Amazon Hunt (Gottlieb, 1983): faults and System 80A replacement boards

June 25, 2026

Is your Gottlieb Amazon Hunt producing no sound, staying stuck at startup, resetting or simulating a slam tilt? These symptoms are typical of Gottlieb System 80A pinball machines, whose original boards (CPU, Driver, power supply) are now more than 40 years old. Good news: modern replacement boards, Plug & Play and battery-free, give your machine a second life.

Amazon Hunt (Gottlieb, 1983): overview

Released in 1983, Amazon Hunt is a System 80A pinball machine themed around adventure and the exploration of the Amazon jungle. Its “treasure hunt” atmosphere makes it a popular title in the Gottlieb electronic range.

Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
Year: 1983
Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80A
Type: solid state pinball machine
Theme: adventure / Amazon jungle

Gottlieb System 80A MPU board — Amazon Hunt — The MPU board drives the entire Gottlieb System 80A.

Common faults (System 80A)

Across all System 80/80A machines, the most common faults come from board ageing: a leaking NiCd battery on the CPU board that corrodes traces and components, tired capacitors and RIOT 6532 circuits, random resets caused by floating grounds and oxidised connectors, displays with missing segments or digits (often simply a J2/J3 connector problem), unwanted slam tilt and a power supply whose voltages drift. Fragile edge connectors and poorly reconnected grounds are almost always to blame.

Problems specific to the Amazon Hunt (forum feedback)

No sound or background sound that disappears: often solved by repinning the 12-pin connector of the sound board and the J5 connector of the Driver board.
Boot stuck outside attract, nothing starts: the Z15 (7432) chip that drives the switch enables can be faulty and simulate a slam tilt fault.
False slam tilt: the game behaves as if the slam switch were activated when it is not.
Battery damage on the CPU board: battery removal, cleaning and a 100 µF capacitor on the logic input are recommended.
Diagnosis: tools such as NeoDiag80 help isolate the fault on these System 80A machines.

Battery corrosion on a Gottlieb board — Amazon Hunt — Typical NiCad battery corrosion: the number-one fault to fix.

Replacement boards compatible with Amazon Hunt

GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one board CPU + Driver + power supply, without sound.
GottFA80_Plus (Full) — same with integrated sound board.
Gosof — replacement sound board (with or without voice).
Godri80 — replacement Driver board.
Lisy80 — CPU board + web diagnostics.
GoPOP80 — bumper driver board (MA-922).

Replacement board for Gottlieb System 80A — Amazon Hunt — The GottFA80_Plus replacement board: battery-free, Plug & Play installation.

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

FAQ — Amazon Hunt Gottlieb

My Amazon Hunt has no sound.
Repin the 12-pin connector of the sound board and the J5 of the Driver board. If the sound board remains faulty, the Gosof board replaces it, with or without voice.

The game boots but starts nothing and seems to be in slam tilt.
The Z15 (7432) chip that handles the switch enables is often to blame. A replacement CPU board (GottFA80_Plus, Lisy80) eliminates this fault.

How can I diagnose effectively?
The Lisy80 offers built-in web diagnostics; tools such as NeoDiag80 also help isolate the fault.

Should I remove the original battery?
Yes. Our boards work without a battery, removing the #1 cause of corrosion on System 80A machines.

How long does it take to install a replacement board?
Installation is Plug & Play: a few minutes, no soldering, with tutorials and free support.

Does a battery-free board keep the settings and high scores?
Yes. Modern replacement boards use non-volatile memory: no more battery, no more corrosion, and the settings are kept when powered off.

Step-by-step diagnosis

With the power off, visual inspection: look for any trace of battery leakage or corrosion on the MPU of your Amazon Hunt; remove the NiCad battery if still present.
Power supply: measure the 5 V line and check that it reaches the MPU (rework the regulator/Q1 solder joints if the voltage drops).
Grounds: apply the "ground mods" between the boards (CPU, Driver, power supply, sound).
Connectors: re-pin the oxidised Molex connectors, especially the MPU↔Driver link.
Displays: never plug or unplug a display with the power on; test with a known-good display.
Final test: check start-up, credits, coils and displays; if needed, contact the free support.