Kit: Zimo MX649 with YouChoos Minnow4 speaker

This narrow-bodied model is not the easiest to get DCC sound into, but with a very low-profile Minnow4 speaker, the thin Zimo MX649 and a milling machine, it is doable, with good results! We don't have to resort to using cab space either, and we'll fit drivers and independent cab lights too.

So, here is the model to begin with, starting to disassemble...

Chassis apart, we've milled one end as low as we dare to give as much vertical space to fit the speaker.

Take of a slither of the plastic bogie 'plus' top so we have a flush flat surface to work with, and test with body on that it will sit flush.

Since we dumped the factory circuit board, we must rewire the directional lighting. We've reused the resistor bank from the factory board and soldered an old resistor leg across the common positive side. The lighting boards have had their wires replaced - using standard DCC colours, and making them longer, so we have something to work with.

Glue in the drivers, and add the cab lights too.

We now start the process of connecting all the wiring up... first the decoder goes into position (removed the shrink wrap to reduce the decoder's height as much as possible, ensuring that it sits on an insulated patch on top of the chassis/motor area). Connect motor (orange and grey wires), pickups (red and black wires - to the circuit board screw rings which have been cut out), and the pair of purple speaker wires.

Find a place to locate the resistor bank. In reality we will only be using 4 of them, but you never know what you might add in future! Common positive wire (blue) from the decoder connects to the common 'bar' that we add to the resistor bank earlier.

Cab lights are connected up (front -VE goes to decoder green, FA2/AUX3 and rear -VE goes to decoder brown, FA3/AUX4). Each cab light's +VE wire joins to one of the resistors in the bank. Join up the directional lighting as appropriate too.

Tidy everything up - must be neat and flat to go back into the body!

All back together, flush and running nicely!

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.