Time Line (Gottlieb, 1980): faults and System 80 replacement boards

Is your Gottlieb Time Line refusing to start, showing 000000, losing its lower flippers or playing silently? These are typical Gottlieb System 80 symptoms, on boards (CPU, driver, power supply, sound) that are now more than forty years old. Modern replacement boards — Plug & Play and battery-free — bring the machine back, and a couple of the faults below need nothing but a connector repin.

About the Time Line (Gottlieb, 1980)

See it: full photo gallery for Time Line on IPDB (#2564) · playfield and backglass photos on Pinball Rebel

Time Line is Gottlieb model 659, released in December 1980 — two months after James Bond 007 (model 658), by the same designer, on the same electronics. If you own both, you own near-identical machines under the glass. Production ran to 3,167 units, a modest number that makes Time Line genuinely uncommon today.

Design is by Allen Edwall; the artwork is credited to Gerry Simkus (you'll also see it spelled Jerry in some references). The theme is time travel, wrapped in the atomic-age graphics that were everywhere in 1980, and Gottlieb sold it with one of the more memorable taglines of the era: "THE WORLD'S FIRST PINBALL MACHINE WITH ATOMIC TIC-TAC-TOE!"

How Time Line actually plays — and why it matters for repairs

That tagline is not froth. Time Line is a game of noughts and crosses: you light X's in a three-by-three grid by completing targets while the machine fills in O's against you, racing to complete X-X-X before it completes O-O-O.

The part that matters technically is where each ball begins. Every ball is launched onto a mini playfield in the upper left, which has its own two flippers. Up there you get a short window — about ten beats — to attack a five-bank of drop targets before flipper power is cut and the ball is released down to the main playfield. Hit seven targets and you light the centre X; complete the bank twice and you win the grid outright.

Read that again with a multimeter in your hand, because it explains the machine's signature fault. Time Line has four flippers whose power is switched between the upper pair and the lower pair by a relay. That switching is a normal part of every single ball. It is also, forty years on, the thing most likely to go wrong — see fault 1 below.

On the main playfield, a red five-bank lights the centre X and opens the ball return gate, a yellow four-bank lights an X in circle 1, and spot targets fill the rest of the grid. Each win advances the bonus multiplier and the win/draw award — 5,000, 20,000, Extra Ball, 50,000, Special — and each loss walks it back down.

• Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
• Release: December 1980
• Model number: 659
• Production run: 3,167 units
• Design: Allen Edwall
• Artwork: Gerry Simkus
• Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80
• Type: solid-state, widebody, 4 players
• Playfield: 4 flippers (two on a separate upper mini playfield), 3 pop bumpers, a 5-bank and a 4-bank of drop targets
• Theme: time travel / tic-tac-toe

Rarity and value

With 3,167 built, Time Line is described by collectors as a fairly rare Gottlieb, and it doesn't come up for sale often. At the time of writing, Pinside's market data put it in a range of roughly $1,110–$1,290, with around 65 Pinsiders owning one. As always, condition and — on a System 80 especially — whether the boards are alive matter far more than the headline figure.

Common faults across Gottlieb System 80

• The NiCad battery. Soldered to the CPU board, it leaks, and the residue eats traces, component legs and connector pins. The number one cause of dead System 80 boards. If yours is still fitted, remove it now.
• Connectors and grounds. Gottlieb's .156" Molex pins lose tension with age, and the grounding scheme leans on the connectors themselves. The result is the classic System 80 personality: works, then intermittently doesn't. Repinning with bifurcated pins and fitting the standard ground mods resolves more faults than any board swap.
• Tired logic. 6532 RIOT chips and CPU support logic fail with age — no boot, frozen displays, dead switch columns.
• Displays. Missing segments or whole digits are often just the J2/J3 connector. Never plug or unplug a display with the power on.
• The unfused transformer. Early System 80 games have no fuse on the smaller transformer, so a display wiring fault can destroy it. An 8–10 A slo-blo fuse is cheap insurance. The large orange capacitor in the bottom of the cabinet is another known early failure; replace it before chasing anything else.
• Slam tilt. An open slam switch gives rolling displays at power-up and a game that won't start.
• The coin door lockout wire. It can jam into the coin switches and lock the game up. This is a general System 80 trait, not a Time Line one, but it's worth ruling out in two minutes before you open the backbox.
• The CMOS RAM write flaw. Early System 80 MPUs (the ones with two PROMs) have a read/write timing design flaw that prevents data being written to the last CMOS RAM location. Worth knowing if stored settings behave oddly.

Time Line-specific issues owners actually report

1. The "A" relay stays energised — upper flippers live, lower flippers dead

This is the Time Line fault, and it follows directly from the mini playfield described above.

The symptom is unmistakable: the two upper flippers have power permanently, and the two lower flippers have none — regardless of the timer running out or the ball rolling down. The A relay that should divert flipper power from the upper pair to the lower pair never releases.

