Sources
Contributors to this record: Flipcommons AI Descriptions (TechnologySubgeneration), Flipcommons Catalog.
- description
- Flipcommons AI Descriptions (TechnologySubgeneration)The first generation of [[technology-generation:solid-state]] pinball, spanning roughly 1977–1990. Manufacturers built their own CPU boards from off-the-shelf microprocessors — the Motorola 6800, 6802, and 6803 families were ubiquitous — wired together with discrete logic on custom PCBs. Each company developed its own architecture independently: [[manufacturer:williams]] had [[system:williams-system-3]] through [[system:williams-system-9]], [[manufacturer:gottlieb]] had [[system:gottlieb-system-1]] and [[system:gottlieb-system-80]], [[manufacturer:bally]] had its [[system:bally-as2518-17]] series, [[manufacturer:stern-electronics]] had [[system:stern-mpu-100]] and [[system:stern-mpu-200]]. Scoring displays progressed from [[display-subtype:7-segment]] LEDs to [[display-subtype:16-segment]] alphanumeric panels capable of showing text and simple animations. Sound evolved from basic tones to speech synthesis chips. Rules grew more complex with each generation, but the hardware remained fundamentally simple: a single-board computer running a program stored in ROM, talking to solenoid drivers and lamp matrices through direct I/O. These machines represent the bridge between the relay logic of the [[technology-generation:electromechanical]] era and the [[technology-subgeneration:ss-integrated]] platforms that would follow. Every board was a bespoke design, and repairing them today requires component-level electronics knowledge that the later integrated systems largely abstracted away.
- technology_generation
- Solid StateFlipcommons Catalog
- display_order
- 1Flipcommons Catalog
- name
- DiscreteFlipcommons Catalog
- slug
- ss-discreteFlipcommons Catalog