I appreciate the help.. and yea I figured it was still add a power supply. No biggie..

I never have had a problem running the ColorDMD except for one time at a show where the line voltage was quite low, it was so low I think the game would have had issues even without the CDMD actually. Now when I added Pinstadiums to it I did put in a seperate supply to run those.

Wanted to thank everyone involved for this. I was just thinking how great it would be to have updates for my STTNG!

Couple of questions - I have the following eproms: M27C4002, M27C1024, M27C322. Are any of them OK for LX-8?

Also, what's the possible scope of future updates? It would be great to have the option of remixed missions after the reaching the FF. Would totally new missions be possible (a bit like Cactus Canyon Continued)? New DMD graphics (would love to see a proper Borg Cube)? I'm grateful for anything but not sure how much is possible. Thanks again to all involved.

Anybody have a set of these chrome cannon covers? I tried ordering these but pinball.center will not ship to USA : /
3AD88B3F-6749-4CAF-9334-F1151A4D5CB5 (resized).png

Pinball life has the set with lasers available

F0B13458-0F52-4D83-9A31-DBB629B1645F (resized).jpeg

Go to the source: Mickspinball.com

Yes, LX-8 Rom is all you need to replace. Mick is "The Guy" for the Laser Mod Cannon Covers. He offers other worthwhile led mods too. Videos of such are on his page. When you are working on the cannons, may I suggest replacing (unless they've been done) the wire LOOMS. It's worthwhile to do. Also, inspect the solder connections to the cannon optos at least, and clean them up, including the optos themselves

I appreciate all the help. The big thing im looking for are the cannon covers in (Chrome) ... which pinball.center only seems to offer.

I don't know that they can do plated plastic but I'd ask Pinballplating.com and see if they can / will do it, how much if so, etc.

Luke_Nukem I can order from Pinball.Center as I used to do Group buys from them.
That said; I no longer offer group buys - but we can discuss via PM if you like. Feel free to reach out.

That's a 16bit eeprom; I don't think it will work for an 8bit rom. Also; it's a completely different pinout.
Sadly; you're going to have to source a new eprom.

Use a mail forwarding service like https://mailboxde.com/

Wow! Thanks man! I sent you a PM.

What exactly is the “Tie back mod”? I’ve read through a ton of pages here , seen it referenced a few times but no real explanation of what it is or really does.

I’ll look into the pinsound, not sure what it would really do, and the LX-8 I’m assuming just came out ? So odds are I don’t have it, but assume it requires flashing a rom which I don’t think I have the proper tools.

Thank you so much for the tips! I want to keep this beauty pristine for a long time to come

Only do this if you don’t want your game to self destruct. I think this is the cleanest way to do it…

https://www.pinballrevolution.com/threads/13-sttng-tie-back-mod-best-way.3954/

Okay so question.. I have the FL-17636 coils installed on all 3 flippers… is there something with just this coil as far as having a shitty flipper hold?

If I hold the flipper up to catch a ball coming from the top of the playfield… and it has some decent speed… it will either force my flipper halfway down upon contact.. or it with flutter the flipper, flipping the ball away.

Everything is brand new.. new EOS switch, new coil, new flipper mechs.

I thought if I swapped out the old original EOS switches it may fix it.. but it’s the same thing.

Let's just say you don't do the Williams Tech Recommended Tie Back........ Plan on spending $$$ in the future...
As mentioned, there are 176 pages of amazing pages of information on the amazing STTNG blog. Read about 5 pages a day. All of the questions will be answered, even ones you don't know yet you have. Your machine will love you for all the preventative and needed help your about to give it.
Tie Back Mod
8DriverModPinWiki1 (resized).png8DriverModPinWiki2 (resized).png

Eric I appreciate the fast response, and I really admire your machine and all your mods,,
Tie back mod was done the first night owning this machine. This is my 2nd time owning STTNG so I was aware of that thankfully…

I hope I can afford one of your LCD mods someday for this game.

