N Scale SD70 LokSound Install - Suggestions?

[SantaFebuff]

G'day All,

This is my first post here, and I thought I'd start things off proper. I am trying my hand at N scale sound installs after looking over some threads here it seems like it'll be a fun detailed project. I just purchased an Athearn N Scale Illinois Central SD70 and am considering using a LokSound Select Direct Micro with the through-hole LEDs on board as a decoder. Obviously the speaker will be a bit of fun to find a good spot for, but my question is this...

Has anyone attempted an install on these version 4 units before? Is it a good match to use the Direct Micro (item 73100) for this chassis? From basic measurements and matching it seems like a good choice. I just want to be sure before I purchase. I have plenty of other narrow EMD locomotives I could use the decoder on, but the SD70 is new and seems very basic so I wanted to start with that. Before you ask, YES, I am crazy.

I hope to learn a lot here, I just got my DCC system and I have a bunch of N scale DC locos to bring up to date with Sound N' DCC.

Cheers,
- Joshua

[Steveruger45]

Hi and welcome,
I haven’t got any Athearn locos but Attached are the dimensions of these decoders.
 Which should assist you to work it out. A pair of vernier calipers will help with working out the install.
You don’t have to but if you want to Install keep alive capacitors this may be a problem for you on the 73100 although another member, namely Peteski, whom I regard with great esteem, is working on showing us all where to attach the positive and negative wires on this decoder. 
Come on Pete.
 He already did this for the 73199 and I have actually put his great detective work into practice on a couple of installs and it works really well.
You may also want to consider also the hard wire select micro 73800 iirc.  This is 10.6mm wide and sometimes needs some creative work to get it into the loco.
Pls let us all know how your venture into installing sound goes.
Hope this helps