Quoted from mettyfish:This is my first post and really glad to be here...
... Do I need to change it out with one that is not on the board. Thanks for suggestions.
Hello and welcome aboard,
Yes, even if it seems in good condition, it is imperative to remove the original battery because it can start to leak suddenly, and seriously corrode / damage the CPU board. Everyone will tell you, we must quickly unsold the big black cell, which is quite easy to do with an iron and a pump. The pinball can also work very well without this battery, but of course, the scores will not be kept, nor the setting of thresholds for replays, nor the credits !
The simplest method is to replace the battery with a super-caps: it is a capacitor of 0.47 F (or more) that is connected in place of the battery. Just need two pieces of wires, and for connecting, the polarity is the same. Simple and very reliable (we use this method for many years, the retention is very long).
Super CapsThere is some others methods, like use of Alkaline bat. or Lithium, but they require another modification on the CPU board, to avoid to charge them.
As mentionned by Billc479 and @ForceFlow, the NVRAM is also a good alternative, no more battery required. But, it take place at the location of the 5101 RAM (Z5). Unfortunately, on Gottlieb unmodified boards, this chip is soldered, so you have to desolder it and install a socket. This require some skill and is not recommended for a beginner. But may be, your board is already modified ? Indeed, the RAM chip 5101 is quite fragile and often defective on old boards. It has often been replaced (and not only on Gottlieb boards, but also on other brands) and the new one may be installed on a socket. If this is your case, then the NVRAM could be a good solution, but as the battery is still in place, I believe that you have an unmodified board.
Another tips for your Victory 80B (that has nothing to do with the battery ! but also a nice improvment) : a Freeplay version of the game PROM is available - for free - at our website.Take a look at : https://www.flipprojets.fr/Proms80B_EN.php
Note that we only provide the binary files, so you can program the EPROM by yourself (or ask to someone doing for you).