Tomix DE10 (new mechanism) DCC conversion

[The Next Station Is...]

I'm currently in the process of converting one of Tomix's "new mechanism" DE10 locomotives to DCC. So far, I've dismantled it and I'm now at the split-frame. It's quite different (and a lot better looking) than the original 'spring-worm' mechanism. There's still no room as-is for a decoder but I've eyed up an area of the frame between the flywheel and light board that will nicely house my DZ126T decoder, once the frame has been cut.

 

I'd like to ask you for your opinion - should I cut the decoder slot all the way through the frame (easier but could potentially make the frame weaker by the 'CO' bogie) or should I try to leave 'walls' of the frame remaining (harder but might help frame rigidity)? The frame metal seems pretty sturdy but I'm not an expert and I'd definitely appreciate advice!

 

If I go for the latter option, how should I go about cutting the decoder 'well' without cutting into the frame 'wall'? I have files and a rotary tool to help at the moment!

[spacecadet]

You're about one step ahead of me doing the exact same thing (with the same decoder), but I've watched a ton of YouTube videos of people doing installs on similar locos and it seems you'd want to keep as much of the frame as you can, both for rigidity and just for weight.

 

There's a video of a guy using a Dremel to mill his frame and it doesn't look like it's too hard to keep from punching out the sides, if you just go slow and stay in control. He just marked his cuts with a sharpie before starting, and of course you work on one side at a time, so you're milling from the inside out and you have a clear path to cut out.

[The Next Station Is...]

Glad I'm not alone! Thanks for the advice, looking at the frame I think it'd be worth the extra effort to make sure that it's cut carefully and as much material as possible is retained. The sharpie trick will be useful!

[spacecadet]

This is the video I mentioned before:

 

 

He's doing an Atlas and using a different decoder but it's the same basic thing. (He actually did end up punching through one side by mistake.) I'd love to find some videos of actual newer Tomix installs, but they seem few and far between on YouTube.

Edited March 2, 2015 by spacecadet

[Martijn Meerts]

I tried the milling with a Tomix DD51, but ended up putting the decoder in the cab after all. The milling caused the weight to be unbalanced, and I had to mill away a bit too much to safely place the decoder that the frame would end up getting unstable.

 

You do seem to have a little more play on the DE10 though.

[The Next Station Is...]

Thanks for the feedback - I'm glad I've decided to go the harder route and remove less material; I hadn't considered the weight distribution of the locomotive being unbalanced. The frame also looks quite intricate, so I'm keen to make sure it stays stable and rigid.