Gottlieb System 80
 |
1 Introduction
Gottlieb's second generation of solid state pinballs is System 80. Capabilities were increased in terms of controllable lamps, solenoids, gameplay, and sound. No longer tied to an EM-esque platform, Gottlieb started to introduce games with more unconventional asymmetric playfields. System 80 marked a foray into double and triple level playfields, speech, multiball; unfortunately, it also represented a step backwards in reliability, with battery corrosion, connectors, and bad grounding plaguing the design.
Once a system 80 game has been methodically gone through with board design grounding flaws and connectors corrected, they are just as reliable as any of their contemporaries.
2 Games
2.1 System 80 1st Generation
- Spiderman
- Panthera
- Circus
- Counterforce
- Star Race
2.2 System 80 2nd Generation
- James Bond
- Time Line
- Force II
- Pink Panther
- Mars God of War
- Volcano
- Black Hole
- Haunted House
2.3 System 80a
- Devil's Dare
- Caveman
- Rocky
- Spirit
- Punk!
- Striker
- Krull
- Goin Nuts
- Qbert's Quest
- Super Orbit
- Royal Flush Dlx
- Amazon Hunt
- Rack 'Em Up
- Ready Aim Fire
- Jacks to Open
- Alien Star
- The Games
- Touchdown
- El Dorado
- Ice Fever
2.4 System 80b
- Chicago Cubs Triple Play
- Bounty Hunter
- Tag Team
- Rock
- Rock Encore
- Raven
- Hollywood Heat
- Genesis
- Gold Wings
- Monte Carlo
- Spring Break
- Amazon Hunt II
- Arena
- Victory
- Diamond Lady
- TX Sector
- Amazon Hunt III
- Robo-War
- Excalibur
- Bad Girls
- Hot Shots
- Big House
- BoneBusters
3 Technical Info
System 80 / 80A / 80B Board Set
3.1 Switch Matrix
The Gottlieb System 80 switch matrix consists of a maximum of 64 switches. There are 8 switch strobes and 8 switch returns. Add info and chart later.
3.1.1 The "Missing" Gottlieb System 80 Switches
With the Gottlieb System 80 series of games, there are some switch assignments that are designated the same throughout the System 80, 80A, and 80B platforms. These switches are typically not listed in the switch matrix portion of the manual. You have to review the cabinet schematics, and decipher what switches use what return and strobe. However, it appears that Gottlieb / Premier changed this section of the schematic starting with Excalibur or Bad Girls by no longer listing the strobes for these switches. So, below are the "missing" switch assignments for any Sys80B. All the info applies for Sys80 and Sys80A, except the two advance buttons, which weren't used prior to Sys80B.
06 - left advance button (Sys80B only)
07 - play / test switch
16 - right advance button (Sys80B only)
17 - left coin switch
27 - right coin switch
37 - center coin switch
47 - replay button
57* - plumb bob and ball roll tilts (these have the same switch assignment as the playfield tilt switch)
- Black Hole is one exception. The switch assigned for the tilt on Black Hole is 26.
Note: The coin door slam switch is not part of the switch matrix.
3.1.2 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-Yellow-Yellow
Left coin switch wire - Green-Brown-Brown
Center coin switch wire - Green-Orange-Orange
Right coin switch wire - Green-Red-Red
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.
Please note that this modification does not apply to Gottlieb System 80A and System 80B machines. System 80A and 80B machines use diode boards with edge connections, which are typically located on the cabinet wall near the left flipper cabinet switch. In my experience, jumpering the diodes on System 80A and 80B games do not give the intended free play results of jumpered System 80 diodes. I attribute this to the System 80A and 80B software reading the switch matrix differently.
3.2 Power Supply
3.3 CPU Board
3.4 Driver Board
3.5 Sound Boards
3.6 Sound Power Supplies
3.7 Display Boards
4 Problems and Fixes
4.1 Power Driver Issues
This may not apply to some, as MPU might have been part of it.
4.2 MPU Issues
4.2.1 Using An Old Computer Power Supply For Bench Testing
A MPU board is much easier to work on if it is removed from the backbox and placed on the test bench. An old computer power supply can be used to power the MPU board for testing on the bench.
Obtain and old computer power supply from an old computer. If you don't have an old computer setting around head on off to the thrift store and pick one up. Remove the power supply from the case by unscrewing the appropriate screws. Careful not to unscrew the power supply case itself.
Cut off one of the connectors from the power supply and clearly mark on the power supply box the value of each of the colored wires from the power supply. The Yellow wire is 12V, the red 5V and the black is ground. Strip off part of each of the wires. To put the MPU on the test bench you will only need one of the ground wires and the 5v (red) line. To hook up the power supply I have alligator clips that I connect to the 5v and ground line and to the corresponding J1 connection. I use larger alligator clips to make the connection.
Mark the MPU board where the positive and negative (common) connection is for the five volts from the computer power supply. This is marked on connector J1. The image shows the A1J1 connector with the markings. I took the picture with the board still mounted in the machine. Connect the 5v supply with alligator clips to the positive connector on J1 and the black wire (ground) to the negative connector of J1. That's it, your good to go! --Kencaine 02:30, 24 April 2011 (BST)
4.3 Power Supply Issues
4.4 Display Driver Board
Possibly doesn't apply to some, can't think of an example.
5 Game Specific Problems and Fixes
Example would be servo controller on Independence Day pinball
6 Repair Logs
Did you do a repair? Log it here as a possible solution for others.
6.1 Game Displays 000000 On Power Up and It's Not The Slam Switch
If you power the game on and all of the displays immediately display all zeros without strobing the problem is usually with the slam switch. However, if the slam switch modification has been done or the slam switch is working properly there is a problem with the switch matrix.
I had this problem on my Haunted House machine. I finally found that chip Z15 (7432) was bad.
I was fixing a kicker solenoid on the playfield, the playfield was still in the machine and fully in the upright position. While I was soldering the wire to the new solenoid I did not adequately protect the components below from a solder drip. Well, I did have a solder drip that landed right on a pop bumper driver board connector and shorted the connector. The short caused more than just this problem but for this narrative we will restrict to the slam/switch matrix problem.
Reading in other materials I recognized the problem as the slam switch issue. I used a logic probe to test other components and found the CPU board working, mostly as it should except for acting like the machine was slam tilted. There was little written about the problem outside of the slam switch. I decided to check the matrix by doing a diode check on all of the diodes in the switch matrix. When I did this, I found that many of the diodes were testing bad. These were being tested with the board removed from the machine.
Having replacement diodes in my parts drawer I decided that these must have gone bad during the short. I began unsoldering a few of the diodes. Once disconnected from the circuit board I remeasured the removed diodes and found the correct values on my meter, they were not bad. I then noticed that the bad diodes were all in the same row on the switch matrix. They all traced back to the Z15 chip. I replaced the Z15 7432 and the problem was resolved. --Kencaine 01:43, 24 April 2011 (BST)