Backbox Fluorescent Tube in the Way of Your Board? The Solution

On the late Gottlieb System 80B games, the backbox fluorescent tube sits exactly where a GottFA80_Plus or Lisy80 all-in-one board needs to go. The short answer: rather than raising or shifting the tube, remove it and replace it with a flat LED strip, which takes up no space and lights the backglass better. That's exactly what our LED backbox tube replacement kit — Gottlieb System 80B does, at €49. Here's why the problem only affects a handful of machines, what the usual workarounds are really worth, and how to do the board and the kit in a single session.

Why this problem only hits certain System 80B games

The System 80B line runs from May 1985 (Chicago Cubs' Triple Play) to August 1989 (Bone Busters Inc.). Over four years, Gottlieb changed the backbox: the board layout, and above all the position of the fluorescent fixture, moved. On the early runs, the tube sits high and leaves comfortable clearance. On the late runs, it drops down and moves closer to where the boards are mounted.

Now, an all-in-one board is bigger than an original CPU board: it combines the CPU, the driver and sometimes the sound on a single PCB. That's the whole point of the approach — we explain it in our guide to all-in-one boards for Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B — but it takes up an area the original layout didn't plan for. The result: on eight machines, the tube and its bracket conflict with the board or with access to the connectors.

The machines affected

From what we see on the bench, the interference shows up on: Diamond Lady, TX-Sector, Robo-War, Excalibur, Bad Girls, Big House, Hot Shots and Bone Busters Inc. — in other words, the whole 1988-1989 production. On the other System 80B games, the tube poses no mechanical problem: you can leave it in place if you want.

The unexpected bonus: the starter that blocks startup

There's a second, less well-known reason to get rid of the tube. PinWiki documents a recurring anomaly on the late 80B games — Hot Shots, Bad Girls, Big House and Excalibur are explicitly cited: display frozen on garbage characters or completely dark, a sound board that won't boot, stuck lamps or coils. The identified source is the fluorescent tube's starter housed in the backbox, and the documented fix is simply to remove it.

On these machines, then, the original tube isn't just bulky: it can be the cause of faults you'd hunt for hours on the electronics side. Our article on a pinball machine's electronics (MPU, driver, power supply, sound) lays the groundwork for finding your way around.

What people do today — and the limits of each workaround

Three solutions circulate on the forums. None is absurd, but none is really clean.

1. Raise the tube with spacers

You loosen the brackets and slip in spacers to lift the fixture by one or two centimeters. It works, it's reversible, it costs nothing.

Honest limits: the socket and ballast wires weren't cut for that height, so they end up stretched — and a stretched wire on 115 V AC in a cabinet you open regularly eventually fatigues. The tube, already fragile, moves closer to the backglass. Above all, the maneuver has to be redone every time you remove the board.

2. Shift the tube to the side

You drill new holes or move the brackets to clear the board area. The tube stays at its original height.

Honest limits: you drill original wood — that's irreversible, and a demanding collector will hold it against you. The lighting becomes asymmetric: one side of the backglass gets more light than the other, which shows immediately on light backglasses. And the wiring, too, has to be extended or stretched.

3. Remove the tube and play with no backbox light

The radical solution: you take out the tube, ballast and starter, insulate the wires, and play with a dark backglass.

Honest limits: a 1980s backglass is meant to be backlit. Dark, it goes dull and the atmosphere disappears. It also shows at resale — a dark backbox gives the impression of a half-repaired machine. See our article on the simple repairs that raise a pinball machine's value.

The clean solution: remove the tube, switch to a flat LED strip

The problem isn't the board: it's the volume taken up by a glass tube, its ballast and its starter — three parts designed in 1985 for a job that a few-millimeter-thick LED strip now does better.

Our LED backbox tube replacement kit (€49) replaces the whole tube + ballast + starter assembly with an adhesive LED strip and a small 115 V AC transformer module. Concretely:

• Nothing gets in the board's way anymore: the strip sticks flat to the top rail, and the board goes in and comes out freely.
• Instant, even lighting, with no striking flicker and no dark zone above the starter.
• No fragile glass in a backbox you open, transport and move.
• It runs much cooler, which is welcome in a closed cabinet full of electronics.
• Invisible: once the backglass is in place, all you see is the light.
• Reversible: the original tube, ballast and starter go in a box, and you can put it all back one day.

Install: about 10 minutes, no soldering or drilling, with the supplied lever-action Wago connectors. The kit is designed, assembled and tested in France by Pinballs Store.

Installing the board AND the LED kit at the same time: the order of operations

If your GottFA80_Plus (€349) or your Lisy80 (€199) and the LED kit arrive in the same parcel, do it all in one go. You'll only open the backbox once.

