Gottlieb System 1

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1 Introduction

Gottlieb System 1 Board Set

Of the big 4 pinball makers, Gottlieb was slowest converting from EM to Solid State, producing EMs into 1979 while Bally, Stern, and Williams had all abandoned doing so in 1977/early 1978. The Gottlieb system 1 boardset was designed by Rockwell International, to directly replace the EM logic from the earlier machines. Consequently System 1 games play almost exactly like an EM, just with Solid State scoring.

The playfield layouts were solid EM-esque designs, with rock-solid Gottlieb mechanical parts. Unfortunately, the electronics were not as robust in terms of longevity - exhibiting major problems with connectors, battery corrosion issues, and unavailability today of essential system chips.

One of the biggest issues with the System 1 platform was that it had unreliable ground connections. Unlike the other popular manufacturers of the time, Gottlieb relied solely on connectors and daisy-chained wiring to transport the ground lines from board to board. A large ground plane was used behind the boards, but the circuit boards' grounds were not physically secured to it. Gottlieb opted to use plastic standoffs to elevate and secure the boards to the backbox instead. Thus, if a single ground connector failed in the chain, the logic ground could fail for one or several of the circuit boards. This could potentially lead to locked on coils, relays, and / or controlled lamps. In turn, transistors and chips would fail.

2 Games

Title	Date of Release	Production#	ROM	Sound	Notes
Cleopatra	11-1977	~7300	A or 409	Chimes	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Cleopatra' and a 2-player EM 'Pyramid'
Sinbad	05-1978	12950	B	Chimes	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Sinbad' and a 2-player EM 'Eye of the Tiger'
Joker Poker	08-1978	9280	C	Chimes	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Joker Poker'
Close Encounters of the Third Kind	10-1978	9950	G	Chime board	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Dragon	10-1978	6550	D	Chime board	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Dragon'
Charlie's Angels	11-1978	7950	H	Chime board	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Charlie's Angels'
Solar Ride	02-1979	8800	E	Chime board	Also produced as a 4-player EM 'Solar Ride'
Count-Down	05-1979	9899	F	Chime board	Also produced as a 2-player EM 'Space Walk'
Pinball Pool	08-1979	7200	I	Chime board
Totem	10-1979	6643	J	Sound board J-SND ROM
The Incredible Hulk	10-1979	6150	K	Sound board K-SND ROM
Genie	11-1979	6800	L	Sound board L-SND ROM
Buck Rogers	01-1980	7410	N	Sound board N-SND ROM
Torch	02-1980	3880	P	Sound board P-SND ROM
Roller Disco	02-1980	2400	R	Sound board R-SND ROM
Asteroid Annie and the Aliens	12-1980	211	S	Sound board S-SND ROM	Only available as a single player game

Conversion kits for system 1 from other manufacturers:

• (circa 1982) Movie (Bell Games, 4p)

• (unknown date) Sky Warrior (IDI, 4p)
• (circa 1982) Tiger Woman (IDI, 4p)

• 1984 Sahara Love (Christian Automatic, 4p, production 150) [conversion of Sinbad]
• 1986 L'Heaxagone (Christian Automatic, 4p, production 150) [original playfield design]

• 1985 Jungle Queen (Pinball Shop, 4p) [playfield based on Gottlieb's Jungle Queen]

3 Technical Info

3.1 The System 1 Board Set

3.2 Switch Matrix

Gottlieb System 1 Switch Matrix

The Gottlieb System 1 switch matrix consists of a maximum of 40 switches. There are a total of 5 switch strobes, (starting with 0, ending with 4), and 8 switch returns, (starting with 0, ending with 7). The first number of every switch is its return number, while the second number is the switch's strobe number. An example would be switch 54. Switch 54 is located on return 5 and strobe 4 of the switch matrix. Not every switch in the matrix is used on every System 1 game.

Connections for the switches originate from the two connectors located at the lower left bottom of the CPU board. Connector A1J6 is used for all the switches on the coin door, the ball roll tilt, (the second slam switch), and in some cases, the pendulum tilt. While connector A1J7 is for all of the switches on the playfield.

