old walthers h10/12-44 decoder installation

[rdettmer]

 i have a older walthers h10/12-44 fairbanks morse engine not dcc ready and i would like to install a digitrax dn163 ao decoder in it. is this a good fit and how would i go about it. my first try at an install. it would seem to fit as is small enough. anybody ever try this? thanks 

[1948PRR]

I have two of these. There is plenty of room on top, if you remove or cut out part of the added weight.

It looks like the motor is in direct contact with the frame, however, and should be isolated by either a thin piece of styrene or thick electrical tape on the bottom. This also means fabricating a mouting point for the wire to both the motor (orange or gray) and the frame for pickup (red or black).

 

 

[wjstix]

The TCS website has a page showing how to do it. I've done it, it isn't as complicated as it might appear. I chose to just remove the "circuit board" and top weight and hardwire everything together. I used tape to insulate the motor, I found I could use the original screws without any trouble.

http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Walthers/H10-44/Walthers%20HO%20Scale%20H10-44.htm

 

[rdettmer]

 sounds like it would be a good fit. only paid 25.00 for engine  iF i screwed it up what  would i be out ? MAYBE A GOOD EXPERIANCE.now i'm yelling.what to do?they say ya can't teach an old dog new tricks, but what to hey you uys would help right?

[tbdanny]

The most important thing in every DCC install is to make sure that the motor, lights (if applicable) and frame are isolated from each other.  Use a multimeter to test this.  This is why (allegedly) old brass models are tricky to install DCC in.  Once you've got everything isolated, it's just a question of following the colour code and making sure they remain isolated.

This site has some N scale walkthroughs with each step photographed - if you haven't done an install before, they may be able to help you.

Hope this helps,

tbdanny

[rdettmer]

 thanks to all who replied and sometimes the cap button gets on and forget to turn it off or rewrite the post. not really yelling. i 'm just happy to get info.rick