Tag-Team Pinball (Gottlieb, 1985): faults and System 80B replacement boards

June 28, 2026

Is your Gottlieb Tag-Team Pinball no longer starting, showing dead displays, resetting or leaving a stuck coil that overheats? 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.

Tag-Team Pinball (Gottlieb, 1985): overview

Released in September 1985, Tag-Team Pinball is one of the very first Gottlieb System 80B machines (along with Chicago Cubs, Bounty Hunter, Rock and Rock Encore). On a wrestling theme, designed by John Trudeau (artwork by Larry Day), it offers 4 players, 3 flippers and a 3-ball multiball. About 1,220 units.

Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
Year: 1985
Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80B
Type: electronic pinball (solid state), alphanumeric displays, multiball
Theme: wrestling

Gottlieb System 80B boards — Tag-Team Pinball — 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. The 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 (notably on the CPU daughter card), 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 start-up disrupted by the starter of the backbox fluorescent tube.

Battery corrosion on a Gottlieb System 80B board — Tag-Team Pinball — Typical corrosion from a leaking battery on System 80B: neutralise it first.

Issues specific to Tag-Team Pinball (forum feedback)

Poor grounds that lock a coil on: a coil can stay energised and overheat (melted sleeve, burnt driver transistors) — typically the lower left kicker.
Balls not ejected: ball not fed into the shooter lane and/or not ejected from the lower left out-hole, often at the same time.
80B ground mod: redoing the grounds at the transformer panel is strongly recommended.
Multiball (3 balls): trough and lock switches to check.
Leaking battery on the MPU: corrosion and loss of the 5101 memory.
Connectors not repinned: bad connections between boards, the no. 1 source of intermittent faults.

Replacement boards compatible with Tag-Team Pinball

GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one CPU + Driver + power supply board, no sound.
GottFA80_Plus (Full) — same with integrated sound board (Tag-Team audio supported).
Gosof — replacement sound board (Tag-Team is one of the supported 80B titles).
Godri80 — replacement Driver board.
Lisy80 — CPU board + web diagnostics.
GoPOP80 — bumper driver board (MA-922).

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

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

Good news for Tag-Team: it is one of the few System 80B machines whose audio is already supported (along with Bounty Hunter and Chicago Cubs Triple Play). The GottFA80_Plus Full (or the Gosof) therefore reproduces the original sound. Plug & Play installation, battery-free, free support. Contact us.

FAQ — Tag-Team Pinball Gottlieb

My Tag-Team no longer starts.
Check the battery/corrosion on the MPU and the grounds. A GottFA80_Plus Light or Lisy80 board replaces the MPU and makes start-up reliable.

A coil stays energised and overheats.
Often a ground fault: redo the grounds (ground mod) and check the relevant transistor on the driver. The Godri80 or the GottFA80_Plus replaces the power stage.

The balls are no longer ejected.
Check the trough and out-hole switches. On the logic and power side, the GottFA80_Plus makes coil control reliable.

Is Tag-Team's sound supported?
Yes: Tag-Team is one of the 80B titles whose audio is supported. The GottFA80_Plus Full or the Gosof reproduce the sound.

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 Tag-Team Pinball; remove the NiCad battery if still present.
Power supply: measure the 5 V and check 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: repin 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.