	Strobe 0 (A1J7-2 / A1J6-8)	Strobe 1 (A1J6-3 / A1J6-4)	Strobe 2 (A1J7-4 / A1J6-5)	Strobe 3 (A1J7-7 / A1J6-6)	Strobe 4 (A1J7-6)
Return 0 (A1J7-12 / A1J6-3)	00	01	02	03	04
Return 1 (A1J7-13)	10	11	12	13	14
Return 2 (A1J6-14)	20	21	22	23	24
Return 3 (A1J6-17)	30	31	32	33	34
Return 4 (A1J6-16)	40	41	42	43	44
Return 5 (A1J6-15)	50	51	52	53	54
Return 6 (A1J6-11)	60	61	62	63	64
Return 7 (A1J6-10)	70	71	72	73	74

Gottlieb System 1 Diode Board

Unlike most other manufacturers, Gottlieb isolated each switch with a 1N270 Germanium diode versus a 1N4004 or 1N4148 silicon diode. The use of a silicon diode will cause the switch matrix to function incorrectly. Furthermore, Gottlieb attached the diodes to central location diode boards for each switch return versus attaching a diode to the switch itself. In some cases, like shown in the pic, the diode boards are stacked on top of one another. This can make testing the diodes on the lower diode board somewhat difficult. Although, it is not too common for the switch diodes to fail.

It should be noted that the switches on return 0 are always the same for every System 1 game. The following switches have the same designations:

• Switch 00 = Test Switch
• Switch 01 = Coin Switch #1
• Switch 02 = Coin Switch #2
• Switch 03 = Credit (Start) Button
• Switch 04 = Tilt Switches (pendulum tilt on the tilt board and the weighted tilt on the playfield)

Even though the switch matrix is being discussed here, it should also be noted that there are three switches used in System 1 games, which are not on the switch matrix. These three switches are the two slam switches and the outhole switch. Each game has two slam switches. The first is a weighted, normally closed switch on the coin door. The second is a normally closed switch on the ball roll tilt cage. Neither the slam switches nor the outhole switch have a switch number designation.

3.3 Chimes vs. First gen chime board

Gottlieb System 1 Chime Board (Tone Board)

The first three System 1 games: Cleopatra, Sinbad, and Joker Poker all used EM style chimes. Starting with Close Encounters of the Third Kind through Pinball Pool, a first generation chime board was used that generated three tones. The chime board used the same three solenoid drive transistors for input as the chime units, making them interchangeable.

3.3.1 Converting from Chimes to Chime Board

This is a stub.

3.3.2 Converting from Chime Board to Chimes

This is a stub.

3.6 Driver Board

Gottlieb System 1 Driver Board

The System 1 Driver board is responsible for all CPU controlled lamps, relays, and solenoids in the game. The CPU controls the driver board operation via an interface between A1J5 on the CPU and A3J1 on the driver board.

Gottlieb did not implement a lamp matrix as some other manufacturers did. Therefore, diodes to isolate each controlled lamp are not necessary. To control the total of 36 lamps, the interface provides device select signals for each of the 9 Quad-D Flip-Flop 74175 chips on the driver board, and 4 bits of data that is loaded (or "clocked") into a particular 74175 via the aforementioned device selects. Each lamp is driven discretely by a particular output of a particular 74175, which in turn drives either an MPS-A13 (32 total) or an MPS-U45 (4 used for lamps) transistor. There are 2 dedicated lamp driven circuits used for the tilt and game over relays on all System 1 games. The transistors for the game over (Q) and tilt (T) relays are always Q1 and Q2 respectively. Equally, there are 2 dedicated lamp circuits for the high game to date and both shoot again lamps,(one in the backbox and one on the playfield). The transistors for these circuits are always Q3 and Q4 respectively.

There is a maximum of 8 solenoids that the driver board can control. Solenoid transistors receive a pulsed signal from the CPU board, which is applied to the associated transistor base. In turn, the solenoid turns on momentarily. 7 of the 8 solenoid transistors used are a 2N6403. TIP102 transistors are a viable, cheaper replacement for the 2N6403. The 8th transistor is a actually a pair of transistors consisting of an MPS-U45 and a 2N3055. There are 5 dedicated controlled solenoids used on all System 1 games. A table of all the solenoids, their associated transistors, and whether or not they are dedicated is listed below.

Sol. #	Sol. Name	Transistor #	Dedicated (Y / N)
1	Outhole	Q32	Y
2	Knocker	Q25	Y
3	10's Chime	Q26	Y
4	100's Chime	Q27	Y
5	1000's Chime	Q28	Y
6	Solenoid 6	Q31	N
7	Solenoid 7	Q30	N
8	Typically drop target reset	Q29 & Q45	N

Remote Transistor Mounted Under Playfield

Starting with Joker Poker, Gottlieb went beyond the threshold of controlled solenoids with 9 total. To accomplish this, they used an MPS-A13 lamp transistor to "pre-drive" a 2N5875 transistor remotely located under the playfield. This practice continued on most System 1 games.

