How to Install a Pinball Replacement Board: The Plug & Play, Solder-Free Guide

Installing a pinball replacement board is a Plug & Play job that usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, with no soldering at all. The board mounts in the same holes as the original and plugs into the same connectors. The real work happens beforehand: removing the battery, checking the supply voltages and inspecting the Molex connectors. This guide covers every step, from teardown to first boot, for a Gottlieb System 80/80A/80B, a Williams System 3 to 7 or a Bally/Stern from 1977-1985.

Contents

• Installing a pinball board: the short answer
• The 5 essential checks before you start
• Tools you need
• Installing the board step by step (8 steps)
• Setting the dip switches
• First boot: what you should see
• Installation troubleshooting
• Which board for which pinball machine?
• FAQ
• Sources & further reading

Installing a pinball replacement board: the short answer

Modern replacement boards (FPGA or microcontroller based) are designed to reuse exactly the same connectors and mounting holes as the original boards. In practice: with the machine off and unplugged, you unscrew the old board, unplug the looms, fit the new one, plug everything back in, set one or two dip switches, and power up. No wiring modification is required.

The official GottFA80_PLuS manual puts it plainly: “GottFA80 boards have the same connectors and the same mounting holes as the original Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B boards, so replacing the original board only takes a few seconds.”

Key point	In practice
Time needed	20 to 30 minutes (excluding connector cleaning)
Soldering	None on a board supplied assembled and programmed
Skill level	Careful beginner — you need to be able to unscrew and plug in
Main risk	Out-of-spec power supply or corroded connectors
Point of no return	None: the original board can always be refitted

The 5 essential checks before you start

90% of installations that “won’t boot” fail because of one of these five points. Take the time to deal with them before fitting the new board.

1. Remove the battery — immediately and for good

This is rule number one. Gottlieb System 80 machines use a rechargeable NiCd battery soldered onto the CPU board. As it ages it leaks potassium hydroxide, a highly corrosive compound that attacks traces and components: it is the number one killer of original CPU boards. If your machine still has its battery, remove it before anything else and clean the corroded area. Our replacement boards run without a battery (NVRAM memory), which eliminates the problem for good. We cover the damage and the cleaning procedure in our guide Leaking battery in a pinball machine: dangers, damage and the definitive fix.

2. Check the power supply before plugging anything in

A brand-new board plugged into a failing power supply can be damaged. With the machine powered on and the CPU board unplugged, measure with a multimeter:

• Gottlieb System 80/80A/80B: the A2 power supply must deliver +5, +8, +42 and +60 V steadily. The +5 V potentiometer must be adjusted between 5.0 and 5.2 V.
• Williams System 3 to 7: on the MPU board, with ground at TP10, +5 V reads at TP9 (4.9 to 5.2 V is fine) and +12 V at TP1 (10 to 14 V is fine). The main power connector is 1J2: ground on pins 1, 2 and 3, +5 V on pins 4, 5 and 6, +12 V on pin 9.
• Bally/Stern: TP1 should read about 5 V (normal range 4.9 to 5.2 V) and TP5 about 11.9 V. Careful: anything above 5.2 V can prevent booting, especially with aftermarket replacement boards.

If the +5 V drifts or collapses under load, repair the power supply first. A replacement board does not fix a sick power supply — with the notable exception of the GottFA80_Plus which, on System 80 and 80A, also replaces the original power supply board.

3. Inspect — and often rebuild — the Molex connectors

This is the most underestimated point. Connectors on 1980s pinball machines suffer from repeated plugging, oxidation and vibration. The locking tabs bend, the pins blacken, contact becomes intermittent. On a Gottlieb CPU board, the connectors most exposed to battery corrosion are typically those close to the battery. Inspect every pin with a magnifier: any pin that is blackened, green or loose must be replaced. On a machine you want to be reliable long term, rebuilding all the pins is a worthwhile investment — otherwise even the finest new board will stay temperamental.

4. Identify your system and your original board

A replacement board is specific to a family of machines. Open the backbox and identify the reference silk-screened on the board. A Bally/Stern with an AS-2518-35 MPU, for example, differs from the AS-2518-17 by its longer J5 connector (33 pins, key included). If in doubt, our system guides settle it: Gottlieb System 80, System 80B, Williams System 3 to 7 and Bally/Stern 1977-1985.

