Bone Busters (Gottlieb, 1989): faults and replacement boards System 80B

Does your Gottlieb Bone Busters fail to boot, have faulty driven lamps, stuck bumpers or does it reset? 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.

Bone Busters (Gottlieb, 1989): overview

Released in 1989, Bone Busters is one of Gottlieb's last System 80B pinball machines, on a comic horror theme (skeletons, graveyard, ghost hunters). It features the series' alphanumeric displays.

• Manufacturer: D. Gottlieb & Co.
• Year: 1989
• Electronic system: Gottlieb System 80B
• Type: solid state electronic pinball, alphanumeric displays
• Theme: comic horror / skeletons

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), inter-board connectors needing 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.

Issues specific to Bone Busters (forum reports)

• Particular PROM configuration: the E3, E5 and E7 jumpers must be installed; Bone Busters uses a 2732 PROM in the "PROM 1" position.
• Faulty driven lamps: check and replace the Z33 decoder linked to U6 if the controlled lamps cause problems.
• Stuck pop bumpers: if the relay that enables the coil power opens, the bumpers fire continuously as long as they have current.
• Intermittent grounds: reseat the connectors at the bottom of the Driver board; a slightly skewed connector at the location of the ground improvements is enough to create faults.
• Faulty sound: the tantalum capacitors of the auxiliary power supply board (near the amp) generate faults as they weaken.

Replacement boards compatible with Bone Busters

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

System 80B note: favour the GottFA80_Plus Light — the 80B is covered on the CPU/MPU side. On the audio side, support is for now 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 preparation).

Plug & Play installation, battery-free, tutorials and free support. Contact us.

FAQ — Bone Busters Gottlieb

My Bone Busters won't boot.
Check the E3/E5/E7 jumpers and the PROM, then the battery corrosion on the MPU. A GottFA80_Plus Light or Lisy80 replaces the MPU.

My driven lamps don't work.
The Z33 decoder (linked to U6) is often the cause. A replacement CPU/Driver board makes the lamp driving reliable.

My pop bumpers stay stuck.
Check the coil power relay. The Godri80 board (or GoPOP80) replaces the faulty driving stage.

And what about 80B sound?
Audio support is for now limited to a few titles (Bounty Hunter, Chicago Cubs Triple Play, Tag Team). For Bone Busters, keep and repair the original sound board and contact us; a solution is in preparation.

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. Powered off, visual inspection: look for any battery or corrosion trace on the MPU of your Bone Busters; remove the NiCad battery if still present.
2. Power supply: measure the 5 V and check it reaches the MPU (redo the solder of 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; test with a known-good display.
6. Final test: check start-up, credits, coils and displays; if needed, contact the free support.

See also

• Bad Girls (Gottlieb, 1988)
• Big House (Gottlieb, 1989)
• Hot Shots (Gottlieb, 1989)
• Excalibur (Gottlieb, 1988)

Sources & further reading

• Pinside Forum — Bone Busters
• IPDB — Internet Pinball Database
• OPDB — Open Pinball Database