The Games (Gottlieb, 1984): faults, vari-target and System 80A replacement boards

Is your The Games by Gottlieb failing to boot, showing no 5 V, blowing the pop bumper fuse, losing its general illumination mid-ball or resetting on its own? None of that is unusual on a Gottlieb System 80A machine whose CPU, Driver and power-supply boards are past forty years old. Every one of those faults is well documented, and battery-free replacement boards install Plug & Play when an original is past saving.

About The Games (Gottlieb, 1984)

See it: full photo gallery for The Games on IPDB (#3391) — backglass, playfield, cabinet and flyer scans. There is also a Pinside gallery and owner page.

The Games arrived in 1984, timed to the summer of the Los Angeles Olympics, and its theme is sporting competition without ever naming the event it is riding on. The goal is to collect five medals in a single ball. Pinside records a release of 2 August 1984; the Kineticist entry carries a January 1984 date, which looks like a day/month ordering artefact rather than a real disagreement. Both agree on 1,768 units built — uncommon, but not rare.

The credits differ by source: Pinside names Adolf Seitz Jr. and John Trudeau on game design, with art by Larry Day and sound by Craig Beierwaltes, while Kineticist leaves the design team blank and lists only Day and Beierwaltes. So does the manufacturer line — Pinside and Kineticist say D. Gottlieb & Co., IPDB files the game under Mylstar — and both are right. Gottlieb's coin-op arm became Mylstar Electronics in 1983 under Columbia Pictures; Columbia shut Mylstar at the end of September 1984, and in October a management group under Gilbert Pollock bought the pinball assets and formed Premier Technology. The Games was built inside the Mylstar window, which is also why owners describe its art and sound as showing end-of-the-era cutbacks.

• Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co. (catalogued by IPDB under Mylstar Electronics)
• Year: 1984 — August per Pinside
• Model number: 691
• Production run: 1,768 units
• Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80A
• Game design: Adolf Seitz Jr., John Trudeau (per Pinside)
• Artwork: Larry Day — Sound: Craig Beierwaltes (effects only, no speech)
• Type: solid-state, 7-digit displays, 4 players
• Playfield: 2 flippers, 4 pop bumpers, 1 captive ball, spinner, vari-target, no drop targets, no multiball
• Known variants: built under licence in Germany by NSM Lions (Löwen) in 1985 as The Games, and by ManilaMatic in 1986 as Star King
• Market value: Pinside estimates $740–$860, median asking price around $750 over three years

Why the layout matters for repairs

Two design choices drive most of this machine's specific faults.

There are no slingshots. Gottlieb fitted four pop bumpers instead, the lower pair doing the slingshots' job. Owners rate those pops as the best thing about the game when they are crisp — and the consequence is a pop bumper driver board working harder here than on a two-pop machine. If you keep replacing that fuse, this is why.

The game is built around a vari-target — a sprung target that ratchets up in steps, so a harder shot scores more. Reviewers call it the best shot on the playfield. It is also a mechanical assembly full of switch contacts, and contacts are exactly what goes bad on a machine that has sat.

Common faults across System 80A

• Battery corrosion on the CPU board (A1). The original NiCd sits on the MPU and leaks; the electrolyte creeps along traces, eats the edge-connector fingers and attacks nearby parts. It is the most common cause of a dead System 80A board and must be neutralised before any other diagnosis means anything.
• Edge connector contacts. PinWiki names these as the number-one cause of System 80 failures. Clean with a pink rubber eraser; where contacts are divoted, sand lightly and re-tin rather than going to bare copper.
• No common ground plane. These boards are grounded only through their connectors and a daisy chain of wires. As the joints age, grounds float and the machine behaves irrationally — several solenoids dropping out at once is the classic tell. The fix is the System 80 ground mod: one dedicated ground wire from each board to a common point, tied to the cabinet ground strip.
• Power supply drift and header failure. The 80/80A supply — the board with the big heat sink — produces +5 V logic, +8 V display offset, +60 V displays and +42 V status display. Its round header pins crack with heat cycling (square headers are the durable replacement) and the 5 V sags once every board is loaded.
• Tired logic on the MPU. The 6502 is at U1; the three 6532 RIOT chips handle the switch matrix (U4), the displays (U5) and the solenoids, lamps and sound (U6). A failed RIOT takes out exactly one of those functions — a useful diagnostic shortcut. Battery-backed RAM sits at Z5.
• Displays missing segments or digits — often just A1J2/A1J3, whose wire colours are notoriously easy to confuse on reassembly.
• Random resets and untimely slam tilt, usually downstream of the grounds and connectors above.

