Can you use a MRC 0001631 decoder in a Athearn Dash 9 or AC4400?
Also can you use a MRC 0001634 in a Athearn GP 38-2. I know this is a board and my GP does not have a board in it.
Does the decoder have a plug? Many locos have a matching plug, either 8 pin or 9 pin. I forego the plug altogether and hardwire my decoders.
They’ll work if they fit. MRC’s are not my favorite decoders, though.
.
Do you really want to put MRC decoders into your locos?
Many folks end up tearing even the factory-installed MRC decoders out of their locos because they’re widely considered to be so much junk.
Anyway, I can’t speak for the Athearn GE’s since I don’t have any. However, I’ve put board-replacement decoders, mostly NCE DA-SR’s, in a number of Athearn GP’s. Whether or not the MRC 0001634 will fit depends on how high those components on top stick up. You may have to trim the weight pocket out from under the dynamic brake hatch.
HTH,
Steve
I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but I recently installed several MRC 1634 decoders, and they seem to be OK. I had to turn the volume down, and they sound good. And the price was right from Trainworld. $29.99 including speaker. I realize I could pay $100 for a sound decoder, but for $30, how can you go wrong.
Reliability is the only complaint(s) I have against MRC decoders. I have had a couple of them now that fizzled out when I least expected it. Sure, you can desolder them, ship them back to MRC for replacement for X number of dollars, but it is the frustration of having to go back in, undo all the work, pay extra money for the replacement, and then hope that the new one they send will last longer than the one(s) you had.
Haven’t had a problem with the 1634’s yet and they are a plug-in, so installation doesn’t take much time.
Tilden