Flipper Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunter (Gottlieb, 1985): faults and System 80B replacement boards

Is your Gottlieb Bounty Hunter (1985) refusing to boot on first power-up, going completely unresponsive on the switches mid-game, suffering from a dead display or poor connector contacts? These symptoms are typical of an ageing System 80B. Here are the common faults and the compatible replacement boards.

About the Bounty Hunter (Gottlieb, 1985)

Released in July 1985, Bounty Hunter is a Gottlieb (Premier) machine with a Wild-West bounty-hunter theme. With about 1,220 units produced, designed by John Buras with artwork by Larry Day, it runs on System 80B electronics.

  • Manufacturer: Gottlieb (Premier)
  • Year: 1985
  • System: Gottlieb System 80B
  • Type: solid state, multiplayer, alphanumeric displays
  • Theme: bounty hunting, Wild West
Gottlieb System 80B boards — Bounty Hunter
The CPU and Driver boards of the Gottlieb System 80B.

Common faults (System 80B)

Gottlieb’s System 80B shares well-documented weaknesses:

  • Battery corrosion: the battery soldered to the CPU board leaks and eats away traces and components; it is the number-one cause of a dead board.
  • Displays: missing digits, dead segments or no display at all on power-up.
  • Sound and music: music that cuts out, partial or missing sounds (the sound board is sensitive to poor contacts).
  • Connectors and rivets: poor contacts on the inter-board connectors and oxidised backbox rivets (a “ground mod” is often needed).
  • Grounds: insufficient grounding near the transformer, a source of lock-ups and spurious resets.
Battery corrosion on a Gottlieb System 80B board — Bounty Hunter
Typical corrosion from a leaking battery on System 80B: neutralise it first.

Bounty Hunter-specific issues (forums)

Reported by owners on Pinside:

  • Won’t start on first power-up: only the general illumination (GI) comes on; it takes one or two reboots for the machine to boot.
  • Switches go dead mid-game: the game starts normally, then all at once every switch stops responding (flippers, bumpers and slings keep working), the ball drains without the outhole being detected; a reboot restarts it, then the fault returns.
  • Connector needs pressure: an edge connector only makes contact when you physically press on it; cleaning is not enough, it needs repinning.
  • Dead display: a silent display to diagnose starting with the fuses, from least to most invasive.
  • RAM lock-up: a freeze with garbage in memory on power-up, typical of System 80B.

Replacement boards compatible with Bounty Hunter

Rather than chasing poor contacts, replace the original electronics:

GottFA80_Plus board for Gottlieb System 80B — Bounty Hunter
The GottFA80_Plus: all-in-one board (CPU + Driver + power supply), battery-free.

📚 Read more: Guide: which board for a Gottlieb System 80/80A/80B? · System 80B special

Plug & Play installation, battery-free, free support.

FAQ — Bounty Hunter (Gottlieb)

Which board replaces the CPU of a Bounty Hunter?
The GottFA80_Plus (Light) replaces the System 80B CPU + Driver + power board in one go, battery-free. The Full version also integrates the sound. The Lisy80 is a CPU alternative with web diagnostics.

My Bounty Hunter only starts after several tries: what can I do?
This temperamental boot, where only the GI lights up, often comes from the battery, the RAM and the System 80B grounds. An all-in-one GottFA80_Plus removes the battery and makes booting reliable.

The switches go dead mid-game, is it the CPU?
Often yes: tired connectors and CPU/Driver set. Replacing the CPU + Driver (GottFA80_Plus) or the Driver alone (Godri80) and repinning the connectors fixes the problem.

Is installation complicated?
No: our boards are Plug & Play, battery-free, with free support. If in doubt, contact us.

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

  1. Power off, visual inspection: look for any battery or corrosion traces on the MPU of your Bounty Hunter; remove the NiCad battery if still present.
  2. Power supply: measure the 5 V and check it reaches the MPU (resolder the regulator or Q1 if the voltage drops).
  3. Grounds: apply the “ground mods” between the boards (CPU, Driver, power supply, sound).
  4. Connectors: repin the oxidised Molex connectors, especially the MPU↔Driver link.
  5. Displays: never plug or unplug a display while powered on; test with a known-good display.
  6. Final test: check start-up, credits, coils and displays; if needed, contact free support.

See also

Sources

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