Found my answer!

That's a 16bit eeprom; I don't think it will work for an 8bit rom. Also; it's a completely different pinout.
Sadly; you're going to have to source a new eprom.

Zitt Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

Thank you. Just take lots of time restoring the machine, it's worth it in the long run. Mine was in horrible condition, and took 6-8 months and a ton of "OCD" to get it functionally solid. Enhancements, mods and custom features came afterwards.

I decided my Power Driver Board had been previously "hacked" and damaged too much. Replaced it with a new Rottendog Board (LOVE IT). Then upgraded the MPU board. General Illumination connectors are ALWAYS burned on these machines, so look for them.

The machine "lives and dies" without good optos working properly. You have 16 sets in the machine. If your machine is "searching" for a ball, that's probably the issue.

By the way, the Tie Back mod prevents a situation when somehow a coil wire breaks off. This can cause one of the diverter coils on the subway to lock on, burn up and then fry the mini 8 driver board in the backbox. How do I know? I did it.......
There are a ton of good things to do, to electrically bullet proof your machine, do them all.
Grounding is vital. Don't miss the ground lead from the backbox to the cabinet. Also make sure nobody has cut off the ground on your machine power cord.

Ground-wise, also make sure the ground braid on the inner rear right side of your main cab, just above the wood brace that the playfield rests on when it's lowered into the cab, isn't broken. Seen at least two (one my own) where the braid had been torn in half, likely from the heavy playfield catching on it enough times to break it.

I guess that would be possible.. but the focus is clearly bug fixes and perhaps little tweaks... LX-7 was actually never really finished and that's what we are trying to achieve: LX-7 as it should have been for the last 30 years.

but If you have ideas how to improve game play, please let me know... we'll be collecting ideas and bugs over the next few months and then decide what's going to make it into the next release.

Thank you - I'll put some ideas together and send them to you.

Fast delivery, got them today. Good quality aluminum stickers, very nice looking!

Pinballshop.nl highly recommended!

I received the Lx-8 chip today.

Quick question installing it....for the answer, pretend I have absolutely no idea how to install these things.

When I remove the old chip, do I just slide the new one in place? Is there any side that has to be up or it doesn't matter?

There is a potential issue in using this approach - it removes the original tie back and replaces it with one powered off the separately connected J108. So if J108 is not plugged in (a new owner might be going off the manual doing a power driver board swap or repair which shows J108 as not used) then it’ll damage the 8 driver board and coils. This is why you’ll see mods showing the tie back coming off J107, because this powers the coils so you need the tie back when J107 is connected. If using the J108 to power the tie back then I’d recommend leaving the original tie back in place for redundancy.

Good question, you need to ensure the orientation of the chip is the same. They should have a divot on one end, just make sure it is the same direction (very important, or you will fry the rom).

Just be very careful inserting the new chip. Make sure all the legs are inserting, it's easy to bend a leg on insertion, and that is a mess for sure.

Also, remove the batteries for a few seconds while the machine is off the clear the RAM completely.

Step by step; with pictures.
http://pinball-mods.com/url/wmsSTNGLX8

I tried installing an EEPROM that didn't work, and when I put my LX7 back in, the game locks up after about 1 minute. I did take the CPU board completely out but I believe I put all the cables back in place. Any ideas?

Typically the GI OCD System connects directly to the power supply in the cabinet. Did you do that? Also do you have ALL of your general illumination bulbs OUT and replaced with leds? This is a must do. No mixing. Have you also checked all of the status leds on your power driver board and also the GI OCD board for proper operation?

It's all good, I posted my fix in #8777 here https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sttng-owners-club/page/176#post-7457796.

After checking voltages I found a significant drop between the power driver board and CPU so I removed the Z connector in between and soldered the wires directly. It is working perfectly now. To answer your questions, I had replaced ALL incandescents and connected the OCD board direclty to the power supply per the manual. Thanks.

