Gottlieb Big Hurt blows fuses on power-up
My 1995 Gottlieb Big Hurt immediately blows the main 8A fuse (F1) on the power supply board whenever I try to power it up. I've replaced the fuse three times now and it blows instantly each time — not even a flicker on the displays before it goes.
The game was working fine last week. I turned it off normally and when I came back to play it a few days later, this started happening. Nothing was done to the machine in between. No leaking batteries, no visible damage that I can see.
I'm hesitant to keep replacing fuses since something is clearly drawing too much current. Where should I start looking for the short?
yemons·3/21/2026★ 1 Answer
Important safety warning: Always unplug the machine from the wall before doing any work on the power supply. Gottlieb System 3 boards carry lethal voltages. Use a discharge tool on any large capacitors before touching the boards. Never try to bypass fuses with a higher amperage rating or wire — this creates a serious fire hazard.
An immediately blown fuse on power-up in a Gottlieb System 3 game like Big Hurt almost always indicates a shorted component on the power supply or driver board. The most common culprits are shorted bridge rectifiers or blown filter capacitors on the power supply board. Start by doing a visual inspection of the power supply board — look for any capacitors that are bulging, leaking, or have burst. The large electrolytic filter caps on these boards are 25-30 years old and regularly fail short. Also look for any blackened or burnt areas on the PCB itself.
Use a multimeter set to diode/continuity mode to check the bridge rectifiers on the power supply board — with the board unplugged, test each bridge for shorts. A shorted bridge will show near-zero resistance in both directions. You can find replacement bridge rectifiers and capacitor kits for Gottlieb System 3 power supplies at Marco Specialties — I'd strongly recommend doing a full capacitor replacement kit while you're in there, as the other caps are likely on borrowed time too. Pinball Life also carries board-specific cap kits.
If the power supply board checks out, disconnect the driver board and try powering up with just the power supply — if the fuse holds, the short is on the driver board. On the driver board, check the TIP102/TIP107 transistors for shorts and inspect the solenoid connectors for any pinched or bare wires that could be causing a short to ground.
yemons·3/21/2026