Example 1: Hard-wire

Kit: MX649, Minnow4

Brief photo-guide of fitting MX649 (hard-wired) on top of the chassis, and Minnow4 speaker in the fuel tank...

All together, complete with working lights again.

Photos courtesy of Tony Aldam

Example 2: Reuse PCB

Kit: MX649N; Minnow4

Siimlar kit, but different approach - we remove the 6pin DCC socket from the model and directly solder the pins of a 6pin direct MX649N to the model's PCB. Requires great soldering skills, but is quite a neat approach, allowing us to retain the original circuitry for lighting.

Approach and photos courtesy of David Parminter

Example 3: MX660 drop-in sound-decoder

Kit: MX660; Minnow4; LifeLink+2x 470uF Flat Tantalums

Another approach to this narrow model is to mill as much off the top of the chassis as possible and use a drop-in MX660 sound decoder. here you can see we have already done the milling and added some double-sided tape ready to accept the decoder...

The MX660 sits a little raised onto the motor, and our Minnow4 speaker in a deeper milled area the other side of the motor.

There is space for a LifeLink and pair of 470uF Flat Tantalums for stay-alive, which will make all the difference in this model.

Finally we wire in the lights. No resistors are required because the MX660 has low voltage outputs for lighting designed for direct connection of LEDs, which simplifies things.

Please note that these guides are provided as useful resources for you, as-is. YouChoos cannot be held responsible for errors in the information, or for any damage caused to your models or equipment if you choose to follow any of the steps detailed here.