Double check the ribbon cable connectors are on both row of pins, also check the IDC connectors

What do the 3 diagnostic LEDs do when you power on the machine?

When you say the game locks up - have you started a game or are you meaning it locks up after powering on the machine?

Do you have NVRAM in the machine?

I believe I found the problem. Years ago I did a poor repair job on one of the large capacitors on the power driver board and I must have bumped it when removing cables. I pushed it back in and then I was able to play for a while. I had pulled the through hole copper connector out removing the old cap and had put a piece of solder in there as a substitute. Still not sure how to really fix it better.

Will need to add a stitch. I've had to do that often on WPC driver boards I get in for repair. Lots of people end up pulling out the through hole plating when replacing the large capacitors. With the capacitor removed clean out all the solder (a quality solder wick helps) then on the top where the trace is scrape off about 1/4" of the green solder mask. Tin that. Then take a scrap lead from an LED, resistor etc and make a small L shaped bend. Put it in the hole at the edge and solder the top of the L to the trace. It will stay in place after re-installing the capacitor and complete the circuit. I like using the LED lead scraps since they are square and fit better. You can fix it.

Past 2 days I have completely.. and I mean Completely shopped 110% my STTNG.

Here’s some pix of those who care… taken around 13 hours total… didn’t skip one step… didn’t half ass anything. Game plays rediculously fast.. ball hits the glass. Habitrails… airballs off the back drop target… it’s insane!

List so far of what I’ve done to it:

I wet sanded / polished every single ball trail

Waxed the entire playfield three times

Removed all factory Mylar (didn’t lift a single piece of art! ) and the adhesive from the mylar ( WHAT A FREAKING PAIN )

Flame polished every single ramp including subway

Replaced every single bulb with Cointaker LEDs ( Need to order more haven't completely gotten the color scheme where I want it yet )

2000 grit sandpapered launch lane to get all the black shit off

Installed all new rubbers

Plastic protectors and all new plastics ( 45 minutes to remove all the plastic wrap on the set )

Cleaned every single mech with 90% alcohol

Sleeved every single mech with new

Installed all new flipper coils, EOS switches and flipper mechs / bushings

Replaced a burnt J120 11 pin connector with new fixing string of GI out in backbox

Installed LX8 Rom

Added the tie back mod

Cleaned and reflowed solder on all optos attached on top subway

Rebuilt both cannons entirely

Rebuilt pop bumpers

Removed brushed aluminum side rails and replaced with mirror chrome ( still waiting on the rest of the hardware to arrive )

Replaced batteries

Wet sanded every piece of brushed aluminum metal on the playfield ( VUK housings )

