Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Sorry, not an owner yet. Been looking out for one of these beauties in my area, but what is happening with these prices? Two in the market right now and they are both at $5,800? It's a great pin, but seriously. Maybe if they cone with a 6months warranty .
Wow. I guess I won't get one in the near future after all.
Hi there.
Need some advice. I'll be hopefully joining the club this Sunday. Looking at two machines and plan on taking one of them home.
Do you guys have any tips as in what to look for. Not my first pin, but I did not intend to test every single switch, opto, etc. since it would probably take forever.
Are there any items on this pin that are prone to fail and should be checked, and if so, what is the best way of checking? pull the glass and run the ball through or just the diagnostic menue?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Quoted from pzy:Traditionally the stuff covering the playfield is glass... that's a crazy shrinkwrap mod!
lol....
Glass is under it as you can see. I hadn't unpacked 100% yet. Use the shrink wrap to keep cardboard angles at the bottom of the cab in place, so that I can slide it in and out of the car without having to worry about scratching up the art on the side bottom.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Congratulations and welcome aboard!
Thank you. Onto some mods. Debating about getting the Halmarkt ornaments or simply painting the existing ships.
Also, is there a good source for the dome cannon lights? And I have tried to find the laser cannon mod everybody is talking about, might just be blind, but if anybody can point me into the right direction, I would appreciate it.
Have my STTNG for about a week now. Love the game. Couple question came up though, one on rules/settings and one on the hardware.
1. Rules. Are you guys playing with 3 or 5 balls per game. The original game card reads 5 balls per game on my machine, but I have it set on 3.
2. Hardware. No idea why I did not see it when I checked the machine when I picked it up, guess it was playing well, and the guy I bought it from pointed everything out he changed.....well, except for one item, which he might have not changed himself. I just realized I do not have the typical William's opto boards for the flippers but old style contact (see image below). Now, I am not sure if this really is a big issue and I should bother, but I am wondering if this is the cause why on the shuttle mini game I constantly hit the walls (maybe my reaction time is just way too slow).
Thanks
20181230_145216 (resized).jpgQuoted from Pin_Guy:The picture shows that the UPPER LEFT flipper switch wiring is sitting in the bottom of the cabinet...while there is no upper left flipper, this switch is still used for some functions ... like moving the shuttle left in video mode.
Well. I can still move the shuttle, which is weird. There is only one wire left that is actually connected to the connector. Yellow and Grey. Same on the right side and the upper ride flipper is still working. Better pic here.
Sorry, here are the pics.
20181231_160559 (resized).jpg20181231_160614 (resized).jpg
Not connected is the grey and yellow wire which appears to be +12V. Guess those were the 12V for the opto boards that I am missing. Guess you can call it a hack, but it raises the question why Williams put in an opto board for the flipper in the first case?
One more question (for now). I am debating about adding an NVRAM, is there any time related game items that would be affected by this? I cannot seem to see any, since the only thing I can find on time is the time and date display in attract mode.
Today's upgrade:
Color DMD and Invisiglass. Quite amazing.
But, not sure if this is ColorDMD related, but since I installed it, I have an intermittent issue.
Sometimes, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason behind when it happens, the ball when entering the underground subway system from behind the borgship won't eject anymore. This seems to be in particular when there is multiple balls in the game.
Nothing obviously happens till all the balls that are still in the game drain, and then the machine goes into search mode for the ball. Mysterious about this, it appears as if the hidden ball won't fire on top on the first round of all the coils firing, but on the second round.
On the 2nd round the ball finally gets on top, and the coils stop firing eventually. This also has happened on initial launch when skill shot was selected.
Coil test 16, 17, and 18 seem to work fine.
Any thoughs?
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Nope. It just keeps the time.
This is not an easy change as the RAM isn't socketed and this the pads and traces are tiny. I've seen many boards destroyed in the attempt, so if you aren't 100% sure that you can do it without damaging the board...just don't do it.
[quoted image]
Yes, I knew about this, I am comfortable with soldering in a new socket. Getting the old one out is the tough part.
Quoted from bobukcat:Since this started after the ColorDMD install I'd suspect your +12VDC is weak and causing opto problems or the diverter is not firing so the ball ends up in the wrong place, which I believe can also be opto related. I'd start by putting a meter on the 12 Volts and measure with and without the ColorDMD plugged in. From there I would probably look to the opto that should register the ball entering the subway from behind the drop target, go into switch test and drop balls in there and see if it is registering every time.
Measure the 12V where? At the opto?
