Every HO site I've been on includes cooked decoder boards, and setting up issues too.
They really don't use much in the way of proprietary systems in other scales anymore.
Our use of ac in O brings bugs to the table they don't really deal with. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
DCC being a common factor among more scales of trains has helped it catch up.
But I think TMCC helped everyone the most.
I think you will have both "save & repair", and "replace with newer electronics" in the future for repairs.
A "re-pop" of a simple board? Maybe, but more likely someone would make their own.
Just like any other part, if you can use it to build another, maybe its worth saving.
My Box O' Boards, only has a train Sound of Steam board in, but I keep many other boards for parts, repair, and later reuse.
