Flight 2000 (Stern, 1980): faults and replacement boards (Stern M-200 MPU)
Is your Stern Flight 2000 rebooting in a loop, cycling endlessly through the tests, producing sounds but no speech, or has it lost lamps, sound and speech all at once? These symptoms are typical of Stern microprocessor machines (M-200 MPU): the original board is now more than 45 years old and almost always suffers from a leaking battery. A battery-free replacement board gives your machine a second life.
Flight 2000 (Stern, 1980): overview
Released in 1980, Flight 2000 was Stern's first pinball machine with speech synthesis, combined with the three-ball multiball that made its reputation. It is built around the Stern M-200 MPU board, which is distinct from the Bally boards.
- Manufacturer: Stern Electronics
- Year: 1980
- Electronics: Stern M-200 MPU (with sound and speech board)
- Type: solid state pinball machine, 7-segment displays, multiball
- Theme: space travel, science fiction
Common faults (Stern M-200 MPU)
On Stern M-200 microprocessor machines (1979-1985), the recurring faults come from ageing: a leaking battery on the MPU (corroded traces around the 5101 RAM chips at U8/U13, the number one cause of dead boards), tired RAM and logic chips (no boot, reboots, looping in the tests), oxidised or burnt Molex connectors on the MPU and power supply side (pins to be replaced male and female), displays with missing or flickering segments, the rectifier and solenoid driver board (dried-out capacitors, bridge rectifier, fuses, coil transistors) and the sound board with dried-out capacitors.
Issues specific to the Flight 2000 (from the forums)
- Repeated reboots and crashes: failure at the third start-up test, usually the two 5101 RAM chips (U8/U13), with the battery sitting right in the corrosion zone.
- Sound present but no speech: speech and general illumination (GI) share the same supply; check the connector on the rectifier board that feeds the backbox (red and orange wires), whose pins burn.
- Temperamental MPU J5 ribbon cable: only pins 1 to 32 are used, on the MPU side as well as on the sound board; one bad contact is enough to kill the sound.
- Lamps, sound and speech lost all at once: MPU pin J1-11 broken inside the female connector; everything comes back after crimping in a new pin.
- Oxidised Molex connectors: to be re-pinned, male and female pins; if unplugging and plugging back in "fixes" the fault, the connector is dead.
- Leaking battery on the MPU: corroded traces to be dealt with first, before any other diagnosis.
Replacement boards compatible with the Flight 2000
- BallyFA — battery-free MPU.
- BallyDri — power supply + driver.
- BallyLa_60 — lamp driver.
Plug & Play installation, battery-free, free support.
Good to know: the Flight 2000 is fitted with a Stern M-200 MPU, whose part numbers differ from the Bally -35 boards. Contact us with the part numbers on your boards: we confirm the right solution before you buy.
FAQ — Flight 2000 Stern
Which replacement board do I need for my Flight 2000?
The Flight 2000 uses a Stern M-200 MPU: contact us with the part numbers on your boards and we will confirm the right board (battery-free) before you buy.
I have sounds but no speech — what should I check?
Start with the general illumination: speech and GI share the same supply. Look for burnt pins on the connector running from the rectifier board up to the backbox.
My Flight 2000 reboots in a loop or cycles through the tests.
The 5101 RAM chips (U8/U13) and the battery corrosion around them are the first suspects, then the 5 V rail.
Should I keep the original battery?
No: a battery-free board removes the number one cause of corrosion.
What warranty comes with Pinballs Store boards?
A 6-month warranty (parts and labour) against any fault not caused by misuse, plus 30 days money-back. Technical support is free.
Does a battery-free board keep the settings and high scores?
Yes. Modern replacement boards use non-volatile memory: no battery, no corrosion, and the settings are kept when the machine is switched off.
Useful guides
- How much does pinball machine repair cost? The price guide
- How much is my pinball machine worth? Values and estimates
- Pinball machine leg sizes: the complete guide by machine
- Which MPU board for a Bally/Stern?
See also
Sources & further reading
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