I have some new, 1-4 year old KATO and Atlas Diesel engines. I am converting to DCC and of course need decoders for the engines. Are the “Plug-n-Play” decoders really that? Just pop out the light board and pop in the decoder? Any idea how much installs are for this type at one of the retailers? Thanks in advance for any imput.
In this case, yes, they really are usually plug and play, because the decoders are specifically made for each model to replace the light board. Just make sure you get the right ones for each specific model. Digitrax and NCE have a good selection, and TCS is now starting to get into the N scale plug and play game. Each manufacturer’s web site has a listing of which decoder goes with which model.
–Randy