1. Unplug the pinball machine from the wall outlet. No switch: the plug out of the socket. Check it visually before you put your hands in.
2. Remove the backglass and set it flat, safe, out of the way.
3. Photograph the backbox from several angles: it's your safety net for reassembly.
4. Remove the fluorescent tube, then its bracket, the ballast and the starter. Put it all in a labeled box: that's your guarantee of reversibility.
5. Identify and free the two 115 V AC wires that fed the lighting, and insulate them for the time being.
6. Install the replacement board now that the area is clear: it goes in without forcing and you have free access to the connectors. Our all-in-one board guide details the points to watch.
7. Stick the LED strip to the top rail, adhesive face against a clean, dry surface (see our maintenance guide for the rest of the machine).
8. Fix the transformer module away from the boards and connect it to the two wires identified in step 5 with the supplied Wagos, levers firmly closed.
9. Check that no wire is trailing on a board and that no screw is left in the bottom of the cabinet.
10. Plug in, power on, verify: instant strip lighting, normal startup, coherent display and sound.
11. Refit the backglass and judge the result in a dimly-lit room.

Checkpoints

• The strip lights instantly, with no flicker: if not, unplug and recheck the Wagos.
• The transformer module stays lukewarm, never hot.
• The board comes out and goes back in with no mechanical strain.
• The 115 V AC circuit fuse on the transformer panel is in place and intact.

Machine-by-machine table (System 80B, 1985-1989)

Release dates per PinWiki and the Internet Pinball Database.

Machine	Release	Does the tube block the board?	LED kit worth it?
Chicago Cubs' Triple Play	05-1985	No	Convenience and reliability
Bounty Hunter	07-1985	No	Convenience and reliability
Tag-Team Pinball	09-1985	No	Convenience and reliability
Rock	10-1985	No	Convenience and reliability
Raven	03-1986	No	Convenience and reliability
Rock Encore	04-1986	No	Convenience and reliability
Hollywood Heat	06-1986	No	Convenience and reliability
Genesis	09-1986	No	Convenience and reliability
Gold Wings	10-1986	No	Convenience and reliability
Monte Carlo	02-1987	No	Convenience and reliability
Spring Break	04-1987	No	Convenience and reliability
Arena	06-1987	No	Convenience and reliability
Victory	10-1987	No	Convenience and reliability
Diamond Lady	02-1988	Yes	Strongly recommended
TX-Sector	03-1988	Yes	Strongly recommended
Robo-War	04-1988	Yes	Strongly recommended
Excalibur	11-1988	Yes	Strongly recommended (starter cited by PinWiki)
Bad Girls	11-1988	Yes	Strongly recommended (starter cited by PinWiki)
Big House	04-1989	Yes	Strongly recommended (starter cited by PinWiki)
Hot Shots	04-1989	Yes	Strongly recommended (starter cited by PinWiki)
Bone Busters Inc.	08-1989	Yes	Strongly recommended

Already raised or shifted the tube?

Nothing is lost, and switching to the LED strip is actually simpler for you: half the disassembly is already done.

• If you'd added spacers, remove them along with the tube and put the original hardware back. You get back the space AND the factory geometry.
• If you'd drilled new holes to shift the brackets, you can leave the holes as they are (they'll be hidden) or fill them with wood filler before sticking the strip: the surface needs to be flat and clean for the adhesive to hold.
• If you'd extended wires with terminal blocks or tape, redo the connection cleanly with the supplied Wagos.
• If you were playing with no lighting, all that's left is to stick the strip and connect: the wires are already free.

Budget-wise, replacing backbox lighting remains one of the cheapest jobs on a pinball machine — see our line-by-line repair price guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the LED kit compatible with every Gottlieb System 80B?

Yes. It's designed for the entire System 80B line (1985-1989), from the early runs to Bone Busters Inc. On the eight 1988-1989 machines, it also solves the mechanical conflict with the replacement board.

Do I remove the ballast and starter, or just the tube?

Remove all three. The kit provides its own 115 V AC transformer module: the original ballast and starter no longer serve any purpose, they take up space, and the starter is precisely the part implicated in the documented startup problems on the late 80B games. Put them in a labeled box if you want to be able to go back.

Do I need to solder or drill anything?

No. The strip is adhesive, the module fixes to an existing point, and the connection is made with the supplied lever-action Wago connectors. Reckon on about ten minutes.

Is it dangerous?

The backbox lighting circuit is 115 V AC, so yes, it's a dangerous voltage. The task itself is simple, but it demands one non-negotiable rule: unplug the pinball machine from the wall outlet before opening. If mains wiring makes you uneasy, call on someone qualified.

Can I install the kit before my board arrives?

Yes, and it's a good idea if you want to spread out the work. The kit works independently of the game electronics. You'll simply have to reopen the backbox the day the board arrives — but the area will already be clear.

What if I want to go back to the original tube later?

It's built for that: nothing is cut or drilled. You disconnect the Wagos, peel off the strip, and refit the tube, ballast and starter you kept. The machine returns to its factory configuration.

Sources & further reading

• PinWiki — Gottlieb System 80: list of 80B games with dates, and starter-related startup anomalies (accessed July 27, 2026).
• Pinside — Gottlieb 80B fluorescent tube replacement, LED (accessed July 27, 2026).
• Pinball Info — Gottlieb System 80B backbox tube LED upgrade (accessed July 27, 2026).
• Pinball Nirvana — Monte Carlo (System 80B) will only boot up correctly with bulb out (accessed July 27, 2026).
• Internet Pinball Database: machine records and production dates (accessed July 27, 2026).