Gottlieb System 1 Driver Board w/ Blocking Diodes

There are two variations of the driver board used in System 1 games. The main difference between the two versions of driver boards is the addition of isolation / blocking diodes on the later driver driver boards starting with game - xxxxxx (check if Count-Down or earlier). Blocking diodes were added to the transistor signal lines from the CPU board.

3.9 Solenoids and Relays

All System 1 games have CPU controlled solenoids, which are driven via the driver board. However, there are other "non-controlled" solenoids used in System 1 games. These solenoids consist of the flippers, pop bumpers, and kicking rubbers (slingshots). All of these solenoids are essentially "live" at the start of a game. The conditions which make them live are a normally closed switch on the tilt relay and a normally open switch on the game over relay. Once the game over relay locks in, all that is necessary for these solenoids to activate is an associated playfield switch to close, or in the case of the flippers, pressing the appropriate flipper button. All of the non-controlled solenoids have switches with tungsten contacts. It is safe to file or burnish these types of switches.

Gottlieb System 1 Game Over and Tilt Relays

System 1 games employ the use of "open cage" relays. Relays relevant to every game are the tilt relay, game over relay, and coin lockout relay. The only other relay used on some games is for the vari-target reset. The tilt, game over, and var-target relays are all controlled by the driver board. But, the coin lockout relay is energized as soon as the game is turned on.

Whether or not a solenoid or relay is controlled by the CPU board, all solenoids and relays have 1N4004 diodes installed.

3.10 Setting up a Game for Free Play

Early Gottileb solid state pinball machines, prior to 1990, did not have a free play option available within the game settings. With this simple modification, a game can be set up for free play. First, identify the diode strip in the bottom of the cabinet. Once the diode strip is found, locate the credit button and coin switch strobe line wires. The wires will be located on the left of the diode strip - the non-banded side of the diodes. Below is a list of the wires.

Credit button wire - Green-White or Brown-Yellow-Yellow

1st coin switch wire - Orange-White or Brown-Red-Red

2nd coin switch wire - Brown-White or Brown-Orange-Orange

Gottlieb System 1 Transformer Board

Solder a small lead wire from the credit button wire to any of the coin switch wires. Make certain that the diode, credit button wire, and coin switch wire are still soldered securely to the diode strip terminal when finished. If soldering is not an option, use a small alligator clip test lead. Now, when the credit button is pressed, a credit will be incremented and decremented. A game can be easily started without the need to open the coin door to trip the coin switches anymore.

4 Problems and Solutions

4.6 Solenoid problems

Remote Transistor Mounted Under Playfield

4.7 Lamp Problems

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Lamp problems are common with most any pinball machine, and Gottlieb System 1 games are no exception. All Gottlieb System 1 games use either a #44 or #47 lamp. The choice of which lamp to use is the preference of the game owner. An occasional #455 blinker bulb is used in the backbox in a specific socket, and will only be powered when the game is in the game over state. Of course, #455s can be used elsewhere in the backbox for effect purposes.

Below are several approaches used to determine the source of a lamp problem, and how it can be resolved. It is highly recommended not to replace or remove lamps with the power to the game on. There are primarily two reasons for this.

1. Some lamp sockets must have their mounting brackets bent back to access the bulb for replacement. In turn, the chance of inadvertently shorting one lamp socket to another is possible.
2. Lamps are constructed of an equal balance of glass and conductive metal. If a bulb slips out of one's grasp when trying to remove or install with the power on, there are many areas in the bottom of the cabinet where the metal of the bulb can short across. A short across other circuits could potentially lead to other unplanned or otherwise unnecessary repairs needed to perform.

So in short, change or remove bulbs with the game's power off, just to be safe.

4.7.1 Bad Bulbs

The first thing when troubleshooting lamp problems, and this may seem blatantly obvious, but determine whether the lamp is good or not. Don't rely on the bulb being brand new either. The ratio of brand new, bad bulbs is slim, but there is that chance a new bulb is not good. A great way to quickly test a bulb is to use a dying 9v battery. Don't use a fresh 9v battery, or you will shorten the life of the bulb. Find a battery that is putting out 7v - 7.5v. An old battery from a smoke detector works pretty well. Place the tip of the bulb on one of the battery terminals, and cock the outer metal casing of the bulb to touch the other terminal. Orientation of the bulb with regards to the positive and negative terminals does not make a difference in this case. Do not hold the bulb across the battery terminals for very long. Just long enough to determine if the bulb is lighting or not.

