Mattel Football II Troubleshooting Guide
Fault-finding on the Mattel Football II handheld LED game (model 1050, 1978), also sold as Football 2. Mattel published no service manual, schematic or parts list. What follows is drawn from Mattel's own description of a working game in its two instruction booklets, and from MAME's notes on the hardware. Dismantling and the battery snap are covered on Mattel Football II General Maintenance.
Switch-on check
[edit | edit source]Mattel's revised booklet starts every game with the same sequence, and it doubles as a test:[1]
- Move the OFF / 1 PRO 2 switch one click to the right, to PRO 1. Mattel calls this step "check the battery".
- The score display reads 15.0: fifteen simulated minutes in the first quarter.
- The kick-off formation appears: the ball as a bright flashing blip, the kicker as a dim flashing blip, and the home team's players.
- Press KICK. The "CHARGE!" tune and the start-game buzzer sound, the bright blip sweeps across the field several times from left to right, and the scoreboard counts the yardage of the kick.
- The ball stops. Either it is a bright steady blip, a short beep sounds and the display again shows 15.0 (press a RUN key to run the kick back), or it flashes, a double whistle sounds and the computer has taken it into the end zone for a touchback.
A game that gets through this sequence has a working battery, display, sound and game chip; check the other keys in play.
Sounds and what they mean
[edit | edit source]| Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|
| One tone | Ball in play after a kick, ready for the runback |
| Two tones | A safety: 2 points |
| One whistle | Runner tackled, or an incomplete pass |
| Two whistles | Turnover of possession to the other team |
| "CHARGE!" | Kick-off in the air |
| Fanfare | A touchdown or field goal |
| Short beep | First down |
| Buzzer | Start and end of quarters |
Source: Mattel's revised booklet.[1] If the game plays but makes none of these sounds, look at the speaker and its leads.
Things that are not faults
[edit | edit source]- At the end of the fourth quarter the time remaining reads 0.0, both scores show, and none of the keys work. Switch off and on again to play another game.[1]
- The end-of-quarter buzzer can sound in the middle of a play; the game lets the play finish.[1][2]
- When play reaches the end of the visible ten yards, the field "flips" to the next segment.[1]
- The line of scrimmage is always the third yard line on the offensive team's side of the visible field.[1]
- The speed level (Level I or II) cannot be changed during a game. Level II is chosen by holding KICK while switching on, and only switching off resets it; PRO 1 and PRO 2 can be changed during play.[1][2]
- The player blips are meant to differ in brightness: the ball carrier is bright and the other players dim.[1][3]
Symptom table
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Likely cause | Action | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player blips or score display behave strangely | Weak battery: Mattel calls it the first sign of battery wear | Fit a fresh alkaline 9-volt battery before anything else | [1][2] |
| Dead with a fresh battery | Leaked or broken snap; snap leads pulled loose at the board; dirty slide switch | See below | [1] |
| Works on the battery, not on an adaptor | No adaptor socket fitted on this game, or an adaptor of the wrong rating | Check the left side of the case for the socket; Mattel published no adaptor rating | [2] |
| Display and play correct, no sound | Speaker, its leads or joints | Inspect the speaker behind the grille and its leads | [3] |
| Game runs too fast or too slowly at every speed | The resistor that sets the game chip's clock (56 kΩ in MAME's notes), or its joints | Check the speed level first (KICK held at switch-on gives Level II); then measure the oscillator resistor | [3][1] |
Dead with a fresh battery
[edit | edit source]- Measure the battery. Mattel's own first step at switch-on is a battery check.[1]
- Inspect the snap for leakage deposits and check that its leads are still attached. Mattel warns against pulling the snap off by its wires.[1]
- With the switch at PRO 1, measure the battery voltage where the snap leads reach the board. If it is missing there, the fault is the snap or its leads; if it is there but the game is dead, check the slide switch, which switches the power.[1]
- On a game with an adaptor socket, unplug any adaptor and test on the battery alone.[2]
- If power reaches the game chip and nothing lights, the fault is on the board. The program is in the B8000-12's mask ROM; a failed chip can only come from another Football II.[3]
Before repairing the board
[edit | edit source]- The Football II chip is a Rockwell MM77LA marked B8000-12, on a board marked 1050-4369D. It is not interchangeable with the B6100 of the first Mattel Football.[3]
- No test-point voltages, current figures or schematic have been published for Football II.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Mattel Football II
- Mattel Football II General Maintenance
- Mattel Football II Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Mattel Football II Documentation
- Mattel Football Troubleshooting Guide: the 1977 original
- Capacitor Failure Symptoms
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Mattel, Inc., How to Play Football II (1978, 1050-0920(B)), File:Mattel Football II Instructions (1978, revision B).pdf. Page 2: battery fitting and removal ("Do not pull the plastic wire connector to loosen it"); OFF 1PRO2 "switch to turn game OFF/ON, and to select game speed"; Level II by holding KICK while switching to PRO 1 or PRO 2; "you can't change from one speed level to the other without resetting the computer". Page 3: the field is 10 yards long and "flips" to the next segment; the line of scrimmage is always the 3rd yard line on the offensive team's side. Page 4, "Let's try it!": "Check the battery by moving the OFF 1PRO2 Switch one click to the right"; score display reads 15.0; kickoff formation with the ball as a bright flashing blip and the kicker a dim flashing blip; press KICK; the "CHARGE!" tune and the "start game" buzzer; the bright blip sweeps across the field; a bright stationary blip with a short beep, or a bright flashing blip with a double whistle for a touchback. Page 7: "If the blips of light representing players or the score display appear to malfunction, this is the first sign of battery wear. A fresh battery should solve the problem." Page 8: simulated sounds table; game time: a buzzer at the end of every quarter, a play already begun can be completed, at the end of the 4th quarter Time Remaining reads 0.0, both scores are shown and "None of the keys will operate. To play another game, switch the computer off and then on again".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mattel, Inc., Here's How to Play Football II (1978, 1050-0920), File:Mattel Football II Instructions (1978).pdf. PDF p. 2: the AC adapter may be used "if your game is equipped for an adapter". Printed p. 1: the AC adaptor plug on the left side; Level II by holding KICK while switching on. Printed p. 6: "Buzzer will sound at end of each quarter and end of game! Football II is designed so that if end of quarter buzzer sounds, and you are in the middle of a play, the computer will allow you to finish the play." Printed p. 13: the battery-wear notice.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 MAME source, hh_pps41.cpp (retrieved 2026-10-19): Mattel Football 2 (model 1050), PCB label MATTEL, 1050-4369D; MM77LA MCU labelled B8000-12; 2-bit sound to a speaker output; clock "approximation - VC osc. R=56K"; the ball LED is drawn brighter than the others.