You can handle it. Seriously. All of the known issues with the game are covered in depth all over the web.

FWIW, Ive had mine close to two years and it has been relatively error free. I think the game gets a bad rep for its "on location" history. I love mine and dont even think of it as being a high maintenance pin at all. Now shopping it out...that is another story

Personally I think playfield condition is the most important thing. Everything else is a relatively cheap fix. Bring a flashlight, look for planking, cracks, lifted inserts. Playfield wear is hard to fix. I would walk away if I didn't like the playfield. Make sure there are no boards damaged or hacks. Run through all the tests, make sure there are no errors. If lights are out, ask why? Don't just assume a bulb is burned out, could mean board work. I have no problem re flowing solder to fix a light or opto but you should take off $ to fix that. Read the manual before you look at it so you know what to expect. Most of the parts on a Wiliams pin from this era are easy to find and as dsuperbee said you can find a solution for almost any problem on this forum IF you're willing to troubleshoot. BTW I just shopped mine and it's not that bad. Rebuilt flippers and coils, removed subway to clean, all new silicone rings and bands. Thorough cleaning all around. Took a few weeks (a couple hours at a time) but now it plays like a NIB and there's nothing like the satisfaction of knowing you made that happen. It's a 4K game when all is good.

The game is one of the most problematic games out of the 90's. The game is so good, I would recomend buying it anyways. Even at the going rate, you would have a hard time buying a better machine for the price.

First machine that I purchased. I've had to troubleshoot some issues with my STtNG. I still really enjoy playing it and highly recommend it. It's my favorite. Like you, I really had little or no electronics background but was comfortable building a pc. If you need help, you've always got the forums full of knowledgeable pinsiders. Go for it.

This.

As long as you dont overload the 12v with mods, ops check and clean/r2 the optos, and rebuild the flippers you will have one of the best pins ever made in your collection for years. As long as its not a basket case when you buy it; it shouldnt be any more or less trouble than any other pin of the era.

I almost got rid of mine last year but thought better of it. Best decision ive made pin wise. I still smile every time i fire it up.

It's a fantastic game and, once you master maintaining and learning all of the ins and outs, your teeth will be cut to handle any future game you may pick up.

One recommendation though, if you've never played STTNG... Get these: http://www.pinbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_36&products_id=306

STTNG is a masterpiece, but it's a notorious drain monster, and these lane extenders may alleviate a bit of the frustration. It's bad enough that the outlanes are so unforgiving, but it's exacerbated by the fact that the outlanes are difficult to see due to the cannons positioning on top of the slingshots. AND the game weighs a metric shit-ton so nudging a ball out of an already brutal outlane (that you can barely see) can just add insult to injury.

Incredible game though, with outstanding theme integration. Grab it and enjoy!

And I would recommend to move the red starpost above the right outlane to the bottom. The ball tends to drain there very quickly...

If it's someting you want get it. Play it and learn. That's the fun in owning these amazing pins, is that playing it is way more rewarding if you tweak and fix things yourself. Plus troubleshooting and fixing items is fun in itself. It's pinball...

Was mine second too

Like mentioned in this thread, all the issues are documented here and on the web.

Plenty of insight here on Pinside to guide you in maintaining this excellent pin.

Go get it!

STTNG is like learning to fix and maintain pinball 101. I have had burnt molex connectors, left cannon issues, optos go out, adding LED kit-pain in the ass, DMD issue, diverter adjustments, trough issue,and transistors on power driver board. It has taught me a lot but it is also one of the best machines out there and it is like two machines in one. It does require constant maintenance but it is worth it.

I was in the exact same boat as you about 2 years ago. I'd built lots of computers, and done a very tiny bit of soldering before. My first pin was Black Hole and I lucked out in that I've never had a single problem with it. My second was STTNG and it has required a bit more periodic maintence, but nothing someone like us can't handle. Just try to find one that's working already and doesn't have a credit dot and doesn't throw error messages after playing it for a while.

the most common problem is dirty optos, and you can clean them with q-tips and windex.

It was my 3rd game and my fav. It's a bitch to fix but it's not rocket science.

