What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

OMG where do I even start ! Gottlieb Countdown

Colywobbles

Colywobbles

Banned
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 9, 2016
Messages
3,677
Location
Sunderland
Alias
Billy Big B*llocks
So I went to look at a couple of pins for a local guy as a favour, I don’t personally know him but always happy to help a fellow pinhead if I can.
So his 1st a Williams Big guns had a few little problems that were easily fixed, in fact I got it up on legs and working on free play after sitting 18mth untouched and he was well happy.
However the 2nd was a Gottlieb Pin something I have never owned or worked on for that matter and I know this sounds mad but after powering up I couldn’t even get a credit on the bloody thing even by shorting and bypassing the coin mech.
So after spending an half hr scratching my head I was thankfully saved by the misses texting me to say my T was ready so gave up.
It seemed happily powered up with no errors screaming at me and actually looked quite a nice example and although not my cup of tea looked well cool in a retro kinda way.
So anyone have a clue where to start not that I’ll be heading back in a hurry as it was all done for the love of pinball without charge.
Thanks in advance Col

1566F692-89DC-4CD1-98EB-225530559178.jpegAA887D26-BC78-41FA-9E70-6BC0B356E0A2.jpeg4F6FF9C8-F876-48A1-99C2-1044AD9443B0.jpeg457C8C9F-DD0A-4B63-BEF8-A1D6AE8E7357.jpegD5155BB2-8680-4828-A51E-CD02F8B60D22.jpeg90C2ECD8-0585-4BB1-9E6B-F6A0E4ABFC15.jpeg4432EAE7-0FD4-44A3-A0D9-7DE1494339D7.jpeg6F937C3A-3040-4161-A5DB-437D60ABB891.jpeg
 
Awesome thanks it’s good ammunition before I take another shifty that’s if I can find the time
 
Late 70s System 1 Gottliebs like this are totally different to Bally/ Williams/ Stern Solid State games from the same period.

I bought a dead System 1 Gottlieb Genie last year. I found this guy's video helpful ....


System 1s contain a bizarre mixture of SS and EM technology. The EM stuff in there was totally alien to me.

The normally closed tilt switches (rolling ball and coin door trembler) go through a big, exposed relay and are out of the EM era. This tilt mech is totally independent of the switch matrix !! As said above, these two slam switches snd the actual relay are your best starting points. Many Gottlieb owners solder the 2 tilt switches permanently closed to avoid repeated problems.

The normal tilt bob is on a separate circuit. Don't solder it closed !

The big relay has loads of exposed contacts that can cripple the game. This will be worth a very careful clean with ipa. One contact might need csrefully bending to make it open or close properly. This was a major source of the problems I had with my game.

The problem you have is, is it a faulty ....
  1. MPU board ?
  2. Relay ?
  3. Slam Tilts ?
  4. Connector ?
Or all of the above ? All are legendary trouble spots

Another horrible feature of these games is parallel playfield switches. In Bally games, if one switch is stuck closed the rest still work. The Gottlieb game might have up to [10] playfield switches dotted all over the machine in parallel on the same circuit. Each of the [10] switches scores the same points and creates the same sound BUT if one is stuck closed, none of them will work.

The games also have legendary problems with connectors and some of these will likely be heavily pitted. I replaced countless crimp connectors that were in a truly shocking state. I had never seen connectors as badly corroded/ bodged/ sanded as those on my Genie.

These connectors do not mate with molex pins like in normal SS games. They mate with thin copper tracks on the actual mpu board. These will have been overheated, sand papered, soldered .... over the years so could well be broken

Many in the Gottlieb fraternity just consider the old mpu board as irrepairable. They don't even try to diagnose it. A new Pascal board is 160 Euros.

To be frank, I would fess up here. Tell your Pal that Gottlieb System 1 games are notorious, very specialist, nightmare to diagnose and fix, very few people in the UK know anything at all about them at all - @Poibug , @Moonraker are members of that club

I would do little more than looking into the slam tilt and relays, jiggle the connectors on the boards then run a mile.

If it remains dead, tell him to Ebay it. It might fetch 300 as the displays work. Classic selling description .... used to work maybe just a fuse, probably a simple fix for someone

I am not his buyer
 
Gottlieb first point off call..

Connectors and pins are notorious.They are prone to cracking and or fatigue,and as edge connector type lack of tension on the contact points screws things up.
Plus as mentioned coin door slam tilt is normally closed so if that is not made the game won't start, same if correctballs aren't in as was said.
But as you said won't credit I assume ya mean the credit display said 00??
 
After ensuring that there is a ball in the trough the first point of call is to check for battery acid damage on the MPU... Being stuck on zeros is a typical symptom.

Then connectors and crimps such as those to the rolling tilt mechanism, just cut them off and solder direct to help circuit continuity.

New MPU's are available and recommended for trouble free pinballing... https://www.flippp.fr/guide.php?game=Countdown
 
Poibug said:
Gottlieb first point off call..

Connectors and pins are notorious.They are prone to cracking and or fatigue,and as edge connector type lack of tension on the contact points screws things up.
Plus as mentioned coin door slam tilt is normally closed so if that is not made the game won't start, same if correctballs aren't in as was said.
But as you said won't credit I assume ya mean the credit display said 00??
Click to expand...
Correct but TBH it’s prob best if I just let him know as I don’t want to spend hrs on someone’s pin when I’ve got a wife’s job list as long as my arm ATM.
Also he’s an hr round trip and I am never in his neck of the woods normally.
The guy seriously has no clue to the simplest of things like putting the legs on. I’m being serious! So I guess it’s not really the hobby for him to get into.

Col
 
Thanks for all the help guys it’s really appreciated I’ll pass the info on and at some point if I’m in the area I’ll maybe have another quick shifty.
If he decides to get rid via eBay or the likes I can hand on heart say it’s a nice clean pin for anyone into that era and I’m sure it’s bigger chance of being something simple.
Many thanks Col
 
Given all this, he is best to just dump it IMHO.

That title will never fetch much money, even if fully working and in good cosmetic order.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom