AlexElectronics has spent eight months rebuilding the Apple Lisa inside an FPGA, delivering a fully functional clone that runs the original Lisa OS. The project, dubbed LisaFPGA, now supports USB peripherals, HDMI audio‑video output, and an onboard hard‑disk interface. The effort showcases how legacy systems can be revived with modern hardware for developers and hobbyists.

The design relies on a high‑speed Xilinx FPGA, mapping the Lisa's 8‑bit bus and 1‑MHz CPU clock to modern logic cells. By offloading the original 1.5‑MHz video controller to a dedicated HDMI encoder, the clone achieves smooth video without the original CRT hardware. USB‑to‑serial bridges allow legacy serial communication to remain functional for system integrators.

Project files are released under an open‑source license and will land on GitHub once the author finishes polishing the firmware. The repository includes a makefile, Verilog source, and a Python script to generate bitstreams. Enthusiasts can download the bitstream and flash it onto any compatible development board, turning a modern FPGA into a nostalgic workstation.

Recreating the Lisa in an FPGA proves that vintage software can run on contemporary platforms without emulation overhead. It also provides a low‑cost, power‑efficient alternative to running the original hardware, which required a CRT and scarce disk drives. Hobbyists and educators can now experiment with early GUIs, multitasking, and the Lisa's legacy codebase.