Quad-Port Serial Expansion Board for the Apple Lisa

Hello LisaList -  

I am excited to announce that Sapient Technologies will soon be releasing a Quad-Port Serial Expansion Board for the Apple Lisa. The QPB, as it’s called, is based on the Tecmar serial card and adds four additional DB25 serial ports to the Lisa. It is compatible with Microsoft XENIX 3.0 (based on UNIX System III) and UniSoft UniPlus+ UNIX V (based on UNIX System V).  

I spent a lot of time with a pre-production QPB serial card and both XENIX and UNIX these last few months putting together the guide and related documentation. Both operating systems include UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy) tools and archaic mail functionality. With the help of an Internet-connected UUCP proxy (like a Raspberry Pi w/ postfix) it is possible to send/receive modern emails on the Lisa using the ‘mail’ client. With the included C libraries and compiler, and some creative use of UUCP/UUX, I expect even cooler things can ported or created. The guide includes instructions for file transfers, mail operations, and more, and I hope to provide some instructions on my blog for the Postfix configurations very soon. I will also be sharing any applications or projects developed for XENIX and UNIX on the Lisa.  

The card is compatible with the Lisa 2/5 and 2/10, as well as Mac XLs provided a compatible ROM is installed (i.e. not 3A). VintageMicros will be offering a kit beginning in November 2018 that includes the quad-port serial card and XENIX and UNIX pre-installed on compact flash cards compatible with the X/ProFile. The kit also includes a 100+ page color manual to help get users started. Compatible ROMs are also available for those that need them.  

In the spirit of transparency, I have no financial stake in the QPB project or Sapient Technologies, and kept the card in exchange for the guide and related work. I’m interested in seeing ALL projects and efforts dedicated to preserving Lisa hardware and software succeed. For those interested, I have a more formal writeup at http://www.jimmdenton.com/sapient-qpb/ with pictures and ordering information, and am happy to answer any questions as best I can.  

Looking forward to some UUCP neighbors!  

James

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