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[andrew]

What's the best way to transport a Lisa? I'm not talking about packing and shipping it, but rather if I wanted to throw it in the trunk and drive it somewhere or carry it from one building to another. Do people buy custom pelican cases or is there a specific model of container or case that I can buy? What do you guys use?

[blusnowkitty]

If I were just putting my Lisa in the car to take to some show, I don't think I'd take too many precautions. Probably just put a blanket or towel over the tube to keep it from getting scratched and buckle it into the back seat. Unless yours has been sitting in the sun for the past 30 years, the plastics in the Lisa are very good quality, a far cry from the plastics in late 68000 and early PowerPC Macs.

If you've got a Profile you're taking with you, I'd probably treat it the same way, just make sure your disk has seeked into the landing zone before transport.

If you've got a working Widget, that's probably where I'd get some kind of padded case. I've read enough threads here and on 68kmla; Widgets use a glass indexing platter that's glued into place and if that platter ever detaches from your Widget, good luck getting it to work ever again.

[compu_85]

Whenever I move my Lisa, I put some padding down on the car seat, wrap the computer in a moving blanket, and strap it in with the seatbelt.

You don't want to put too much force on the plastic feet. Also, take care when transporting the keyboard that the keys aren't pressed down. Being pressed for a long time can squash the foam.

When taking my 2/10 long distances I will sometimes take the drive cage out, and put it on some additional padding. If the glass piece does happen to come loose, you can glue it back in place - but don't try to start the drive! That would ruin the platter heads or more. When I arrive I'll take the disk and gently turn it around to see if anything inside rattles.

-J

[stepleton]

In my car, it's possible to fold the seats down and achieve a flat bed in the back. I put the Lisas on a thick foam pad (think yoga mat or camping bedroll), doubled up, with the long axis of the machines lined up with the long axis of the car. That's it; no belts or any other restraint, just careful driving. I think I've chauffeured my Lisas around 700 miles total this way, but mostly on decent roads like major highways. For longer trips I may have used a pillow in between the machines to make certain that they wouldn't knock their foreheads together.

[paule]

FWIW, my best Lisa was recently shipped by FedEx, double boxed and well padded, and the Lisa and Widget did just fine (I don't think I would hazard that again).