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

Is your Gottlieb Hollywood Heat experiencing sound that cuts out or garbles, 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. 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 Hollywood police-and-action theme. It features the alphanumeric displays and the punchy 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

Common faults (System 80B)

System 80B machines use alphanumeric displays and an MPU with battery-backed 5101 RAM. 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 and at the LM338K regulator), inter-board connectors that need re-pinning, poor grounds (ground mods are essential), dead displays if a single bit fails to pass from the MPU to the display, and start-up disrupted by the backbox fluorescent tube starter.

Issues specific to Hollywood Heat (forum feedback)

• Sound that cuts out or garbles after 15 min: dropouts, choppy sound, tempo drifting, LED changing 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 cut corners on the power supply and the volume potentiometer.
• Loose LM338K regulator: re-solder the header pins and re-tighten 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 reported fault on Hollywood Heat.

Replacement boards compatible with Hollywood Heat

• GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one CPU + Driver + power supply board, without sound.
• GottFA80_Plus (Full) — same with an 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 — pop bumper driver board (MA-922).

System 80B specifics: go for 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 the 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, free tutorials and support. Contact us.

FAQ — Hollywood Heat Gottlieb

The sound cuts out after a few minutes.
Often leaking capacitors and cold solder joints, plus a 5 V that drops: 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.
Check the ball trough switch first, 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 currently 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 free tutorials and 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 retained when powered off.

Step-by-step diagnostics

1. Powered off, visual inspection: look for any battery or corrosion trace on the MPU of your Hollywood Heat; remove the NiCad battery if it is still present.
2. Power supply: measure the 5 V and check that it reaches the MPU (re-solder the regulator or Q1 if the voltage drops).
3. Grounds: apply the ground mods between the boards (CPU, Driver, power supply, sound).
4. Connectors: re-pin 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 the start-up, credits, coils and displays; if needed, contact free support.

Useful guides

• How much does a pinball repair cost? The price guide
• How much is my pinball worth? Value and estimate
• Pinball leg sizes: the machine-by-machine guide
• Which board for a Gottlieb System 80, 80A or 80B?

See also

• Rock (Gottlieb, 1985)
• Raven (Gottlieb, 1986)
• Genesis (Gottlieb, 1986)
• Gold Wings (Gottlieb, 1986)

Sources & further reading

• Pinside forum — Hollywood Heat
• IPDB — Internet Pinball Database
• OPDB — Open Pinball Database