***Still to do***

Color LED DMD

Pinsound + board and 2.1 Pinsound speakers

Replace all trim including coin door with Chrome plated hardware

Install 8383937 LED strips everywhere

GI OCD and GI LED boards

Full Cointaker ULTRA BRITE Purple GI bulbs

Add spotlights everywhere

Chrome cannon covers

Chrome flippers

Chrome flipper buttons

Chrome plated Borg ship

PDI glass

I’m sure more.
971A40F0-BDEC-429F-A918-F3AF545B286D (resized).jpegC81659EA-41CF-43DA-A120-3A0916908FE0 (resized).jpeg248762D0-349D-440B-868B-5260B784AE19 (resized).jpeg64DEBBBB-8B1D-4FA6-B703-1B0614BE5B9B (resized).pngEBA578C1-6E80-4547-B5DB-EF19F55D8001 (resized).jpeg3C686AF7-7B47-4C31-818A-A1704E59C37C (resized).jpeg563733CC-66F6-4AB7-A4C1-479BA1A555D6 (resized).jpeg0DE8A62E-5D1C-49F8-AB3A-443841F93ABC (resized).jpeg8B8ED728-16F8-4757-B393-85758D151560 (resized).jpegE55045C1-3F26-4E4A-9005-2D874CC6A2B7 (resized).jpeg260E2D68-9131-4461-9410-4E16B99706B5 (resized).jpeg5434AA39-E349-4767-9BBD-B955ED114B2B (resized).jpeg0451B09B-9BA5-4AFD-978F-ECD7BCDA3ABD (resized).jpegFA5C9CDE-98F3-49B2-A2FC-8169CCAA1AB2 (resized).jpeg59F069B5-1374-4DCE-8370-9750E2339594 (resized).jpeg4BB85FDE-4858-4A75-B8D4-5A16469C4DB1 (resized).jpeg950161B6-A74B-4077-BDED-27952FC7286F (resized).jpeg84256728-B003-4288-A619-D0F860E69582 (resized).jpegFFC132BC-74E8-4927-8D9F-E5C2ABF7D194 (resized).jpeg177F7813-431D-4A6D-B5EE-2EE5400F4337 (resized).jpeg3E3D583E-7927-41A6-B048-9C0E1C81B4BC (resized).jpeg497AB14F-820A-4508-A628-B724EA05F5BF (resized).jpegCCA21957-49EA-4259-9C92-8D83AE7C9174 (resized).jpegF60111EC-3F65-4CE0-86ED-18EA2668508E (resized).jpegFCC99918-BD4C-44E5-9606-04D8AB8A8BB8 (resized).jpeg

ballsy taking off the Mylar . No paint removed while removing it ?

great job taking off years of dirt !

Thanks a lot! Zero art lifted

I've done it before to other games with pretty good success... I let the duster cut / lift the Mylar.. I don't pull whatsoever.

great work

ingo333 so I’m wondering if the shuttle mission pattern, that you’ve now changed to random, is the same code and/or pattern that was used in 1993s Indiana Jones minecart mission. Seems they could be? You may have already laid groundwork for an improvement in that game if someone was ever inclined to do so.

Cool...
Bridge Rectifiers on power board?
optos and boards on ball trough? they are always hacked up
consider upgrading to the much improved "Dumb Ass" 16 opto board? It's amazing
cliffy protectors on all the holes and in the subway ?
time for adding my LCARS Display
time for adding my Borg Alcove Display (best yet and in version 49!!!)

Star Trek - The Pinball Experience
The Borg Alcove Display Mod (Version 50)
Enhancement for the STTNG pin. 3 screen captures from the completely custom designed 52 minute long screen mod.

Borg Room 4 (resized).pngBorg Room 5 (resized).pngBorg Room 6A (resized).png

location 1.00_07_35_01.Still006 (resized).jpg

She arrived ... after a stellar packing packing job from @toasterman4 it got a 6 hour free ride courtesy of teams transportation.
The game came in great condition, nicely painted ships, invisglass,a cabinet interior that looks brand new.
Colordmd has been installed, small tweaking with some lighting and installing the new ROM today .
Looking forward to many trouble free plays. Just waiting for the VUK decal set.
Nice to be back in this club.

7004649451 (1).jpgIMG_20230307_075156_03.jpgIMG_20230307_075156_02.jpgIMG_20230307_075156_04.jpg20230317_101133.jpg20230317_101130.jpg20230317_101126.jpg20230317_101139.jpg20230317_181535.jpg20230317_181538.jpg

Congrats! Change those bottom flipper coils to 11629s and you will be happier. I bought all new 636s thinking it should have those since the prototypes came with them… but they have a terrible flipper hold compared to the 629s and a fast ball will force your bat down (very annoying especially in multiball when balls are cradled )

Return to Duty...

906 or 555.. ?

906 - it's part of the flasher circuit.

Thanks ... not in manual and most flashers in game were 6.3V

Guess putting 2 Rubber bands and a paperclip It's a nifty mod to stop the ball from draining out the right side!

Game has extensions as well

20230318_170820.jpg

So I'm guessing the GC is 1 trillion with those mods