Example 1: Dapol OO Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0 Saddle Tank - standard DCC with stay-alive

Kit: MN180

Oh, well done Dapol - what a beautiful little model! Heavy, smooth-running, nice detail, and well designed for our upgrades!

Ping off the water-filler cap, revealing a screw that holds the boiler body on. Inside we find a Next18 board, with decent space underneath.

We start with a simple DCC (non-sound) installation, using a Zimo MN180 Next18 standard-decoder, and there is space for the 'sample' 1000uF capacitor underneath the PCB (removing the speaker box first of course).

Example 2: Easy Sound

Kit: MS581; StickyGasket 15x11mm speaker

Now we switch up to a simple DCC Sound installation - an MS581 fits nicely and we can use Dapol's clip-in speaker box for a 15x11mm StickyGasket speaker.

Works well enough, though the seal on those boxes is never as good as a hard seal.

Example 3: Better speaker, decent stay-alive

Kit: MS581G; SugarCurve9

For a little more effort, we remove the clip-in box and put in a SugarCurve9 speaker, contacting onto the same pads. This speaker is properly glued-sealed, so won't give any crackle. Just have to be careful with the position so the contacts line up properly.

Below we still have the MS581 from Example 2, so it is a simple neat solution.

Let's switch the MS581 for the 'G' version (MS581G) which is essentially the same sound decoder, but with wires preconnected for a pair of GoldCaps for stay-alive. The GoldCaps must be connected in series, and there is just space either side of the decoder for them. Carefully insulate and fix in with a small blob of BlackTack and this gives a few seconds of back-up time once fully charge. Certainly worth the little extra effort for the results.

The finished model - bravo Dapol!

Example 4: Factory-fit MS581 - add GoldCaps for stay-alive

Kit: Factory-fit MS581; 2x mini GoldCaps

This time we have a model that came factory-fitted with a Zimo MS581, and we are tasked with simply adding stay-alive, which we'll do with a pair of mini GoldCaps (0.3F type).

Add wires to the decoder for the stay-alive and join our pair of GoldCaps in series. We have a length of link wire between, as they'll need to sit one either side of the decoder.

This is actually rather a tight fit, and we end up with one GoldCap on the front/left of the decoder, and the other on the rear right - this just allows the body to be secured back down flush.

The GoldCaps make such a big difference though!

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.