Faults specific to The Games

These recur in The Games threads specifically, with the components owners actually found at the bottom of them. Where a thread ended without a confirmed fix, it says so.

No 5 V, and the game won't boot

The most-reported fault on this machine and the subject of its longest repair thread. The pattern: the 12 V indicator lights, the 8 V test point at TP5 reads correctly, but the 5 V indicator is dark and the 60 V and 42 V test points read nothing.

The parts in the firing line on the 80/80A supply are IC1 (the 723 regulator — LM723 or µA723 depending on maker), Q3 (the TO-3 pass transistor bolted to the cold plate, originally a PMD10K40 or 2N6059), the current-sense resistor R12, the trim pot POT1, and the crowbar circuit around SCR1, CR8, R15 and R16. The 5 V leaves Q3's emitter through R12; too large a drop across R12 and IC1 shuts Q3 down. The crowbar produces the same symptom by shorting the output — and if POT1 is set too high, the crowbar trips at every power-up and the cycle repeats, which on the bench reads as a dead supply.

The sequence suggested there: turn POT1 down, power up with J2 and J3 unplugged, then bring the voltage back to 5 V. Read test points E4, E5 and E6 against TP3, plus E1, E2 and both ends of R4, to separate the low-voltage side from the high-voltage side (R1 and CR5 set the high voltage). Avoid pulling the heat sink unless you must — that means removing Q3 and risking the press-fit connections. Set 5.0–5.1 V under load, not with the boards off.

One detail there is specific enough to repeat: the owner found the wire at J1 pin 5 strained, and that wire carries the 5 V. On The Games a poor 5 V feed through J1 also reaches the pop bumper driver board — so one strained wire can present at once as a boot failure and as misbehaving pops. Replace the J1–J3 connectors and contacts and reroute that wire, rather than only reseating it.

Boots into test mode but not into a game

A distinct fault with its own thread: the game enters self-test and partly works but will not boot normally. At power-up the player 1, player 2 and credit displays flash zeros for about a fifth of a second while some playfield lamps and the tilt relay cycle together at roughly half-second intervals.

That owner cleaned off the corrosion, removed the battery, replaced every corroded component and pulled the reset board — same symptoms, better displays. He then socketed and swapped the three RIOT chips, which changed the symptoms, and replaced all three. Afterwards, holding the test switch at power-up gave a partial attract mode: lamps flashing without a pattern, coins and start correctly changing credits and players, but no ball kicked out, no sound, and switches not scoring in a game despite testing fine — with some lamps reading inverted in lamp test. His conclusion was a corrupt game PROM; no reply confirms it, so treat it as a strong hypothesis, not a verified diagnosis.

Two things are useful regardless. Switches that work in test but don't score in a game point at the code or at the switch-matrix RIOT (U4), not at the switches. And on a 4th-generation 80A MPU the game code lives in masked ROMs at U2 (XO-326) and U3 (XO-327) with the socketed PROM 2 position unpopulated — so "swap the EPROM" is not the quick test it is on earlier boards.

Blown pop bumper fuse

The four-pop layout has a consequence: The Games runs a separate pop bumper driver board, the A8 (Gottlieb MA-922 / A-19741), and owners report the 80A pop bumper fuse blowing repeatedly. Work it in this order — a shorted or partly shorted pop bumper coil, then the driver transistor on the A8, then the coil sleeve and the bumper's own switch gap (a sticking switch holds the coil energised long enough to take the fuse out), then the 5 V feed to the A8 via J1 that the no-5 V thread implicates. If the A8 is beyond repair, see the GoPOP80 write-up.