Quoted from Pin_Guy:I'm not trying to knock Sams Classics here but I've seen this video before and cringed when I saw how he was removing it. If you have to remove the subway, do yourself a solid here and just remove the 3 VUK's first to get them out of the way, then take out the subway. This gives you the opportunity to inspect and clean everything, while you have the VUKs out, you may as well clean all of the optos. After you removed all that ancient clay based grease, you will want to apply a TINY bit of PTFE synthetic grease to the diverter shafts buring reassembly. A dab the size of a pea on each shaft should be enough. Just like the VUKs, clean or replace all the optos, there is literally no reason not to do it while you have the assembly out of the game.
I also use Locktite 615 Epoxy on all of the set screws as I don't want the actuator arms to move at all after they are aligned.[quoted image]
Tomorrow is my big testing day. I don't believe I'll have to get the subway off. My deserters seem to run smooth. Nothing sticking. The guy I bought it from actually had the subway off and cleaned everything, and he really seemed to know what he was doing.
It might just be the opto itself, or maybe it is the power for some reason, or just a cable leading to the opto. I moved quite some cabling around when I installed the DMD. Idiot me got the old dmd power cable out, because I thought my RS from which I was pulling the DMD did not have that power cable anymore....well, should have checked better first. RS still had it, just the connectors where tucked away, so I did alot of cable sorting for no reason.
I'll check power, continuity, and opto tomorrow.
Quoted from bobukcat:Make it so....
Hi guys, here is an update on my testing.
1. Tested the voltage at the board. Consistent 13.05V, with or without ColorDMD. So I don't believe there is a voltage related issue.
2. Edge switch Test. All as is it supposed to be. No issues. Tested all the optos with a piece of paper.....all good. Well, I could not get to the optos before the subway knockouts. Got the one at the kick out, but no idea how to get to the other.
Did not have any occurance of this phenomenon during game play today, but only played about 10 games. But, after one of the games finished, the machine went into search mode firing everything including the cannons. So still clueless. And before anybody asked, no battery damage.
Oh well, it played, so onto some modding.
Ok, here are couple of things I did today.
Added lighted flipper buttons, have them set on pulsating for now.
Added the third bumper cover and applied metal decals on the pop bumpers.
Changed out bumper single LED bulb for bright multi bumper LEDs. Set center ring for turn on on vibration, fun effect when playing. Only bumped out that I could not put this one on the 3rd bumper, just no room.
Added metal decals all over the playfield. My VUK shoot out has a big dent from the ball shooting up, so I could not get the decal on 100% clean, had to make a little cut to allow for the dent. Not sure about the flipper decals yet, especially since they appear to be a bit too large.
Changed the canon red lenses covers to some covers. What an improvement. And thanks to whoever gave the tip of drilling the opening larger with a cone drill, worked like a charm.
Started playing with the Hallmark Enterprise ornament. Here is my question, and I tried to find some answers on here, but could not find anything conclusive. The box reads to attach to 5V - 6.5V light bulb chain.....so I connected it to my variable power supply with 6.5V. Well, the light are very dim and the LED on the top (navigation light) does not turn on at all. Once I increase the voltage to 12V, the lights had a good brightness, and the navigation light started to blink like it should. So it sounds like I could simply attach it to the GI 12V? Afraid of blowing the LEDs in the ship though. Question, could this be because my variable power supply is DC, and the ornament wants AC? And if the latter, and I need some resistors, what do I need? 200 Ohm? Been a while since I had physics in school and had to calculate voltage drops.
And here are some pics of today's work.
20190105_140954 (resized).jpg20190105_140940 (resized).jpg20190105_183714 (resized).jpg20190105_154025 (resized).jpg20190105_183732 (resized).jpg20190105_183740 (resized).jpg20190105_183746 (resized).jpgQuoted from Zitt:Found a thread:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/hallmark|sort:date/rec.games.pinball/0HP938FRFX0/KuaTeY-rvMMJ
which says 22ohms at .2W.
Yup, saw this before, but nowbody knows what is inside the ENTERPRISE 1701-D ship. As in what type of LEDs, or if they are in series or parallel.
Quoted from StrangeSubset1:Yup, I think the AC power was the issue, so if I tie into GI, I guess I need to set some resistors to reduce it down.
As for your popcaps, I saw yours, but I was too cheap
Selling my custom lit 1701-D topper.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/74794
It is not flawless, but still pretty cool. Selling it because I am working on an upgraded version, and these things (Diamond Select Toys) are quite pricey if you can actually still get a hold of one (the updated version).
