Example 1: Dapol O Gauge Steam Sentinel with single IceCube speaker

Kit: MX644D; IceCube18X13X10-1W speaker; LinkLink+SuperCap17000uF for stay-alive; Lamps; Crew

Dapol's quirky little Sentinel presents something a little different. Comes with a simple 21pin DCC socket, so the sound decoder is a piece of cake. Various options for speaker, but we decide to go relatively unobtrusive and tuck a single IceCube inside the vertical boiler area, hidden out of sight.

The model comes pre-wired for a speaker in that location, though the intention is for a round speaker. A larger speaker would also have been feasible on the cab floor.

The easiest approach to get the IceCube inside the vertical boiler is to enlarge the aperture underneath (these photos courtesy of Peter Disney).

Assembled again, we can test.

Pretty good, but with such a short wheel base, and being light (for an O gauge model), we decide to add stay-alive in the form of a LinkLink plus 17000uF SuperCap. The SuperCap can be stuck to the end wall giving about 2mm clearance from the fly-wheel. We've stuck ours in with SuperGlue to be sure it cannot fall out. The LifeLink PCB is stuck to the side wall with a little blob of BlackTack.

Just to add a bit of fun, we also include a bi-colour working lamp on each end. Some careful soldering required to the feet of the 21pin adapter to make this possible, and a bit of remapping of AUX outputs on the sound projects, but looks great once done.

Add some ModelU figures, hand painted and weathered, and this completes a neat little installation!

Example2: Improved Speaker

Kit: MX644D; SugarCube24X15X08-2W

The single IceCube is good, but a dual speaker would be even better. To that end, we decide to use a dual SugarCube instead, which isn't too much work. Some filing is required to increase the gap at the back of the vertical boiler... keep test-fitting the speaker until you're happy that it goes in fully. A little gap above the speaker is useful to avoid pressure and vibrations.

All in, and connected up. Some care required when refitting the body to ensure that the speaker wires don't snag as it goes up, but otherwise very neat and out of sight. Paint the green enclosure black if you want to hide it completely. The improvement in sound over the single IceCube is very noticeable.

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.