I don't think the decoder is going to get hot enough to melt plastic -- it would probably destroy itself if it was that hot.
If the diesel Tsunami is like the steam Tsunami, it has the 9-pin JST header on it hidden under the shrink wrap. By cutting away a small amount of the shrink wrap the solder-in wiring harness can be removed and a JST to NMRA 8-pin harness can be used, eliminating the need to solder anything but the speaker connections.
Yeah, I know that this invalidates the Tsunami warranty, but so does cutting the wires short and soldering it into your model.
Yes, I think this is going to be a little tight, now that I have looked at the Tsunami....about 1" by 1/2 ". I did get a similar sized decoder under the lens bar in the shell for a test run....it might work there. But that brings up another question:
Just how hot does a typical decoder like a Tusnami run? Would it melt anything if it touches the shell or lens bar?
Besides, what I see available from Litchfield Station now does not mention the SD38-2 as a loco featured in the Tsunami diesel repetoire.
The current Tsunami diesel decoder is fairly large and there may not be room for it in this engine. SoundTraxx may come out with a model-specific decoder that is a drop-in replacement for the Kato circuit board, but at the present time it is a solder-in decoder. A Digitrax SoundFX would probably be a much better fit.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/products/dcc/tsunamidecoders.htm
I used the Digitrax "drop in" decoder designed for this engine. Is this a sound-only decoder or sound and control both??
BTW mine is a DMIR engine too.
Thinking about this one ahead of time.
Looks like plenty of room in this DCC-ready Kato SD38-2 for a new Tsunami diesel decoder. (Unit has speaker space ready in the fuel tank.)
But if anyone has already put a sound decoder into one of these or knows of a web link, pls let me know. Wouldn't mind seeing what others have done. Thanks for any ideas.
(the rear light lens bar is not in place, nor are other details added yet)