I hate to say it, but yes things will break.

Common issues are that wiring harnesses get weak and break at the cannons, and the ball trough optos fail.

That could become a small nuisance, but it is all fixable with online resources here and elsewhere.

Get the machine!!

Even a dialed in 100% working STTNG does weird shit sometimes.

Nobody has any idea how reliable a game they have never seen or played is going to be in your home, so you can't possibly get any assurances from us.

I have owned several, and I will say that it can have a lot of troubleshooting/maintenance issues due to the high number of Opto Switches.

While I don't know specifically about STTNG, I would like to say that optos in general, because of the lack of moving parts *should* be more reliable than a mechanical switch. Often the problem lies not with the opto itself, but with wiring, soldering or mounting. If a problem develops with the optos is dealt with correctly the first time, it should be trouble free for a long time.

The issue with STTNG isn't necessarily the number of optos, it's how badly the game deals with even one set of them going wonky. The issue is compounded by the fact that often the issues are intermittent and confusing. Even more experienced owners can have trouble diagnosing issues, total newbies might find themselves overwhelmed.

You are jumping in to the deep end of the pool that is for sure.

Its ONE of the greatest games ever made. I say go for it. I own one for 12 years and had minimal repairs.

Harry

it was my first pinball machine and I own it for 14 or 15 years. Mine is very reliable and I did not have a lot of problems with it.

If the game is already working well, and you are decent at trouble shooting, then go for it.

It is a great game, but issues can be difficult to track down. I had the short ribbon cable causing reboots which made me believe I had power supply issues. $1.50 later it is fine.

The trough optos keep track of the balls, so when they fail, or a connector/pin is bad, the game can get really confused. So assuming the game is working, take pictures of the switch matrix screen to compare it when things start acting weird.

I wouldn't let potential for maintenance issues deter you from the purchase. The game is really not any harder to troubleshoot than any other game out there, there is just more things that can go wrong. One thing this game does that's different from most is it pre-loads balls to all three of the VUK's; if the game is unable to do this people tend to immediately assume this is an opto problem since the game is continually feeding balls, but it's actually equally, if not more likely to be a ball diverter. The best advice I can give when you think you have a opto problem with this game is to remove all the balls and look at your switch matrix, every opto should be closed at that point, if they are then the odds of it being an opto related problem are very low.

Meh, I did all the work on my machine, and built most of my pin repair experience from the STTNG. I started out fresh, but with an EE background.

Pin's pretty reliable nowadays. Guess everything that could go wrong was more or less replaced. I'm talking about bridge rectifiers, capacitors, cannon looms. Never had an opto problem so far.

I thought I had an opto problem. All I did was re-seat the connector at J207 (or J206) and it fixed all of my problems. Sometimes it can just be as simple as that. The community here will help you track down any issues.

By the way, this is an absolutely fantastic game. 1000% buy immediately before someone else does.

Hey ramsfan can I ask if you have any regrets? Considering this same purchase and having the same misgivings

Replace the wiring harness for the cannons, buy a new trough opto board set and replace the opto eyes. Also ribbon cables.

Yes it will take you some time but it’s better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to this game. Unless you like surprises.

Just stripped mine down and fitted new looms, just have an intermittent left cannon issue with the opto registering randomly so will be fitting new opto’s as soon as they arrive which will hopefully have it working 100%. Once you understand how it all works with staging etc it’s pretty simple to work out.
Had one before that I sold as I didn’t enjoy but now I know it wasn’t working 100%, much happier this time around.

I say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’ve had two STtNGs and both played excellent with minimal maintenance or repairs. Keeping the optos clean and functioning is important, but I wouldn’t sweat it. There are enough resources available if something goes wrong, but one of the best pins ever, especially if you like ST.