I have a 3 year old (out of warranty) Spectrum 0-6-0 saddle tank (item # 81812) that the DCC board short circuited on a couple of years back.  I relegated it to the repair drawer but never got around to doing it until now.  I am pondering replacing the bachmann board with a 3rd party board.  Has anyone done this and could provide some advice or recommendations?  My other alternative is to send it in to Bachmann for $35 for the factory repair and just go with that.

My main debate is if it is worth the extra $ for the 3rd party board.  I can't find any real specs on the DCC board used in this little loco and have no idea if for instance it is using back EMF or not, etc.

Any help would be appreciated.