Hollywood Heat (Gottlieb, 1986): faults and System 80B replacement boards

June 25, 2026

Is your Gottlieb Hollywood Heat experiencing sound cutting out or distorting, failing to start, resetting, or showing unstable voltages? These symptoms are typical of Gottlieb System 80B pinball machines, whose original boards (MPU, Driver, power supply, sound) are now over 40 years old. The good news: modern replacement boards, Plug & Play and battery-free, give your machine a second life.

Hollywood Heat (Gottlieb, 1986): overview

Released in 1986, Hollywood Heat is a System 80B pinball machine with a police and action theme set in Hollywood. It features the alphanumeric displays and upbeat soundtrack typical of the series.

Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
Year: 1986
Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80B
Type: solid state pinball machine, alphanumeric displays
Theme: police / action

Gottlieb System 80B boards — Hollywood Heat — The CPU and Driver boards of the Gottlieb System 80B.

Common faults (System 80B)

System 80B machines use alphanumeric displays and an MPU with a battery-backed RAM 5101. Recurring faults: 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 (especially on the CPU daughter card and at the LM338K regulator), inter-board connectors that need repinning, poor grounds (ground mods essential), blank displays if a single bit fails to pass from the MPU to the display, and startup disrupted by the backbox fluorescent tube starter.

Issues specific to Hollywood Heat (forum reports)

Sound cutting out or distorting after 15 min: dropouts, choppy sound, tempo going off, LED switching from blinking to steady — often leaking capacitors, power supply or cold solder joints.
Trim pot unable to hold 12 V/5 V: very common on 80B, as Gottlieb skimped on the power supply and the volume potentiometer.
Loose LM338K regulator: resolder the header pins and retighten the LM338K screws.
Ball trough switch: a faulty contact prevents the game from starting — check this first.
End-of-game number match not working: a fault reported on Hollywood Heat.

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

Replacement boards compatible with Hollywood Heat

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 — Hollywood Heat — The GottFA80_Plus: all-in-one board (CPU + Driver + power supply), battery-free.

System 80B specifics: favour the GottFA80_Plus Light — the 80B is covered on the CPU/MPU side. On the audio side, support is for now limited to a few titles (Bounty Hunter, Chicago Cubs Triple Play, Tag Team); for other System 80B machines, 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 — Hollywood Heat Gottlieb

The sound cuts out after a few minutes.
Often leaking capacitors and cold solder joints, plus a dropping 5 V: repair/recap the original sound board and stabilise the voltages (GottFA80_Plus power supply). For 80B audio, support is limited to a few titles — contact us.

My Hollywood Heat won't start.
First check the ball trough switch, then the battery/corrosion on the MPU. A GottFA80_Plus Light or Lisy80 replaces the MPU.

My voltages are unstable.
The original trim pot is to blame. An all-in-one GottFA80_Plus board includes a modern power supply.

And what about 80B sound?
Audio support is for now limited to a few titles (Bounty Hunter, Chicago Cubs Triple Play, Tag Team). For Hollywood Heat, 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 Hollywood Heat; 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.