One owner's diagnosis is worth following, because it eliminates suspects rather than shotgunning parts. Transistor Q48 — a BD681 Darlington — tested fine. The relay's coil resistance and protection diode were normal, and diagnostics threw no switch errors. He measured Q48's base voltage while the game ran, then found no continuity from connector pin M through to Q48. Replacing the diode and Q48 (with a TIP102) changed nothing. Desoldering the relay's power line restored proper power to the lower flippers — proving the relay's control circuit was at fault, not the flippers or the cabinet wiring.

The resolution is the interesting part: refitting the original Gottlieb driver board and its original interconnect cable made the game work perfectly. The fault lived in the replacement driver board he had fitted, not in the game.

The lesson generalises, and it's an honest one: Time Line leans on the flipper-power relay harder than most System 80 games, because the machine switches flipper banks on every single ball rather than once a game. If you're fitting a replacement driver board to a Time Line, that relay drive is the circuit to check first and to mention to your supplier — including to us. Tell us it's a Time Line when you order, not after.

2. No sound at all

The second most reported Time Line fault, and one where the diagnostic numbers are genuinely useful.

One owner lost sound mid-game. Re-pinning connectors and cleaning the volume pot changed nothing. At the sound board's connector he found healthy 5 V and 12 V — but the negative rail reading −6 V where it should have been −12 V. The big electrolytic looked fine, which is exactly why you measure rather than look.

Bench diagnosis found both 7404 hex inverters on the board had failed, and — worse — so had the 6530. That chip bundles RAM, ROM, I/O and a timer into one masked part loaded with Gottlieb-specific code, and it has not been manufactured for decades. Replacing the 7404s and sourcing a 6530 restored the sound.

Two things to take from this: System 80 sound board failures are frequently multiple simultaneous failures rather than one bad part, so a board that fails one test deserves a full check; and the 6530 is the reason replacement sound boards exist at all, because when it dies there is no new part to buy.

3. Won't kick the ball out and won't start

Reported repeatedly on Time Line. On System 80 the ball-feed solenoid and flipper power are gated together, so a machine that won't serve a ball and has dead flippers is usually one relay-circuit fault, not two. Check that the relay energises at game start before you start pulling coils. As with the A relay above, the signal path — connectors and driver transistor — is a better first suspect than the relay itself.

4. Switches not registering

A regular complaint. Time Line's grid logic reads a lot of targets, so a dead switch column is very visible: X's stop lighting where they should. Start at the switch matrix connector and the target switches themselves, which get dirty and drift out of adjustment — both drop target banks work hard.

5. Replay awarded at the wrong score

Owners have reported Time Line awarding a replay at a score that doesn't match the setting. Before assuming a corrupt adjustment, note the early System 80 MPU read/write timing flaw mentioned above: on affected boards the last CMOS RAM location can't be written. Whether that's the cause in a given machine needs testing, but it's a documented quirk that can make stored settings behave strangely — and it disappears entirely on a modern CPU board.

6. Small displays showing segments incorrectly

The two-digit credit and ball-in-play displays misbehaving while the main score displays are fine. Usually the display connector or the display itself rather than the CPU — test with a known-good unit, and never hot-plug a display.

7. Sound repeating with attract mode switched off

An odd one that turns up on Time Line specifically: a repeating sound loop when attract mode is disabled. Worth being aware of before you conclude your sound board is failing.

Replacement boards compatible with Time Line

Time Line is a plain System 80 game, so the standard set fits:

• GottFA80_Plus (Light) — all-in-one CPU + driver + power supply board, without sound.
• GottFA80_Plus (Full) — the same board with integrated sound.
• Gosof — replacement sound board, with or without voice. The practical answer to a dead 6530, which cannot be bought new.
• Godri80 — replacement driver board.
• Lisy80 — CPU board with web-based diagnostics, useful for chasing the switch matrix faults above.
• GoPOP80 — pop bumper driver board for the original MA-922 / A-19741. Time Line has three pop bumpers, each with its own board.

One Time Line-specific caution. Because of the mini playfield, this game switches flipper power between two banks of flippers on every ball, through the A relay. Any driver board you fit has to drive that relay correctly. Tell us you have a Time Line when you order and we'll make sure the board you receive is right for it — we test every board before it ships and support it afterwards.

About Lisy80: LISY is an independent developer's free, open DIY project, and full credit goes to its author — the project is documented at lisy.dev. We supply the Lisy80 as a ready-to-use board, tested before shipping, with support afterwards.

Plug & Play installation, no battery, free tutorials and support. Get in touch.