If the MPU board has battery damage and is faulty you could message Johnwartjr on Pinside and ask about having it repaired. He does oodles of board work. Otherwise you can get a bare MPU board here: https://ksarcade.net/rottendog-mpu-for-wpc-89-base-unit-mpu089-replaces-wpc-a-12742.html

If you get a bare board, also order the ASIC chip puller along with it and just transfer the chips from the old board onto the new one. Definitely don't try pulling the ASIC chip without the proper pulling tool though. If you damage the square ASIC chip it'll cost you about $60 for a new one.

Cheers,
Greg

The MPU is typically the only thing that gets damage on these from a leaking battery. As Greg pointed out, they can be replaced for a couple hundred bucks assuming you salvage the working chips from the bad one.

Optos can be a huge problem on this machine because there are a lot of them and because the game tends to lose its mind when one isn't working correctly. They can be dirty as pezpunk mentioned but they can also fail and troubleshooting which one has failed on STTNG can be challenging. The GLM opto boards can help and are a worthy investment if it doesn't already have one: https://ksarcade.net/new-replacement-16-opto-switch-board-osb-16.html

The trough boards can save you some hassle as well:
https://ksarcade.net/ball-trough-opto-transmitter-for-wpc-a-16927-dcs-tt.html

Don't underestimate the maintenance on this title. I've rotated about a dozen different WPC titles through our arcade at the PinCrossing and STTNG is the only one in my collection I haven't included.

-Jay

In the time I have had my STTNG, I wouldn't say it breaks down any more frequently than other machines of that era. However it is one of the most feature packed games of that era which means there are lots of moving parts and lots of things to potentially go wrong. The optos and aux board tieback seems to give some people trouble.

A truly fun, challenging game! The variety of shots and hungry outlanes will make you a better player... or totally frustrate you!

I've had mine for 13 years. As others have said, it really is no more trouble than other pins of that era which means not much trouble at all! It has a lot of gadgets but those gadgets are pretty straight forward to service and were built tough for operation in the arcades. In the home environment, rarely will you have any troubles with it. My T2, Dracula and Getaway brake down more than STTNG.

Cool to see you are in Canberra. My daughter and son-in-law live in Canberra. I hope to come visit them someday but it is a long and expensive trip from St. Louis.

The only thing I can add is its heavy as hell lol

Haha yes it is!

Very true! Must be one of the heaviest out there! It is certainly my heaviest game.

If you want and have time to learn, buy it. If not, stay with Newer games.

The subway and cannon system is the weak point on the game. If any one point on the subway fails then the game loses track of the balls or starts wrong modes and won't play right. None of the failures are hard to diagnose or fix but there are alot of them so many chances for the game to not play right

4 optos plus coil, bracket/coil stops and transistor for upper left subway exit
2 optos plus coil, bracket/coil stops and transistor for each of the subway cannon exits
opto, plus coil, plus transistor, plus wiring harness for each cannon wear from turning, plus the plungers like to wear into the coil bracket and stick in the fired position, and two switches under the pf for the cannon positions
optos x2, coils x2, plus transistors plus super weak diverter mech inside the subway
drop target entrance to subway and/or shooter lane coil not strong enough to get into subway entrance
tie back wire
Ribbon cable to extra transistor driver board in head if half off will lock on and melt diverter coils

Not surprising that it sold. No one has mentioned that another positive of this game is that they move quickly. If you buy one and get tired of it or it doesn't interest you you can easily get your investment back as long as you have not sunk a lot in it after you buy it. Always nearly a top 10 or a top 10 and very desirable to own.

Not for STTNG, the driver 8 board is usually a mess from the tie back voltage being broken at one point or people hacking this board.

STTNG, IMO, is the most problematic and difficult WPC to deal with. Despite some people's good luck with issues, I don't think there is another that is possibly more naggy. There are threads and threads of people that have sold this machine just because they were sick of dealing with the issues.

I agree they can be problematic (due to the sheer number of parts) and confusing to people to troubleshoot (staging of ball/optos in the subway and cannons) but the point I was trying make is once they are dialed in, they are no more problematic than any other machine. This is my experience and your mileage may vary...

Well, i do think they are slightly more high maintenance than most pins just because of the complexity. But problems like hacked up boards or battery damage, while common, are curable / preventable.