The Digitrax DO487 is the heavy hauler of the mobile decoder range: four amps continuous and five amps peak, wired rather than plugged, for the large-scale and O scale locomotives that will cook an ordinary HO decoder. Eight FX3 function outputs at 300mA give you the lighting capacity to match, and because it is a wired decoder it goes into anything you can solder to.
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Do I actually need a 4 amp decoder?
Only if the locomotive draws it. Measure stall current on DC before deciding - a typical single-motor HO diesel pulls well under an amp and is fine on a 1 amp decoder. Reach for the DO487 when you have a large-scale mechanism, twin motors, or an older open-frame motor.
Will it fit in the locomotive?
It is a physically larger board than an HO decoder, which is rarely a problem in O or G scale. In HO it is worth measuring the available space in the shell or tender before ordering.
Does it have sound?
No. The DO487 is a motor and function decoder. Pair it with a separate sound decoder, or choose a high-current sound decoder instead, if you want audio.
How do I wire it in?
Track pickups to the red and black leads, motor to orange and grey, and function outputs to your lighting. Isolate the motor completely from the frame before you connect anything - a motor still grounded to the chassis is the most common way to destroy a decoder.