5. Photograph the wiring

Before unplugging anything, take 5 to 10 sharp photos of the backbox from several angles. Connectors are often keyed, but not always: a photo will save you hesitation during reassembly and serve as a reference if something doesn’t work.

Tools you need

• A Phillips screwdriver and a set of bits (backbox screws vary from machine to machine)
• A multimeter — non-negotiable, it is the tool that makes the job safe
• Nylon standoffs and washers if the originals are damaged
• Electronic contact cleaner and a soft brush
• Needle-nose pliers for the Molex pins
• A small flat screwdriver or a stylus for the dip switches
• A camera (your phone will do)

Installing the replacement board step by step

1. Cut the power and unplug the mains cord. Don’t rely on the switch: physically unplug the cord. Solid state pinball machines handle +42 V and +60 V; working with the power off is the only good practice.
2. Open the backbox and take photos. Locate the CPU/MPU board, the driver board, the power supply and the sound board. Photograph the whole thing, then each connector.
3. Unplug the connectors one by one. Pull on the connector body, never on the wires. If a connector resists, rock it gently from side to side. Mark any non-keyed connectors with a marker or masking tape.
4. Unscrew and remove the old board. Keep the screws, standoffs and washers: you will reuse them. Keep the original board — even corroded, it has value (parts, exchange, resale) and it leaves the door open to go back.
5. Clean the loom connectors. Contact cleaner, soft brush, replacement of any doubtful pins. It’s now or never.
6. Check the voltages with the board out (see above), then switch the power back off.
7. Fit the new board. It sits on the same standoffs. Screw it down without forcing: the PCB must not be stressed. Plug the connectors back in, in reverse order, checking the alignment pin by pin — a connector offset by one position is the classic cause of a component burned at first power-up. Special case: on a Gottlieb System 80B fitted with a GottFA80_Plus, connector A1J3 is deliberately left disconnected.
8. Set the dip switches, then power up. See the next two sections.

On a Gottlieb System 80 or 80A, the GottFA80_Plus replaces the CPU board, the driver board and the original power supply board in one go. On an 80B, it replaces the CPU and the driver. That is what makes the installation so quick: fewer boards, fewer connectors, fewer failure points.

Setting the dip switches

Modern FPGA boards are universal: one board runs dozens of games. The dip switches tell the board which game to run and how to behave. On the GottFA80_PLuS, block S1 (switches 1 to 6) selects the game using binary encoding: all OFF = game no. 0 (Panthera), S1 alone ON = game no. 1 (Spiderman), S2 alone ON = game no. 2 (Circus), and so on. The full list runs from Panthera to Night Moves.

Block S2 handles four options:

Switch	Function	When to enable it
S2-1	Free play	To play without a coin mech: pressing the credit button simulates a coin
S2-2	NVRAM reset	Recommended on the very first boot, then set back to OFF
S2-3	Slam tilt contact forced “open”	Required on the later System 80B games
S2-4	Slam tilt contact forced “closed”	Most System 80 machines need this contact closed and will not boot if it is open

That last point is worth underlining: if your machine won’t boot, the slam tilt contact is a prime suspect. Forcing S2-4 to ON rules that hypothesis out immediately.

First boot: what you should see

Plug the mains cord back in, power up, and watch — without touching the playfield.

• The displays light up with a boot sequence. On a GottFA80, player 1’s display shows the FPGA program version, player 2’s the game selected via S1, and player 3’s the board’s unique lisy.dev identifier.
• The yellow “ON” LED lights up once the game code is running correctly (regular interrupts visible). That is the signal that all is well.
• An SD card error LED lights up if the board cannot read its image. In that case, look no further: the problem is on the SD card.
• On a Lisy80, installation works the same way: insert the board into the driver with the machine switched off; the connectors align with those of the driver. Immediately (80A) or after a delay of about 5 seconds (80), the TILT and GAME OVER LEDs blink briefly.

If the game boots, enter test mode and step through lamps, solenoids, switches and displays. This is exactly where the Lisy80 shines: its diagnostic menu drives each output individually and tells you in minutes what is actually broken.