Vari-target advances but doesn't score

The machine-specific mechanical fault. Owners report the target stepping up through its ratchet exactly as it should, with no scoring and no sound. The reset coil is usually innocent: if the target resets at the start of each ball, the coil works.

The fault sits in the switch contacts on the target assembly — the wiper and the individual points it travels across. Tarnish is the usual cause, common on Gottliebs that have sat unused. Diagnose with a continuity check, power off, starting at the wiper wire and working from each switch point to where its wire terminates. Clean the points and the wiper, and confirm the arms actually touch and line up with the ratchet; misalignment gives the same symptom as tarnish.

General illumination going out mid-ball

Reported here as the GI switching off and staying off until the ball drains, with only some solenoids (the kicker) still responding. Several circuits dropping out together is PinWiki's named signature of a ground problem, which makes the ground mod the first move rather than a GI investigation. The Driver board (A3) is next: its lamps run through 74175 quad D flip-flops into MPS-A13 or MPS-U45 transistors, and lamp n is driven by Q(n+1) — handy when tracing one dead circuit.

Displays dark at boot, and tarnished fuse clips

A recurring 80A complaint on this game. Check the +60 V and the +42 V status rail at the power supply before suspecting the display boards, and reseat A1J2 and A1J3 carefully. Never plug or unplug a display with the machine powered on.

And check every fuse clip first, because it costs nothing: Gottlieb's clips oxidise, the added resistance drops the voltage, and the machine behaves as though the supply has failed.

Things owners mention that are not faults

Some complaints are the game being itself. The background crowd cheer runs constantly and cannot be switched off, whatever the manual implies. The spinner is widely described as unbalanced and over-generous with points. There is no speech at all, so silence where you expect a voice is not a sound-board fault. And playfield wear is common on 1984-era games — cosmetic, not electronic.

Replacement boards compatible with The Games

All of these fit a standard System 80A machine, and so fit The Games. Each is tested before it ships and supported afterwards.

• GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one CPU + Driver + power supply board, without sound.
• GottFA80_Plus (Full) — the same board with the sound section integrated.
• Gosof — replacement sound board, with or without voice. The Games is a sound-only game, so the no-voice option is the match.
• Godri80 — replacement Driver board (A3), for burnt lamp or solenoid drivers.
• Lisy80 — CPU board with web diagnostics, useful when you want to read the switch matrix and lamp states in a browser instead of guessing.
• GoPOP80 — pop bumper driver board replacing the original MA-922 / A-19741. Relevant here precisely because the game runs four pops.

A note on the name: LISY is an independent developer's free, open DIY project — see lisy.dev. The Lisy80 sold here is a ready-to-use board built on it; the project is not ours and the credit belongs to its author.

One variant caveat. If your machine is the German NSM Lions (Löwen) build from 1985 rather than the Gottlieb one, do not assume compatibility: it is catalogued with its own "NSM Control-Unit 217838" generation rather than System 80A, and the published entries do not confirm whether it carries Gottlieb boards. NSM used a heavy metal cabinet, so they are usually easy to tell apart. If unsure, send us the part numbers printed on your boards first.

Plug & Play installation, battery-free, free tutorials and support. Contact us.

Step-by-step diagnosis

1. Powered off, look before you measure. Remove the NiCd if it is still fitted and neutralise the corrosion it left.
2. Clean every fuse clip. Tarnish here mimics a failed power supply.
3. Power supply. Measure 5 V, 8 V (TP5), 60 V and 42 V; if 5 V is absent, work the IC1 / Q3 / R12 / POT1 / crowbar sequence above with J2 and J3 unplugged.
4. Grounds, then connectors. Ground mod across all four boards, then re-pin the MPU↔Driver link (A1J4 to A3J1) and J1–J3 on the supply, checking for strained wires rather than only reseating.
5. Function by function in test mode. One whole function dead points at its RIOT: U4 switches, U5 displays, U6 solenoids/lamps/sound. Never plug or unplug a display while powered on.
6. The machine-specific pair. Vari-target switch continuity, then the pop bumper coils and A8 driver. Then a full game. Stuck? The support is free — ask.

