There is a 9 pin plug on my dcc ready loco but it has a very small chip on it. There is also an 8 pin hole connector on the back of my board. Which one should I use? It is a non sound decoder.
So do I use the 8 holes on the back or do I replace the small ship with the new decoder?
Thanks
Baker
The short answer is: Remove the dummy plug and plug the decoder in it’s place. That’s what I do, although I generally use the less expensive DH123D’s.
The long answer is: That 9 pin plug (it’s called a “JST connector”) in the Athearn dcc-ready locos has some wiring connections and surface-mount parts that allow it to operate on DC. When you remove the plug and replace it it with a decoder, the decoder takes the place of those parts/connections. However, Athearn thoughtfully also provides the 8-pin (NMRA Medium) connection on the board in case you want to use that instead. Either will work.
HTH,
Steve
Thanks for the help. I am going right now to install it and do my very first run on my layout. This is just testing my track work and to work out the kinks! Thanks Again Baker