There are tons playmates out there, but they just don't have the same detail.
20190210_181409 (resized).jpg20190210_181421 (resized).jpgI need some help locating the "Borg Lock" switch. Anybody any idea where it is? Manual does not locate it and I cannot seem to find it, but it generates an error.
Also, does anybody have an idea where to get new VUK covers? My mission start metal bracket under the Borg ship fell apart into pieces.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:This is under the Borg ship cover attached to the Borg assembly, more than likely you are seeing an error from not locking a ball in the Borg ship in X number of games, just drop a ball in the ship from the Delta Ramp entrance an it will likely clear.
[quoted image]This is a common problem, I got mine from Marco, its not spot welded like the original, so it should hold up better.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-16626
Thank you!!!! I was looking all over Marco's site, for some stupid reason I could not find it, thanks for the link.
As for the switch, how do you even get a ball in that thing up the ramp. Mine never has enough velocity to get all the way there and just drops down the wire ramp. I am wondering if my ramp is warped (no pun intended).
Quoted from Pin_Guy:This is the single most difficult shot to make in this game. This could be a lack of power from the flipper, but there is a ball diverter that actuates when the Borg lock isn't lit that can cause some issues; if this diverter doesn't retract properly due to gummed up grease, broken return spring, misalignment, etc... it will kill the balls momentum and you will never be able to make this shot.
I guess I'll just have to pay more attention, might just not be lit when I made it.
I got my first billion last night. Actually 1,875,000....got lucky on the Borg jackpot. Got quadruple jackpot. But still did not make the ramp up into the Borg ship ♀️
Quoted from StrangeSubset1:Selling my custom lit 1701-D topper.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/74794
It is not flawless, but still pretty cool. Selling it because I am working on an upgraded version, and these things (Diamond Select Toys) are quite pricey if you can actually still get a hold of one (the updated version).
There are tons playmates out there, but they just don't have the same detail. [quoted image][quoted image]
Finally took some more images. Including the areas that got messed up, but you cannot see them when it is installed on the head.
20190223_162323 (resized).jpg20190223_161722 (resized).jpg20190223_161731 (resized).jpg20190223_161746 (resized).jpg20190223_161802 (resized).jpg20190223_161819 (resized).jpg20190223_162312 (resized).jpg20190210_181421 (resized).jpgShameless bump
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/74794
I am surprise there has been zero interest so far.
Had some problems with my color DMD lately. It sometimes start showing white and distorted graphics only. Used to be that I could turn the pin off and back on and it was all goo, but since today, it will stay white and some lines missing, other doubled up.
I reset all ribbon cables, but that did not fix it. I also found out, that once I go into the DMD menue, the display is fine, just not in the actual game. Any chance the display chip is going bad?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
20190316_212411 (resized).jpgQuoted from Tranquilize:Reseat the chips. That always fixes this issue for me.
Seems to be working for now.....
Inpaid 5k for mine in December, and it does have quite a few flaws....but than again I am in SoCal, so you have to add the 10% sun factor onto any price.
There is tons of advice in this thread, but I am a bit lost on my issue anyhow.
Once in a while, my pin goes into ball search mode, and it won't come out of it. Only way to end it, is turning it on and off. I tested all optos and switches, and they are all working. No weak solder joints either.
I was told before that it would most likely be an opto that is going bad, but how do I found out which one, if it happens only sporadically (every 25 to 50 games) and I cannot find anything when testing?
Should have thought of that myself....guess that is why you make the big bucks......well, at least you should.
Thanks.
Probably won't happen before the weekend, but I'll report back.
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:If anybody has an original translite and is interested in trading for this one, send me a PM. If you happen to have a spare, I'd trade you a NES mini and SNES mini for one. Just picked it up yesterday. Game is simply amazing.[quoted image]
Ha. My 3 game collection plus one arcade is very similar. I have a LOTR instead of the JP and a off-road challange instead of your 1up.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Why yes, yes I can!
The results is I was able to clearly see that the Color LED is the clear winner for STTNG and everyone that has seen these two displays running at the same time agreed that the colors of the were more vibrant than the LCR, which looked washed out by comparison. I did my best to attempt to capture the ColorDMD LED display, but the way cameras adjust for changing brightness and contrast the video lack the "WOW factor" you get from seeing the actual display.
Anyways, here's the video link; if you are looking at this upgrade for your machine, either display is a great enhancement, but I highly recommencement the LED and its a little cheaper as well which in this case is a win-win.
