Repair or replace a pinball circuit board: which to choose for your machine?
🛠️ Your Pinball Machine Won't Start? Repair or Replace the Circuit Board?
Is your pinball machine refusing to start, rebooting on its own, or behaving strangely?
The problem often comes from the main circuit board: CPU, driver, power supply or sound board.
At Pinballs.Store, we specialise in brand-new circuit boards for Gottlieb and Williams pinball machines. We get this question every day: should I have my original board repaired or replace it with a new one?
Here is a complete, honest and practical comparison to help you choose the most reliable, cost-effective and durable solution for your machine.
Option 1: Repair an original circuit board
✅ Advantages
- Lower upfront price: between €40 and €90 for a simple repair.
- Authenticity preserved: often preferred by collectors.
- Eco-friendly approach: reduces electronic waste.
❌ Drawbacks
- 40-year-old components = uncertain reliability.
- Scarce parts: some chips are impossible to find (e.g. Gottlieb System 1).
- Long turnaround: up to 3 weeks, depending on the repairers available.
- Little or no warranty: if a new fault appears, it all has to be done again.
Option 2: Buy a new board from Pinballs.Store
We offer new boards compatible with:
- Williams System 3, 4, 6, 6A, 7
- Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B
Based on the open source LISY.dev projects, our boards are designed to be a perfect replacement for the originals, while delivering modern performance and reliability.
✅ Advantages
- Maximum reliability: modern components, built-in protections, longer lifespan.
- Easy installation: Plug & Play, no soldering, instructions included.
- Bonus features: Freeplay, diagnostics via LEDs or web interface.
- Real human customer support: responsive and passionate.
- 15-day money-back guarantee + 6 months of coverage in case of a manufacturing defect.
- Our boards use socket-mounted fuse components, which protect the board in the event of a wiring mistake. That way, you won't have to repair everything if something goes wrong.
❌ Drawbacks
- Higher upfront cost: between €99 and €349, depending on the board.
- Less “authentic”: some purists prefer the original boards.
🔍 Repair vs. Replacement Comparison
| Criterion | Repair | New Pinballs.Store board |
|---|---|---|
| Full cost (System 80) | ~€220 + €45 (acid) | €349 (GottFA80_Plus) |
| Turnaround | 2–3 weeks | Shipped in 24–48h |
| Installation | 3 boards | A single plug & play board |
| Reliability | Average (old components) | High (new components) |
| Diagnostic tools | Original self-test | LEDs and original self-test |
| Faithful to original gameplay | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (identical ROMs) |
| Compatibility | One machine at a time | The entire Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B range combined into a single bank of switches |
| Warranty | Variable or none | 15 days + 6 months after-sales support |
📦 Our most requested boards
- GottFA80_Plus : replaces CPU + Driver + Power Supply for System 80/80A – €349
- Lisy80 : diagnostic CPU with web interface – €199
- Godri80 : modern driver – €99
- Gosof : sound board perfect for US speech, even on the Export version – from €129
- WillFA7 : CPU + Driver for Williams System 3 to 7 – €349
✅ Why trust Pinballs.Store?
- 🔧 Vintage pinball specialists
- 📦 Tested, reliable and guaranteed boards
- 💬 Human, passionate customer support
- 🚚 Fast delivery across Europe
🛒 Ready to play, not to tinker?
No more weeks of waiting, uncertain quotes and recurring breakdowns.
Order your board now and bring your pinball machine back to life like day one.
1 comment
J’apprécie l’aide que vous m’apportez, je vais pouvoir monter ma carte plus sereinement. Il y a bien une page de documentation mais je n’étais pas très sûr de moi.
Je reviendrai vers vous si besoin . Merci. Cordialement.