FAQ — The Games (Gottlieb, 1984)

My The Games has no 5 V. Where do I start?
At the power supply, not the CPU. Clean the fuse clips, then check IC1 (the 723 regulator), Q3 on the cold plate, the sense resistor R12 and the crowbar. If POT1 is set too high the crowbar trips at every power-up and looks exactly like a dead supply. Check J1 pin 5 for a strained wire too — it carries the 5 V. A GottFA80_Plus includes a modern supply if the original is past rescuing.

Why won't my The Games start when test mode works?
Switches that work in test but don't score in a game point at the code or the switch-matrix RIOT (U4), not the switches. One owner reached a corrupt game PROM after replacing all three RIOTs; on an 80A board the code is in masked ROMs at U2 and U3, so that is no quick swap. A replacement CPU board sidesteps the question.

Why does my System 80A keep blowing the pop bumper fuse?
The Games has four pop bumpers and no slingshots, so its A8 pop bumper driver board (MA-922 / A-19741) is worked hard. Check for a shorted coil, then the driver transistor, then a sticking bumper switch holding the coil energised, then the 5 V feed to the board.

My vari-target steps up but doesn't score. What's wrong?
Almost always tarnished switch contacts on the target assembly, not a board fault. If the target resets at the start of each ball, the coil is fine. Check continuity from the wiper wire through each switch point with the power off, clean the points, and confirm the arms touch and line up with the ratchet.

Why does the general illumination go out during play?
Several circuits dropping out at once is the signature of a ground problem on System 80, not a lighting fault. Do the ground mod first. If it persists, the Driver board's lamp drivers are next — lamp n is driven by Q(n+1) on the A3.

Should I remove the original battery?
Yes, and sooner rather than later. A leaking NiCd is the leading cause of dead System 80A boards. Replacement boards run battery-free on non-volatile memory, so settings and high scores survive a power-off with no battery on the board at all.

How much is The Games worth?
Pinside estimates roughly $740–$860, with a median asking price around $750 over three years. 1,768 were built, so it is uncommon without being rare, and condition matters far more than the number. Our valuation guide has the detail.

How long does installing a replacement board take?
Plug & Play: a few minutes, no soldering, with free tutorials and support. Do the ground mod and the connectors at the same time — a new board plugged into bad connectors shows you the same intermittent faults as the old one.

Useful guides

• All-in-one boards for Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B: which should you choose?
• Gottlieb System 80 ground mods: why and how to do them
• Battery leak on a pinball machine: damage, dangers and the permanent fix
• My pinball machine won't turn on: the step-by-step diagnostic
• Pinball electronics explained: MPU, Driver, power supply and sound board
• Understanding the Lisy80 CPU board in five minutes
• How much does pinball repair cost? The price guide
• How much is my pinball machine worth? Value and estimate

See also

• Jacks To Open (Gottlieb/Mylstar, 1984)
• Touchdown (Gottlieb, 1984)
• Alien Star (Gottlieb/Mylstar, 1984)
• El Dorado City of Gold (Gottlieb, 1984)
• Ice Fever (Gottlieb, 1985)
• Rack 'Em Up (Gottlieb/Mylstar, 1983)

Sources & further reading

• IPDB — The Games (#3391, catalogued under Mylstar)
• Pinside — The Games: production, credits, features, value estimate
• Kineticist — The Games: model number, production run, licensed versions
• PinWiki — Gottlieb System 80/80A/80B repair guide (board designations, chips, power supply, ground mods)
• Pinside thread — "Gottlieb The Games 80A No 5v and probably more problems"
• Pinside thread — "Gottlieb System 80 (The Games) boot problems (fine in test mode?)"
• Pinside thread — "Gottlieb Vari-Target issues" (linked to The Games)
• Pinside thread — "Gottlieb The Games Club"
• Pinside — The Games owner reviews (vari-target, pops, spinner, sound)
• Pinside — all 66 forum threads for The Games
• Pinside — The Games (NSM Lions / Löwen, 1985)
• IPDB — The Games, NSM version (#3808)
• Wikipedia — Gottlieb: the Mylstar and Premier Technology timeline
• OPDB — Open Pinball Database

Own a The Games? Send us a photo and we'll add it here with credit — get in touch.