Hot Rodding an iPod

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I found this site when I got my sister's old iPod Mini about a year ago and figured I would share it. I want to build my own version of this guy's project, but don't want to screw up my almost mint iPod, so I am searching Ebay for broken ones I can experiment on. Basically, you can eliminate iTunes (run it off Linux), upgrade the hard drive, and extend the battery life. I want to paint one to match my Cutlass' new paint job and use it in that car so that I can sync 2 iPods (I would keep iTunes) and have one for my beater and one for my Cutlass. Anyhow, I'll post the link for anyone who wants to check it out.
http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/753/how-to-turn-your-ipod-mini-into-a-flash-based-ipod

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

hmm... thats perty cool! I would like to paint mine get like a pint of HOK paint and paint it like that.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

HOK is not cheap tho... I just bought a half pint of silver base in Diamont ( high end, but not as $$ as HOK) and it cost me $25. You could try to get some mismatch paint at a discount.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I just won a broken iPod Nano 2g for $3.25 on Ebay. I will see how hard it is to take apart and fix before I try to build a hacked one. Supposedly it has a broken screen and does not turn on, so this may be interesting. Screens are like $10, so I won't spend that kind of money unless the motherboard is good. It's pink too, so paint WILL be in order...:lol:. I will post my progress here for anyone who is interested to follow.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Bought another one that was less broken for $20. It's a silver iPod Mini, which can be upgraded with a Compact Flash card and more memory. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas! Hurry up and ship! 😀

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Got the hot pink Nano in the mail today, and it was better than expected. iTunes recognizes it, the display lights up, it makes the click noise with the wheel, etc. Just has a broken screen, which I ordered out of Hong Kong on Monday or Tuesday for $13-shipped. I already have it dismantled using instructions I found on the net, including an instructional video I found on Youtube. I did have to buy a ultra small set of screwdrivers from Radio Shack as my precision set did not have a #00 Phillips. With any luck, the Mini will come in the next day or two so that I can prep it to paint with the body of my Cutlass. I have, of course, taken pictures of the process to document it for myself and post online. When I finish it and it works, I will post them here.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Even more interesting hack-stuff to post. The iPod I got had 2 gigs of music on it, but synching it with my iTunes would have erased it all. So, I found a program called "Yamipod" which looks like it will allow me to download the files to my laptop. I am a bit afraid to try it though as it may screw up my good files. Plus, this thing has a weird selection of stuff, too much of it country.

 

[78mali350]

sounds really intereseting. do you really have to be electronically inclined to pull this off or not necessarily?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

sounds really intereseting. do you really have to be electronically inclined to pull this off or not necessarily?

It's all remove and replace operations really. So far, I have needed super small screwdrivers, and a razor blade to gut the thing and remove the broken screen. I was supposed to have a "Spudger", but lo....my toolbox came up lacking. This made me sad. :sad: I may just go buy a Spudger because I like tools with silly names. ( A spudger is a plastic pry tool) :lol: You just need to find a tutorial on how to dismantle the specific model you find as it is put together so tightly that you may miss a screw and end up ruining it. Don't worry though, it seems these things are hacked by lots of curious folks who post their findings online.

Some models require soldering to replace the battery, and in that case you need a $5 soldering iron from Harbor Freight. The Nano needs soldering, but the Mini does not. Minis use all mechanical connectors and sockets, so you just need to carefully unplug and replace. Also, the end caps and some components are held in with glue, but they come off with slow, careful prying or cutting of the glue.

I am one of those people who can fix pretty much anything if I can find the information on how they work, and have the right tool (except for the spudger...). However, even I would not gut a perfectly functioning iPod as they are very nice things to have and expensive. Happily though, they are available broken on Ebay cheaply. I bought the Nano with the bad screen just to have one to take apart and explore so that if I broke it, I would not be out anything of value. I probably would have been able to post it back on Ebay and get my money back. I only had $13 in it between shipping and purchase price. I also ordered the screen at that time ( again off Ebay for $13 shipped) so that if I could take it apart I would have a chance to see if I could succeed in making it work again.

If you want to try this, I suggest going on Ebay and looking for "broken iPod" as your search term. Watch the cheap ones, and bid on the ones that are very cheap with less than a minute to go ( under $10). Avoid the iPod Touch as it is junk, and cheap enough new to not be worth bothering with. Get one with a screen and preferrably one that turns on. If it syncs with iTunes too, that is a real plus since that pretty much means it just needs the clickwheel. Broken screens are also simple to fix as are batteries that won't charge. I just ordered a new battery for my Mini for $6 with shipping.

Here is a tutorial on battery replacement on a Mini, complete with video off Cnet.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11293_7-6378822-1.html?tag=nav

My next projects will be: fixing my Motorola Razr V3, followed by the continuing saga of my PS2. Both are posted all over the net by people who, unlike me, actually know what they are doing.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

And I received yet another $3.25 4gb iPod Nano today. I could not resist for the price, and besides, it's white unlike the others which are Blue, Pink or Silver. It's a 1st gen Nano which looks to need a battery as it only lets me plug it in to the laptop and let it charge ( so far) as it says it needs to be charged before use. The Battery is a solder in affair, and costs under $10. After shipping for both items I will have under $20 in it. It may replace the blue Mini in my truck because the color matches.

OK, it just turned on, and everything is in French! I wonder what kind of "Musique" is on it? :lol:

Well, no need for a battery as it had a new one in it. I had to resolder 4 nanoscopic connections on the PC board for the "Hold" switch which is all that was wrong. So, for less than an hour's work, and $13.25 I have a white iPod with 4 gigs of storage space that works perfectly. I think it weighs less than 2 ounces too.