Installation troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Nothing lights up at all	Fuse, cord, switch, transformer	Check the fuses before blaming the board
Board won’t boot, displays dead	+5 V missing or out of spec; power connector not seated	Measure +5 V at the test point; recheck connector alignment
Boots then shuts down / resets in a loop	+5 V too high (> 5.2 V) or unstable	Adjust the potentiometer; check the filter capacitors
The wrong game is displayed	S1 dip switches set incorrectly	Redo the binary encoding for game selection
The machine refuses to start a game	Slam tilt contact open	Set S2-4 to ON to force the contact “closed”
Nonsense scores, settings lost	NVRAM not initialised	Set S2-2 to ON, reboot, then set it back to OFF
A lamp, coil or target doesn’t respond	Usually mechanical: misaligned switch, burnt coil, broken wire	Diagnose in test mode — a new board does not repair mechanics

Let’s be clear on this. A replacement board solves electronic problems: corroded CPU, burnt driver, failing power supply, silent sound, lost memory. It does not repair a burnt coil, an oxidised switch, a dead rubber, a worn playfield, a blown display or a broken loom. If your machine has mechanical issues, they will still be there after the installation — and that’s normal. For that side of things, see our complete restoration guide and our maintenance guide.

Which board for which pinball machine?

Machine	Board	What it replaces	Price (from)
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	GottFA80_Plus	CPU + driver (+ power supply on 80 and 80A)	349 €
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	GottFA80_Plus V2 Full	Same + integrated sound board	399 €
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	Lisy80	CPU, with a full diagnostic menu	199 €
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	Godri80	Driver board	99 €
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	Gosof	Sound board (with speech)	129 €
Gottlieb System 80 / 80A / 80B	GoPOP80	MA-922 / A-19741 pop bumper board	29 €
Williams System 3 to 7	WillFA7	CPU	349 €
Bally / Stern 1977-1985	BallyFA	MPU (-35 type)	299 €

FAQ — Installing a pinball replacement board

Do I need to know how to solder to install a pinball replacement board?

No. A board supplied assembled and programmed installs without soldering: it reuses the original connectors and mounting holes. Soldering only comes into play if you build the board yourself from a kit, or if you have to replace connector pins on the machine’s loom.

How long does the installation take?

Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the teardown and reassembly itself. Add one to two hours if you thoroughly clean the connectors and remove battery corrosion — which we strongly recommend.

Do I have to remove the battery before installing the board?

Yes, absolutely. The original NiCd battery leaks potassium hydroxide, which eats away traces and components; it is the main cause of CPU board destruction. Our boards run without a battery, so there is nothing to put back after the installation.

What if the machine won’t boot after the installation?

In order: switch everything off, check that each connector is correctly aligned (not offset by one position), measure the +5 V (it must be between 5.0 and 5.2 V), check the fuses, then force the slam tilt contact to “closed” using the dedicated dip switch. Those four points cover the vast majority of cases.

Can a replacement board fix a completely dead pinball machine?

It repairs the electronics: CPU, driver, power supply, sound. It does not repair mechanical faults (coils, switches, mechanisms), faulty displays or a broken loom. On a “dead” machine, diagnosis remains essential — which is exactly what the test mode of a board like the Lisy80 is for.

Can I go back to the original board afterwards?

Yes. The installation is fully reversible: no wire is cut, no connector modified. Keep your original board, its screws and its standoffs.

Does one board work on several pinball machines?

On FPGA boards, yes, within the same system family: the game is selected with dip switches. A GottFA80 can therefore cover the whole System 80/80A/80B range, from Panthera to Night Moves, provided you have the matching ROMs.

Sources & further reading

• GottFA80_PLuS user manual (lisy.dev) — connectors, dip switches, boot sequence
• PinWiki — Williams System 3-7 — test points and connectors
• PinWiki — Bally/Stern — MPU identification and voltages
• Pinrepair — Williams System 3 to 7
• Flipjuke — French-language forum, battery corrosion and Molex connectors
• IPDB — machine records and manuals

To go further on the electronics side: Pinball electronics explained and Repair or replace a pinball circuit board.