The LED version is on top with the LCD (Large DOTS) on the bottom; this is a 2GB 16min long video that contains nearly every video image in the game, I hope you enjoy it.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TxcL19w5B5pTPhWWjX3OIj1VY0GFL82E
Pretty amazing.... now I want the LED one.....could put the LCD into my LAH
Quoted from k9bm:Looking to see other photos of the Advance in Rank/Command Decision board on the playfield. Mine is only attached with one screw, and I can't even get it out to replace the lamps because the board is bent forward so far. It just doesn't look it should be mounted where it is, so I'd really like to see some photos of some other games out there. Thanks....
[quoted image]
Mine is exactly the same way....it does seem wrong.
Those are the correct ones!!! The ones listed here on the market are lower quality. Basically just an ink print on some foil. The ones linked above are pretty heavy stock (metal like) that the black is actually burned into with laser.
Quoted from PantherCityPins:My ornament didn’t come apart as easily as the one on the pinwiki instructions so it took some additional surgery and filler to get it to look right. There is some light leak on the outside of the warp nacelles but
Why did you take it all the way apart?
Still not sure why you would take it apart at all. There is a good tutorial on this thread that I followed. Only had to drill out the bottom. Never had to take the entire ship apart.
Found the post:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sttng-owners-club/page/52#post-4753118
Quoted from PantherCityPins:The post you referenced looks like it is using the stock incandescent bulbs that are in the warp nacelles. I used instructions that replaced those with LED bulbs so you have to take it apart to do that.
Makes sense. Yes, I kept the incandescent bulbs. End result looks the same from what I can tell, and I guess I am lazy .
So last night I turn on my STTNG for the first time after about 3 weeks (been busy with other things), and I get the dreaded "insert coin" message. Having been there on my LAH I pull out the translite right away, and of course, the nice copper heads from Duracell started leaking. Juts minimal, and except for the contact on the battery holder I am not seeing any damage. So of course, I think I got "lucky". Pull the board and cleaned it with vinegar and alcohol...still no damage on the board to be seen.....puhhh...
Board goes back in, reset all connectors, turn on,....error. Tilt switch stuck closed....what!?!?!?!
So I take another look....darn it. Battery must have leaked onto all J connectors. 3 of the 4 on the bottom clearly show corrosion.
So now my question, should I replace with crimped IDCs or keep it stock and use punch down? How far back should I cut the cable? Pretty much cut them right behind the IDCs for now.
20200112_203151 (resized).jpgQuoted from Zitt:Guys - check your batteries. I make it a point of swapping batteries at every TPF regardless of their age... that way; I know the likeliness of leakage is near zero. One day; maybe I'll covert to nvram.
I had just swapped them 9 months ago.....so I cannot blame myself for not paying attention to it....what's your take on punch vs crimp though.
Quoted from arthurrag:Are these adequate?[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Thank you. Perfect!
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Every wire color for every connector you are looking for is listed on the same page you posted an image from
I know, but I don't trust it
Quoted from Jaybird815:Also J-206 and J-207: and J-208 and J-209 are interchangeable, incase you ever have a broken pin/solder joint etc.
That good to know.
Quoted from BioBa:Here are the second generation STTNG decals with gold and colour!
Fully laminated on stainless steel film.[quoted image]
Look sweet.
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:The Next Generation uses dimming in several areas, one is during gameplay when the Enterprise is under attack, and the shields are being affected. You will NOT see the effect with LEDS because unlike the original bulbs, LEDS can't DIM.
Other locations you'll see the strobing is during power saving mode, when the lighting is reduced to a lower setting (designed to save power and mainly reduce the wear on the bulbs.)
HOWEVER, GI OCD will fix all of these issues. With this machine, for many other reasons too, it's worth getting. ALSO, LED OCD will allow a smoothing to the LEDs for flashers, prettier to watch and easier on the eyes. I have both in my STTNG.
I always thought that if you get the LED OCD you won't need the GI OCD on top? Do we actually need both?
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:Tonight, the Enterprise 1701-D Topper arrives. For anyone modding one these ships, the difficulty speaks for itself. It's not perfect, or the most expensive, realistic one, but it works for me.
Hope everyone likes it.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
I cannot see your stand, but I did one of those a while back. Rewired into a custom stand and had it hooked into the GI.
Quoted from StrangeSubset1:Selling my custom lit 1701-D topper.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/74794
It is not flawless, but still pretty cool. Selling it because I am working on an upgraded version, and these things (Diamond Select Toys) are quite pricey if you can actually still get a hold of one (the updated version).
