Can HO Scale MTH PS3 boards be used in O scale

Well, it should work, the HO boards work on my testset with the O-scale PS/3 tach reader.  I have no idea of the capacity of the motor drive, but I'd assume that less than an amp max would probably not tax them too much.

I'd be careful here. Most of the MTH HO manuals will say that you can only use DC power sources and do not use AC as it will damage the board.

Thanks H1000!  I found an F7 operators manual, and it confirmed your statement

Presumably adding a rectifier/capictor will take care of that.   Was that eliminated on the HO Scale boards to save space?

As for the operating voltage, the MTH HO Operating manual also states

"About 16 volts DC is adequate for prototypical speeds however, your engine can handle up to 24 volts DC if you feel the need for speed!"

As for the current draw of the locomotove, the manual states 23-650 mA.   That is not a limit, just what the loco draws.   I'll habe to measure the current draw of my MP54s to se what they require

@John Sethian posted:

Thanks H1000!  I found an F7 operators manual, and it confirmed your statement

MTH made AC and DC versions of the HO boards, there's a section in the test manual for each variety.

GRJ

Thanks.  So how does one tell which board is in which diesel?   And from what I can tell, the  HO Scale boards are 3/4" wide by 1" high by 2 3/4" long   Correct?

HO PS-3 boards are like Lionel boards, lots of variations.  If you're asking, might not be the way to go.  Plus is HO even supported anymore?  G

MTH made 245 different models of HO engines that can run on AC (or DC) power vs 671 models that run exclusively on DC power. These AC compatible engines are known as PS3E+ models and product number will end in -5 vs. the -1 that is typically seen.  The PS3E+ engine have a DCC / DCS Switch that will need to be set if you plan to run on AC power.

I seriously doubt an HO board will survive long in an O gauge environment. The first time an O gauge motor stalls the board will go up in smoke. The electronics are not designed for that kind of current draw.

Thanks H1000 for that information!  Now I know what to look for!

A fast breaking fuse can provide over current protection.  A Littlefuse 370-0400 has a melt point of .0250 A-sec.  Which means if all of a sudden the current popped up to 1 A the fuse would open in 25 ms.  I doubt that would have time to hurt the electronics. 

Although I have never had a motor stall.

There's no reason the HO board can't run any size train as long as it doesn't draw more current than the board supports.