Lisa 2/10 CRT Deflection Adjustment? (and a software question)

[armadsen]

I recently got my hands on a Lisa 2/10 in amazing cosmetic condition, but non-working. I repaired the power supply by recapping it and replacing the transformer that's part of the 5V standby and 18V power supply, which was bad. I also disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated the floppy disk load mechanism which was completely seized by hardened lubricant. Anyway, after doing those two things, the machine boots and runs really well!

The only remaining (hardware) problem seems to be incorrect deflection on the CRT. The image is a little too narrow horizontally, and a little too tall vertically, as seen here:



I've had a hard time finding information about what could cause this and possible fixes. Are there adjustments for deflection available somewhere? Components that likely need replacing? I'm quite confident in my abilities (I'm an EE), but like to look before I leap and go in with as much knowledge as I can, so I'd really appreciate advice from the Lisa experts here.

I also have a software question: The Lisa boots into Lisa Office System 3.1 from the internal Widget drive just fine. However, when I go to run any of the Lisa* apps, I get a message along the lines of "this copy of LisaWrite is not licensed for use on this Lisa". I know the Lisa had a copy protection system whereby the first time apps were installed/run, they were modified with a unique serial number for the machine so they couldn't be copied or used on another Lisa. However, as far as I know, this Lisa has the same hard drive that has been in it since 1984 when it was purchased new. I got it from the original owner, who is quite elderly now, and don't have any reason to suspect that anything unusual has been done with it. There are a couple documents on the hard drive, presumably created by him, that won't open due to that error. Any ideas about what could cause this or how to fix it? I did get the original floppy disks for LOS as well as MacWorks (not installed on the HD that I can find) from him.

Thanks for any help. I'm super excited to finally have gotten a Lisa, as it was the last Apple machine I really wanted for my collection.

 

[bibilit]

Hi,

congrats.

All adjustments are located under the upper plastic cover.

Remove the two hidden screws inside the cards well and remove the lid. 

 

[Johnnya101]

Yup. Use an insulated screwdriver, and keep a hand in your back pocket. Machine has to be on for this...

(Im guessing it uses screws for adjustment)

 

[fri0701]

The Lisa stores its information about its serial number (for use in copy protection) in the Video ROM (C6 on the CPU board). I don't know what would be causing your error if you haven't replaced the CPU board or that chip specifically, but there is a command you can run from within service mode where you can see the serial number the Lisa "thinks" it has. Maybe you can try checking that and see if it matches with the number on the case?

Information here about querying the serial number: http://www.applefritter.com/content/apple-lisa-serial-number-info

-fri0701

 

[ScutBoy]

The disk images for LisaOS and the 7/7 apps are not hard to find on-line. Make new images of "clean" disks and delete the apps from the machine and reinstall.

 

[armadsen]

Thanks everyone. The adjustment wouldn't take the width far enough to fill the screen. It seems like a good idea to recap the video board at the very least, so I've got it out and am doing just that. I'll troubleshoot and fix the deflection issue after recapping.

 

[lisa2]

i don't think it's anything to do with caps...

My guess is that your system had the "screen mod" installed at some point, this would explain why the screen is out of adjustment, and possibly why the vid rom serial number has changed due to the screen mod having been reversed.  

Check if the screen mod transformer is (still) installed, if is then you will never get it adjusted correctly with the 'H' ROMs installed.

Rick

 

[armadsen]

Thanks for the advice, Rick. I don't see a screen mod transformer. As I understand it, it would normally be affixed to the side of the card cage to the right of the CRT. There's nothing there, nor any evidence that it was once there. Here's a photo I just took:


(The video board is missing and the CRT wires floating because I unsoldered them to remove the board. Haven't finished recapping it yet.)

Also the seals on the video board adjustment pots were intact when I opened the machine up. I broke them to adjust the width and height.

 

[armadsen]

Replacing all the caps, the 24V (28V) regulator U1, and Q5 on the video board did the trick. Seems to be running beautifully now:



So, still on my list is the serial number issue, as well as replacing the foam pads in the keyboard.

Thanks so much for the help here!

 

[bigmessowires]

Nice work, it's looking great!

 

[bibilit]

Nice, never been able to play with Lisa OS, all the Hard drive i have had so far were dead.

By The Way, looking a link for Lisa Os (French) all the disks i have are gone bad.

 

[fri0701]

Great job! It's always great to see one of these come back to life.

 

[NJRoadfan]

Just keep in mind that the Lisa clock can't be set beyond 1995. Even Apple knew it wasn't going to be on the market that long!