4.7.2 Bad Lamp Sockets

Secondly, determine if the lamp socket is good. Some games have been through the wringer, and the sockets didn't hold up too well due to abuse, a damp environment, or other reasons. Start by turning the power to the game off. If the socket has some corrosion, try using a lamp socket cleaning tool first. If a lamp socket cleaning tool is not available, a small wire brush used for cleaning copper fittings, or a Dremel tool with a small wire brush attachment can be used. After the socket has been cleaned, place the bulb in the socket for the following procedures.

If testing a general illumination (GI) socket, use the dying 9v battery trick again. Connect the terminals of the 9v battery to the bulb socket with alligator clip leads. Be careful not to short the alligator clips to each other at the battery's terminals. Equally be very careful not to short the clip leads to an adjacent switch on the pinball machine, or anything else for that matter. One clip will connect to one side of the socket, and the other lead will go to the other side of the socket. DO NOT ALLOW THE BATTERY TO STAY CONNECTED VERY LONG. Since this is a GI lamp circuit, other lamps in the string will be powered by the battery. If the battery is connected to the string for too long, the battery will start to get hot. The battery does not have enough power to keep a string of bulbs lit for too long. The lamp may only glow very dimly, but that is enough to determine if the socket is good or not.

If testing a controlled lamp socket, remove the A3J3 and A3J5 connector housings from the bottom of the driver board first. Clip one lead of the battery to the lamp socket mounting bracket and the other to the solder tab. Again, keep the battery connected just long enough to determine whether the socket is good or not.

4.7.3 Lamp Power Issues

Third, make certain there is power at the lamp socket. The game will have to be turned on for the following procedures. GI lamps are powered by ~6VAC, while controlled lamps use ~6VDC. If testing a GI lamp socket for power, each lead of the DMM will be placed on the two leads of the lamp socket. If testing a controlled lamp socket, the red lead of the DMM will be placed on the lamp socket mounting bracket, (the bare wire soldered to the bracket is the power side not ground, so be careful), while the black lead will be placed on ground. The ground plate in the bottom of the cabinet is a good place to connect to ground, if working under the playfield. If working in the backbox, find one of the green wires with a yellow trace screwed to the metalwork to attach the lead. Unfortunately, System 1 game side rails, lockdown bar assemblies, and other associated metalwork were not grounded from the factory like Bally, Williams, and Stern.

If there isn't any power at the lamp socket, suspect a bad fuse first. Keep in mind that the backbox GI and playfield GI have two separate fuses located on the transformer board in the bottom of the cabinet. These are typically higher amperage rated fast-blo fuses. While the controlled lamp circuit has a separate fuse on the transformer board, and is normally a 5 amp slo-blo fuse. The backbox GI on a System 1 game is always on when the game is turned on. So, if the backbox GI fuse is good, the connection at A6J3 / A6P3 which feeds the GI could possibly be bad. The playfield GI is always on too, except when the game is in tilt mode. If the game was not tilted and /or the tilt switches are not stuck closed, check the switch stack on the tilt relay under the right top of the playfield. These switches can sometimes get bent or misaligned due to the nature of the location of the relay and stack.

4.7.4 Controlled Lamp Issues

So, the bulb is good; the socket is good; there's power at the socket; and the lamp still won't light. Well, this occurrence can only really happen if there is a controlled lamp involved. If all three of the above things apply, it means that the bulb is not properly grounded when it is supposed to turn on. This can be caused by several different things. It is best to start at the bulb socket, and work backward towards the CPU board.

4.7.5 Shorted General Illumination Circuit

A shorted lamp GI circuit is probably the worst and most difficult lamp related issue to resolve. In most cases, the GI power lines are uninsulated wiring, which make them susceptible to shorted circuits. First, determine if the GI short originates on the backbox lamp insert or on the playfield. GI shorts on the playfield are typically more common than lamp insert shorts. Pop bumper lamps are not CPU controlled, and are included in the playfield GI string. Also, depending on the game, star rollover lamps and kickout hole lamps are sometimes part of the playfield GI circuit. Consult the game manual for these particulars.

Although it can be a pain and time consuming, the best approach is to remove all of the bulbs in the associated shorted GI string. In removing all of the bulbs, we are trying to isolate whether the problem is a bad, defective bulb, or one of the GI power lines is shorting to something else.

4.9 Display Problems

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The blue Futaba display glasses used by Gottlieb System 1 machines are a fairly reliable, long-lasting display. System 1 vacuum fluorescent displays (VFD) have a tendency to outlast the plasma gas displays, which were commonly used by Williams, Bally, and Stern. Although, they can and do still fail. It's just a matter of diagnosing the symptoms of a failed display.

