LisaList2

Workshop is ultimately not all that complex an environment, other than the EXEC mechanism. (And the real complexity in EXEC comes from driving Workshop via keystrokes; the language itself is trivial.) Given the availability of the full set of libraries and the presence of much of the Workshop support in LIBPL, it seems like it might not be much of a research problem to create an equivalent that can run under the Office System environment.

I haven't seen this archived elsewhere and figured folks might enjoy it. Popular Science magazine from June, 1983 in the electronics section.

Forget all you know about running a computer: Now there's Apple's Lisa by Jim Schefter.

You must be very careful around the caps lock key. The locking mechanism (in my keyboards anyway) has a small spring-loaded brass pin: the pin is the size of a gnat and the wire that makes up the spring is hair-thin. If you disassemble this mechanism carelessly, the pin and the spring will launch across the room somewhere, never to be seen again. Good luck!

Take all the sliders out and wash them in dish soap (after removing the pads). Also scrub the barrels, cotton swabs work OK for this.

-J

An ultrasonic cleaner comes to mind as the right tool for the job.
Smaller-size cleaners are quite inexpensive and can save you hours of rubbing and wiping dirt. Use cold distilled water (not IPA, as it is highly flammable), clean for a few minutes only, to prevent the water from heating up, which may start melting some plastics.
Disclaimer: have not done it on keycaps.

Before you try a lubricant, compressed air might help to clear any grit. I have an inexpensive blower from Amazon that, when combined with 99% IPA + careful paper towel cleaning, has proven a successful formula. No need to remove any of the keycaps in my case.

As for the Caps Lock key, it has a notoriously fragile mechanism inside. Be careful when exercising it as the white plastic locking bits are quite weak - and not otherwise available, AFAIK.

Hi all,

The keyboard that came with my 'new' Lisa 2/10 has been in semi-functional condition since I bought the system. Most of the keys would respond after a couple firm presses, but it was pretty clear that the foam-and-foil discs inside had degraded. I finished the painstaking task of replacing all the discs last night, and I'm pleased to report that every keypress registers as expected. Whew!

However, there's one more usability-related issue I'd like to solve: the keys feel very 'grindy' when depressed, and not all of them want to rise back into position after being pressed. I suspect that I could perhaps improve this by using some key switch lubricant, but I've never done this before.

I should also note that the Caps Lock toggle-key will engage when pressed down, but doesn't want to disengage when pressed again unless I apply a little upwards-pressure. I can't say for sure I but I suspect/hope that some appropriate lubricant applied to this key will get it working properly...

If anyone has a tip or suggestion on the best way to lubricate the keys on this keyboard, I'd be happy to hear it!

Edit: I was fiddling with older test profiles on my RGBtoHDMI units. Please disregard this post. 

See below.

Quote from: bmwcyclist on February 09, 2026, 09:07:32 AMI was excited to order one until I saw the price.

Every member will have a different tolerance for pricing. 

I would prefer that we do not make judgements on prices here on LisaList2.

We should encourage any Lisa related project, regardless of price.

I can't believe that it is 2026 and new Lisa projects keep happening, it's amazing.

Rick

 

I agree, there should be some sort of 'tell' that it is a reproduction.

I was excited to order one until I saw the price.

I LOVE my modern look-alike LISA mouse.