Flipper Night Moves

Night Moves (Gottlieb, 1989): faults and System 80B replacement boards

Does your Gottlieb Night Moves (1989) have its music restart on every bumper or target, refuse to boot after a clean (inserts that light then go out, a silent display), suffer from dead flippers or coils that overheat? These symptoms are typical of System 80B, the electronics of this last machine in the line. Here are the common faults and the compatible replacement boards.

About the Night Moves (Gottlieb, 1989)

Night Moves (1989) is one of the very last System 80B machines. Designed and built by Premier/Gottlieb, it was sold under the International Concepts brand; all the mechanics and boards are Gottlieb System 80B parts.

  • Manufacturer: Gottlieb / Premier (International Concepts brand)
  • Year: 1989
  • System: Gottlieb System 80B
  • Type: solid state, alphanumeric displays
  • Theme: nightlife
Gottlieb System 80B boards — Night Moves
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 — Night Moves
Typical corrosion from a leaking battery on System 80B: neutralise it first.

Night Moves-specific issues (forums)

Reported by owners on Pinside:

  • Music that restarts: the music relaunches or changes on every bumper hit and every target hit; often fixed by replacing the CPU board (MPU).
  • Won’t boot after cleaning: after a clean or wax, several inserts light then go out and the display stays silent; unplugging the small reset board next to the MPU often clears a RAM lock-up (garbage in memory).
  • Dead flippers: EOS switches and flipper buttons that oxidise after long idle periods; cleaning or light filing restores contact.
  • Flipper coils that overheat: coils too hot to touch after about twenty minutes of play (check the EOS or driver).
  • Battery leakage: the MPU battery leaks and causes intermittent operation.

Replacement boards compatible with Night Moves

Rather than putting up with an ageing MPU, replace the original electronics:

GottFA80_Plus board for Gottlieb System 80B — Night Moves
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 — Night Moves (Gottlieb)

Which board replaces the CPU of a Night Moves?
The GottFA80_Plus (Light) replaces the System 80B CPU + Driver + power board, battery-free; the Full version adds the sound. The Lisy80 is a CPU alternative with web diagnostics.

The music restarts constantly, is it the CPU?
Yes, this behaviour comes from the CPU/RAM board. A replacement MPU (GottFA80_Plus or Lisy80) fixes the fault.

After a clean it won’t boot, what can I do?
Often a RAM lock-up: cut the power, unplug the small reset board, check the battery. A battery-free board avoids these lock-ups.

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 Night Moves; 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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