Display problems can be classified into the following categories:

1. Power problems
2. Display glass failure
3. Data problems
   

4.9.1 Power Problems

Before even attempting to work on System 1 displays, there are two caveats to heed. First and foremost, the displays function due to the necessity of several voltages, including high voltage. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WORKING ON HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUITS, THEN DO NOT WORK ON SYSTEM 1 DISPLAYS! High voltage can hurt or even kill you. If you don't feel comfortable working around this type of scenario, then hire a professional to do the work. Secondly, any time a display connector needs to be disconnected, DO NOT REMOVE ANY DISPLAY RELATED CONNECTOR WITH THE POWER ON! This goes for the connectors located directly at the display, connectors A1J2 and A1J3 on the CPU board, A2J3 on the power supply board, and A6J3 / A6P3 from the transformer. Removing connectors with the power on can damage the display, the CPU board, and / or you. Sorry to "yell", but it is extremely important to stress the above two statements. Now that this is out of the way, let's move on.

As stated above, the displays need several sources of voltage to function properly. These voltages include +5VDC for all displays. As far as the other voltages, they are broken down by the type of display: +60VDC, +8VDC offset, and 5VAC are used for the 6-digit displays; +42VDC, +4VDC offset, and 3VAC are used for the 4-digit status display. If any of these voltages are missing, the display will never light.

The best place to start checking voltages is simple - the fuse for the high voltage display source. In most every System 1 game, there is a 1/4 amp slo-blo fuse used for the display voltage. This fuse is located on the transformer board in the bottom of the cabinet. The first thing to do is to unplug the game from the wall outlet. Then, remove the fuse from its fuse holder. When checking fuses, never "eyeball" the fuse. Your eyes may tell you that the fuse is good, but your eyes can fool you. Use a digital multi-meter (DMM) or a continuity tester to check fuses. Put each lead of DMM on opposite ends of the fuse. A tone should be heard. If not, the fuse is bad, and should be replaced with the same value. Fuses are used to protect equipment, the surroundings, and you. Installing fuse values with higher ratings is very dangerous. DO NOT USE A FUSE RATED AT A HIGHER RECOMMENDED VALUE!

4.9.2 Display Glass Failure

The simplest and easiest problem to identify is display glass failure. All of the 6 digit displays used by Gottlieb System 1 games will have a black "blotch" (for lack of a better term in the upper left and lower right corner of the glass. The 4-digit status display typically has only one black blotch. The evidence of a black blotch or blotches is good. However, if there is a muted white blotch visible on the display, it means the glass is ruined, either due to a cracked glass or broken nipple. Even though the glass itself is bad, the chips on the display board may still be good. So don't necessarily discount the display as being all bad. The chips and circuit board may come in handy at some point in time.

4.9.3 Data Problems

4.11 Flipper problems

Gottlieb System 1 Flipper Assy.

The System 1 "fat boy" flipper mechanism appeared on the earliest System 1 games and was carried all the way through System 80 except for the last game. Operators loved it because it rarely breaks. Players were harder on it, leading Gottlieb to finally move the the System 3 ("thin boy") mechanism. Unlike the System 1 mechanism, players AND operators dislike the System 3 mechanism.

The mechanism itself is a serial-wound flipper coil with an EOS switch, activated by a cabinet switch. Operation is broadly similar to other manufacturers.

The System 1 flipper mechanism is a little wimpy, compared to some (that is, Williams). The heavy flipper bat and super-durable mechanisms also tend to add a bit of weight.

The System 1 flipper mechanism is incredibly hardy. If it is clean and assembled correctly, it will work reliably for a long time.

The major weakness is the EOS switch. The EOS switch is actuated by the crank assembly, and it's a metal-on-metal contact point. After a time, the crank may wear a hole in the EOS switch. At one time (late '80s), Gottlieb offered a kit that added a roller, making the flipper mechanism even better. But in home use, even that modification is overkill.

The flipper plunger is attached to a squarish nylon link that does wear out—that is, the hole may enlarge. Alternatively, the nylon can break. In these cases, the link must be replaced. A punch is very helpful in removing the roll pin that holds the link into the crank.

Coil stops and plungers do occasionally show wear, and can be replaced, but it's not really necessary often to do so.

Steve Young sells a nice kit to do a flipper rebuild, but unlike a Williams flipper, it is better to replace parts as needed. They simply don't self-destruct the way late-model Williams flippers do.

5 Repair Logs

Did you do a repair? Log it here as a possible solution for others.