Why the Lisy80 Is a Game-Changer in the Pinball Hobby

What the Lisy80 Replaces

The Lisy80 replaces the CPU board on your Gottlieb System 80, 80A, or 80B pinball machine, along with:

• The Reset Board, often a source of problems in its own right. Originally installed to keep the stock CPU from locking up and burning out coils or transistors, it's frequently unreliable itself and introduces bugs on these machines. With a Lisy80 installed, it becomes completely unnecessary.
• Ground issues — Gottlieb System 80 machines are prone to grounding problems. The Lisy80 board is designed to work around this.
• Batteries that destroy your boards. The Lisy80 is a real computer, letting you get rid of batteries that tend to corrode over time. Even with lithium batteries, you're still required to replace them at least every 5 years and risk losing scores you spent years chasing.
• Outdated factory troubleshooting modes, which were useful when these machines were new but fall well short of modern diagnostic tools.
• The complexity of troubleshooting a pinball machine as a beginner. Troubleshooting is simplified thanks to the information surfaced by the web interface. In a few clicks, you can tell whether the CPU is detecting a target being knocked down, via the switch matrix display.

Features the Lisy80 Adds

Test Features

Switch Status Grid

• Switches shown in red are "closed."
• Switches shown in green are "open."

For example:

• If switch 23, the "hole kicker," shows red, the board is detecting it as closed, which can be triggered by a ball or a short circuit.
• If you drop the playfield targets and they don't show red on this screen, there's a good chance there's a contact problem at the target under the playfield.

Lamp Control

On Gottlieb machines, most elements are controlled as lamps, including relays and coils. For example, the "Game Over" relay locks or unlocks the playfield, and on Volcano, "Save Ball" is driven as a lamp.

Solenoid Control

Solenoid control lets you easily test coils like the fire pit, the subway kicker, or the knocker with a single click. The Lisy80 fires a brief pulse to avoid burning them out.

Display Control

This feature lets you write custom text to the displays to confirm they're working properly.

DIP Switch Control

If you'd like to adjust the game rules or the original Gottlieb factory settings, this menu lets you control everything, with descriptions of each option just like the factory manual.

Sound Control

Lets you trigger any sound stored in your machine's ROM.

Other Features

The board can be updated over the internet. Down the road, we plan to roll out new features for System 80, 80A, and 80B owners, since the Lisy80 is internet-connected and capable of a lot more.

Why Choose a Lisy80

The Expert's Secret Weapon

Thanks to all its features, the Lisy80 makes troubleshooting a pinball machine dramatically easier. Whether you repair your own machine or hire a technician, this board will save significant time — and therefore money.

Modern Electronics

Our boards use the most generic components possible, sourced from mass-market industries. That means they're proven at scale and far less prone to failure. If something does go wrong, our components are easy to find and easy for any electronics repair technician to replace for just a few euros. The Lisy80 is also a real computer, which will make it possible to add new features down the road — though that's never required.

Built on Open Source

Our boards are based on the open-source lisy.dev project by Ralf Thelen, which lets the whole project benefit from the features we develop.

Compatible Games

System 80

Panthera - Spider-Man - Circus - Counterforce - Star Race - James Bond - Time Line - Force II - Pink Panther - Mars God of War - Volcano - Black Hole - Haunted House - Eclipse

System 80A

Devil's Dare - Rocky - Spirit - Punk! - Striker - Krull - Q*Bert's Quest - Super Orbit - Royal Flush Deluxe - Goin' Nuts - Amazon Hunt - Rack 'Em Up - Ready...Aim...Fire! - Jacks To Open - Touchdown - Alien Star - The Games - El Dorado City of Gold - Ice Fever

System 80B

Bounty Hunter - Chicago Cubs Triple Play - Tag-Team - Rocky - Raven - Rock Encore - Hollywood Heat - Genesis - Gold Wings - Monte Carlo - Amazon Hunt II - Spring Break - Arena - Victory - Diamond Lady - TX-Sector - Robo-War - Excalibur - Bad Girls - Big House - Hot Shots - Bone Busters Inc. - Night Moves

Conclusion

The Lisy80 represents a major step forward for the pinball hobby, delivering outstanding reliability and modern features that simplify troubleshooting and maintenance. Choosing the Lisy80 means choosing technology that saves you time and money while improving the overall play experience. Don't let faults and glitches spoil your fun any longer.

Switch to the Lisy80 today and give your pinball machine new life with a robust, upgradeable solution. Learn more and buy now to transform your pinball experience.

Full install video in under 5 minutes: