot selection menu)
What am I missing here? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Update:
I'd already been tinkering with it for hours by the time I posted and my brain was turning into mush... so I kept going for another 2-3 hours. Here are some more details and updates:
- I get the same response whether I use the keyboard shortcut or manually click the icon for the lower Parallel port
- The screen shows an icon of a ProFile drive with an X through it and the code "85" below
- From what I can tell after poking around in some old Lisa docs, error code 85 seems to indicate that the external drive "can't keep up" - what does that mean in this context?
- I also installed everything onto a different known-good microSD card but got the same results
- I did a complete low-level (aka not "quick") format on both microSD cards and reinstalled the boot images, no change in results
- I'm not actually sure if my external-style ESProfile will work internally or not. The Parallel cable is detachable and it looks like the same type of cable that connects the internal Widget drive to the system, but I've read at least one other thread from someone who destroyed their ESProfile and badly damaged their Lisa by getting the un-keyed internal cable plugged in correctly, so I'm a bit nervous to try that option...
- Early in the evening, when I try to boot from the ESProfile (including the beeps)
Grateful for any further suggestions!
This seems to be a configuration issue with the ESProFile. Your Lisa seems to be working fine. I would start with the SD card, making sure the drive images and selector are all in the right place.
What does the root of your SD card look like?
Thanks for the reply!
As of right now, the microSD card is empty, save for a single "profile.image" file. I've swapped out that file between various images (LOS boot images, the Selector image, etc.), always renaming it "profile.image," but the results have been the same, including after testing with another card, doing a full low-level format, etc.
Could you try plugging your ESProFile into the built-in parallel port, the one that the Widget is currently connected to? That way, we can confirm whether it's a problem with ESProFile or something to do with the parallel card.
You could also download the .zip file in this Google Drive folder, unzip and copy its contents to the root of your SD card: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SnGo1Won63IntYfYbV4ddHpuPoutTXhc?usp=share_link
No need to rename any of the files. Let us know how it goes.
Quote from: AlexTheCat123 on January 18, 2026, 01:38:27 PMCould you try plugging your ESProFile into the built-in parallel port, the one that the Widget is currently connected to? That way, we can confirm whether it's a problem with ESProFile or something to do with the parallel card.
I'm down to give this a shot. Can you give me any guidance or even some pictures on how to connect the cabling? I'm nervous about frying it since I read the cable is not keyed...
Quote from: ried on January 18, 2026, 01:39:46 PMYou could also download the .zip file in this Google Drive folder, unzip and copy its contents to the root of your SD card: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SnGo1Won63IntYfYbV4ddHpuPoutTXhc?usp=share_link
No need to rename any of the files. Let us know how it goes.
I just formatted the SD card and placed the contents of your zip filed into the root folder and gave it another shot on the Lisa. Same results as before, three high beeps and error "85" under an icon of a crossed out ProFile drive.
I did manage to get Lisa OS installed via my Floppy Emu. Interestingly, when I go to Preferences > Connect Devices > Expansion Slot 2 > 2 Port Card > Lower Connector, it already has "ProFile" listed for that Parallel port. It's almost as though the Lisa can 'see' the device but can't mount it (if that terminology fits here)...
Huh. Three high beeps indicates "Startup device invalid/failure" according to:
https://lisafaq.sunder.net/lisafaq-hw-rom_beeps.html
Your SD card uses Master Boot Record and is formatted MS-DOS (FAT32), correct?
Quote from: ried on January 18, 2026, 10:22:02 PMHuh. Three high beeps indicates "Startup device invalid/failure" according to:
https://lisafaq.sunder.net/lisafaq-hw-rom_beeps.html
Your SD card uses Master Boot Record and is formatted MS-DOS (FAT32), correct?
Hi again. Yep, just double-checked: the main SD card I've been trying to use is indeed FAT32 formatted using MBR.
I think Alex's suggestion to use the internal Widget connector is your next logical choice. You'll find the correct cable connections shown in this post: https://lisalist2.com/index.php/topic,556.msg3998.html#msg3998
QuoteCan you give me any guidance or even some pictures on how to connect the cabling? I'm nervous about frying it since I read the cable is not keyed...
You are wise to be cautious as one sometimes runs across strangely incorrect combinations, eg. Lisa 1 internal chassis cabling with a 2/10 motherboard (which means the 26 pin internal connectors are mismatched and connecting to them can result in damage).
If you have a 2/10 motherboard (so no back panel parallel port, ignoring expansion cards), then in the drive cage area there should be one 26 pin cable and one 20 pin cable.
If you have two 26 pin cables in the drive cage area, then you should have a Lisa 1 aka 2/5 motherboard with 3 DB25 connectors along the bottom (two serial ports, one parallel).
QuoteI did manage to get Lisa OS installed via my Floppy Emu. Interestingly, when I go to Preferences > Connect Devices > Expansion Slot 2 > 2 Port Card > Lower Connector, it already has "ProFile" listed for that Parallel port. It's almost as though the Lisa can 'see' the device but can't mount it (if that terminology fits here)...
If it appears in the "Startup From" menu, then Lisa recognizes it is there... the CPU ROM actively looks for expansion cards and if it finds one, it gets the icon for it from the card's own ROM.
The Preferences in LOS are not so smart: the default installation always shows a 2 port card in slot 2, but this is because it was pre-configured to expect that, not because it looked and found it... ie. it pre-dates "plug-and-play".
Quote from: ried on January 18, 2026, 11:15:56 PMI think Alex's suggestion to use the internal Widget connector is your next logical choice. You'll find the correct cable connections shown in this post: https://lisalist2.com/index.php/topic,556.msg3998.html#msg3998
Thanks for this! In an abundance of caution, I want to double-check: is the orientation of the ESProFile cable connector the same on the external version (what I have) and the internal version (what's show in the pics you linked to)? Meaning, if I pull the ribbon cable out of my Widget and put it into the ESProFile in the same orientation, will I be good or will I murder this poor Lisa?
I believe you have it correct the way it is sitting in the photo, yes. 8)
Thanks for the confirmation, @ried! I just gave it a try and got some good news / bad news:
Good news: The ESProFile works! The Lisa immediately loaded the Selector image and happily booted into a MacWorks image when prompted. Yay! ;D
Bad news: Presumably this means that there's something wrong with my Parallel card? Not sure what else to think :(
Really grateful for all the help and support I've gotten here, and hopeful that maybe I can still get this working as intended. Ideas and suggestions very welcome!
Huxley