Diamond Lady (Gottlieb, 1988): faults and System 80B replacement boards

Q: My Diamond Lady won't boot.

Unplug and reseat the MPU to Driver connector (green/white wires) and check for battery corrosion. A GottFA80_Plus Light or Lisy80 replaces the MPU.

June 25, 2026

Is your Gottlieb Diamond Lady no longer booting, suffering from faulty connectors, dodgy grounds or resetting? These symptoms are typical of Gottlieb System 80B pinball machines, whose original boards (MPU, Driver, power supply, sound) are now over 40 years old. Good news: modern replacement boards, Plug & Play and battery-free, give your machine a second life.

Diamond Lady (Gottlieb, 1988): overview

Released in 1988, Diamond Lady is a System 80B pinball machine with a glamorous theme set against a backdrop of diamonds and elegance. It features the series' alphanumeric displays.

Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
Year: 1988
Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80B
Type: solid-state pinball machine, alphanumeric displays
Theme: glamour / diamonds

Gottlieb System 80B boards — Diamond Lady — The CPU and Driver boards of the Gottlieb System 80B.

Common faults (System 80B)

System 80B machines use alphanumeric displays and an MPU with battery-backed 5101 RAM. Recurring faults include: a leaking battery on the MPU (corrosion and loss of the 5101 memory), unstable power supply (the original trim pot struggles to hold 5 V and 12 V), cracked solder joints (particularly on the CPU daughter card), inter-board connectors that need re-pinning, poor grounds (ground mods essential), dead displays if a single bit fails to pass from the MPU to the display, and start-up disrupted by the fluorescent tube starter in the backbox.

Diamond Lady specific issues (forum feedback)

Poorly seated MPU→Driver connector: the connector (green/white wires) should be unplugged and reseated for better contact — the No. 1 source of trouble.
Weak grounds: poor grounding of the two small boards in the power supply block; redo the main grounds by bolting crimped lugs to the chassis.
Battery corrosion on the MPU: clean the holder and replace the batteries.
Auxiliary power board: often needs reworking, connectors always unreliable.
Add-on U2/U3 board: cracked solder joints typical of the 80B.

Battery corrosion on a Gottlieb System 80B board — Diamond Lady — Typical corrosion from a leaking battery on System 80B: address it first.

Replacement boards compatible with Diamond Lady

GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one CPU + Driver + power supply board, without sound.
GottFA80_Plus (Full) — same with integrated sound board (80B audio limited to a few titles).
Gosof — replacement sound board for System 80 and 80A (80B support currently limited to a few titles).
Godri80 — replacement Driver board.
Lisy80 — CPU board + web diagnostics.
GoPOP80 — bumper driver board (MA-922).

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

System 80B note: favour the GottFA80_Plus Light — the 80B is covered on the CPU/MPU side. On the audio side, support is currently limited to a few titles (Bounty Hunter, Chicago Cubs Triple Play, Tag Team); for other System 80B games, keep and repair the original sound board and contact us (an audio solution is in the works).

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

FAQ — Diamond Lady Gottlieb

My Diamond Lady won't boot.
Unplug and reseat the MPU→Driver connector (green/white wires) and check for battery corrosion. A GottFA80_Plus Light or Lisy80 replaces the MPU.

The game is unstable / stuck lamps or coils.
The grounds are to blame. Redo the ground mods; a GottFA80_Plus power supply provides stable voltages.

Memory/settings are lost.
The battery has leaked. Our boards run battery-free and remove this risk.

What about 80B sound?
Audio support is currently limited to a few titles (Bounty Hunter, Chicago Cubs Triple Play, Tag Team). For Diamond Lady, keep and repair the original sound board and contact us; a solution is in the works.

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

Power off, visual inspection: look for any battery or corrosion traces on the MPU of your Diamond Lady; remove the NiCad battery if still present.
Power supply: measure the 5 V and check that it reaches the MPU (resolder the regulator or Q1 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 while powered on; test with a known-good display.
Final test: check start-up, credits, coils and displays; if needed, contact free support.