Step-by-step diagnosis

1. Coin door first. Before anything else, check the lockout wire hasn't jammed into the coin switches and that the slam switch is closed. Two minutes, and it explains a surprising number of dead Time Lines.
2. Power off, look. Check the CPU board for battery residue. Remove the NiCad if it's still there. Inspect the connector pins, not only the board.
3. Power supply. Measure the 5 V and confirm it reaches the MPU. Measure the sound board's negative rail too — around −6 V instead of −12 V points straight at its supply.
4. Grounds. Fit the System 80 ground mods between CPU, driver, power supply and sound boards.
5. Connectors. Repin the oxidised Molex connectors with bifurcated pins, starting with the CPU↔driver interconnect and the switch matrix.
6. Flipper relay. If the upper flippers work and the lower ones don't (or the reverse), go to the A relay and its driver — Q48 on the original driver board — and check the control signal, not just the transistor.
7. Switch test. Run every drop target and standup through switch test; the grid logic reads a lot of them.
8. Displays. Never hot-plug. Test with a known-good display.
9. Final test. Start-up, credits, mini playfield flippers, hand-off to the main playfield, coils, displays, sound.

FAQ — Time Line (Gottlieb, 1980)

My Time Line's upper flippers work but the lower flippers are dead.
That's the A relay, which diverts flipper power from the mini playfield's flippers to the main playfield's flippers when the timer runs out. If it stays energised you get exactly this. Check the relay's control signal and its driver transistor (Q48 on the original driver board) rather than the flipper coils — and if you have fitted a replacement driver board, check that its flipper-relay drive suits Time Line.

Why does my Time Line have flippers on a small playfield at the top?
Because that's the game. Every ball starts on a mini playfield in the upper left with its own two flippers, where you have about ten beats to attack a five-bank of drop targets before flipper power cuts and the ball drops to the main playfield.

My Time Line shows 000000 and the start button does nothing.
Check the coin door first: the lockout wire can jam into the coin switches and lock the game out. Then check the slam switch, which gives a game that won't start when it's open. If the CPU board is corroded, a replacement CPU brings the game back.

My Time Line has no sound.
Measure at the sound board's connector before condemning it. 5 V and 12 V present but the negative rail reading about −6 V instead of −12 V is a documented Time Line finding. On the board itself, the 7404 inverters and the 6530 are the usual failures — and the 6530 holds Gottlieb-specific code and isn't made any more, which is why a replacement sound board is often the practical route.

My Time Line won't kick the ball out and won't start.
The ball feed and flipper power are gated together on System 80, so this is usually one relay-circuit fault rather than two. Check the relay energises at game start, and look at the connectors and driver transistor in the signal path before suspecting the relay.

Why does my Time Line award a replay at the wrong score?
Check the setting first. If it's correct and the behaviour persists, early System 80 MPUs have a documented read/write timing flaw that prevents writing to the last CMOS RAM location, which can make stored adjustments unreliable. A modern CPU board removes the problem.

How rare is a Gottlieb Time Line?
3,167 were built, which makes it uncommon rather than genuinely scarce — collectors describe it as a fairly rare Gottlieb, and it doesn't appear for sale often. Pinside's recent data puts it in a range of roughly $1,110–$1,290, with condition driving the real price.

Which replacement board do I need for a Time Line?
The full System 80 set fits: GottFA80_Plus (all-in-one), Godri80 (driver), Gosof (sound), Lisy80 (CPU), GoPOP80 (pop bumpers). Mention that it's a Time Line when you order, because of the flipper-relay switching.

Do I have to remove the battery on the CPU board?
Yes. A leaking NiCad is the number one cause of dead System 80 boards, and the corrosion spreads into the connector pins. Modern replacement boards are battery-free and keep settings and high scores in non-volatile memory.

Useful guides

• Gottlieb System 80 ground mods: why and how to do them
• Leaking battery on a pinball machine: damage and the permanent fix
• GottFA80_Plus: the all-in-one board for System 80/80A/80B
• Installing a replacement board: the Plug & Play guide
• How much is my pinball worth? Values and estimates

See also

• James Bond 007 (Gottlieb, 1980) — model 658, same designer, released two months earlier
• Star Race (Gottlieb, 1980)
• Circus (Gottlieb, 1980)
• Counterforce (Gottlieb, 1980)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (Gottlieb, 1980)
• Black Hole (Gottlieb, 1981)

Sources & further reading

• IPDB — Time Line (Gottlieb, 1980), machine #2564
• Pinside — Time Line game archive (production run, credits, market data)
• Pinside — "Gottlieb 80 Timeline: A relay always energized"
• Pinside — "Gottlieb System 80 Time Line no sound"
• Pinside — Time Line owners' forum index (ball kickout, switches, replay score, small displays, attract-mode sound)
• Pinball Rebel — Time Line (production, credits, photos)
• pinball.org — Time Line rules (mini playfield, tic-tac-toe grid, bonus progression)
• John's Jukes — Tips for the Gottlieb System 80 series
• Kineticist — Time Line (1980) specifications

Own a Time Line? Send us a photo and we'll add it here with credit — get in touch.