There are tons playmates out there, but they just don't have the same detail. [quoted image][quoted image]
Still have the second one on pieces trying to get lights inside....been sitting untouched for a year, lol.
Quoted from Nacman:I wish this was smaller but still pretty cool. Great possibilities as a topper.
I did one of those a while back. On a custom stand and hooked into the game modes.
Found a couple images of my old topper on custom stand, wired into flasher and GI. Cable was hidden in the tube of the custom stand.
Sold it to work on an improved version on which I started routing out all windows...that new one never made it out of the project stage...one day, maybe.
20190210_181409 (resized).jpg20190210_181421 (resized).jpg20190223_162312 (resized).jpgQuoted from mtadams29:I have the black interrupters. I don't know the logic or physics behind WHY the new ones aren't working, but I can definitively tell you they do not. Whether a "fatter" interrupter is meant to be used for these or there is some logic built into the CPU for machines that use this larger opto is way beyond my skill level. The new boards either do not register at all or "flutter" when the machine is on.
I agree that it should not make a real difference if the opto is simply a beam being broken by an object, then the distance between the two points generating and terminating said beam is irrelevant as long as it is still being interrupted.
Also, the interrupters on the old cards don't come close to rubbing the sides, the gap is much larger on the new cards but ample on the old ones as well.
I've also noticed most part supply sites want to include the metal springs, my machine does not have these and when I tried to put them in, they don't fit in the clearance under the right side of the playfield. Anyone else have them and if so, did you alter them in any way?
I don't have any optos . Previous owner replaced them with regular flipper switches. Works great.
After 5 years in this club I am leaving with a tear in my eye. Personal circumstances forced me into liquidating some assets and my beautiful STTNG unfortunately was amongst them.
I want to thank everyone in this forum for their amazing advice, help, and mods. @Pin_Guy, if it wasn't for you I would have given up in the first year. @Zitt, thank you for those amazing mods.
My machine is going to a fellow pinsider, who unfortunately isn't much active, but I am hoping he will join this club.
I have a feeling I'll be back at some point in time. And start building another machine up from scratch.
IMG_20230630_203141 (resized).jpgHi guys,
my STTNG found a new owner. He has some issues that I want to help him with.
He started the machine up and every time he turns it on he gets a "Factory Settings Restored". Start button won't light up and he has to go into settings and exit them, after that it works fine. I put LX-8 IN just before I shipped it to him. Only played LX-8 once after I installed it for him, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
And yes, no battery damage on the machine. I am running lithium batteries on all my machines that still have batteries.
If anyone has any idea, please let me know.
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:It has nothing to do with LX-8, however he can test the machine by unplugging it. Then plugging it in. And if the machine resets itself, the disc battery has gotten loose or is old. It's not able to maintain the settings.
Wait, you are taking the disk battery, not the regular AAA batteries? I have to admit, don't even recall this game having one. Similar to any PC motherboard I assume?
Didn't think it would have anything to do with the ROM, just wanted to give all the info available.
NVRAM isn't a great option for STTNG, since it won't keep the clock settings, which is why I never installed one on this machine.
Wonder if the battery holder might have wiggled itself loose during transport, just would be weird since it was really solid before.
The funny part is, it says factory reset, but it keeps the free play. Wouldn't a full reset kill that setting either?
Quoted from bobukcat:There's no disc battery, he was just confusing your statement of using lithium batteries to mean it's been converted to use a coin-cell. LX-8 may be Free Play only but I'm not 100% sure of that. One or more of the batteries wiggled loose or they were borderline and are now dead / too low voltage.
Yup, looked like it was the batteries, as simple. He popped new ones in, and after some wiggling she is all good again. Always stressful when you sell a machine out of state that runs great and then issues pop up with the new owner.
Quoted from Tuukka:If wiggling the batteries fixes problems, always suspect for some battery leak. Remove batteries and clean all battery holder terminals with contact spray. Look extra carefully for any green stuff near battery holder - removing it and then cleaning the board and installing a new holder if any corrosion is found would be the best alternative.
The alkaline corrosion, once it sets in, is unbelieveably eager to spread and eat out your board and components.
Nope. I am taking meticulous care of all my machines. Only use lithium batteries in the machines that don't have NVRAM, even when I use a remote battery holder.
My first pin (LAH, still have it), came with battery damage. Was a nightmare. Shout out to Chris H. who was able to repair my original board. You'll never find any battery leakage in my house
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