5 ms·

The iPod classics are also wonderful single purpose devices that last a long time, and are quite upgradable. The software is much simpler than an iOS device, an

The iPod classics are also wonderful single purpose devices that last a long time, and are quite upgradable. The software is much simpler than an iOS device, and can be changed to the open source Rockbox. You can replace nearly all the older components with cheap Chinese parts eg shiny new outer case, higher capacity battery. Then add a new circuit board so the iPod can use high capacity micro SD cards instead of the original hard drive. The result is all the advantages of the original iPod, with more storage capacity and insanely good battery life.

smallhands 7y ago
please give us detail on how to achieve this.i have an old ipod that i will love to use again.
- patrickk 7y ago
  Hey sure. I am delighted with how my project turned out, an old iPod is fantastic in the car, gym, while travelling without data allowance etc. I hadn't modded an iPod before this and it worked out ok. This has some details: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/86q47c/i_revived_an_old_ipod_classic_6th_generation_3k/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/86q47c/i_revived_an_ol... Get an iPod classic, 5.5 gen if possiible (best DAC, for a nice warm sound)[1] A broken one, as long as it's not totally physically destroyed, is one way to go from ebay. Get an offical iFlash device, I got the Quad with slots for up to 4 SD cards [2] Get some large capacity micro SD cards (x4 slots in the Quad, meaning several TBs are possible, for relatively cheap as the cards are getting cheaper by the day) Upgrade the battery, if desired, optional but highly recommended [3] Replace the front + back covers, clickwheel, screen as desired (pay attention to thin and thick back covers) [4] For instructions on opening the case correctly, and replacing the parts, look on Youtube there's a bunch of decent videos explaining the process. Look into installing rockbox[5], an open source firmware. It supports loads of audio formats and let's you escape the cluthes of itunes, to a much nicer application like Musicbee. WARNING for some reason, rockbox never worked correctly with my iPod 5.5 gen. I reinstalled several times, but songs would constantly skip while playing, even though they were fine on any other device. Therefore, I wiped rockbox again back to the Apple factory firmware, and everything works fine. I even figured out a way to sync Musicbee with the default Apple firmware. If you really want to go nuts, you can install a bluetooth transmittor inside the newly freed up iPod case[6] I read though that the bluetooth has limited range inside the metal case, and it runs the battery down much more quickly. [1] https://macintoshhowto.com/ipod/which-ipod-has-the-best-audio-quality.html https://macintoshhowto.com/ipod/which-ipod-has-the-best-audi... [2] https://www.iflash.xyz/ https://www.iflash.xyz/ [3] https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190421103138&SearchText=ipod+battery https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=S...] [4] (note these links are random examples, pay attention to the ipod generation you wish to purchase for) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Thick-Metal-Back-Housing-Case-Cover-Audio-Jack-Hold-Switch-Flex-Bottom-Bezel-for-iPod/32844995560.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.9.6a8e744bPwh749&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=eb0913a0-8975-4ade-a77e-ff21a485a714-1&algo_pvid=eb0913a0-8975-4ade-a77e-ff21a485a714&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Thick-Metal-Back-Hous... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Black-Front-Faceplate-Housing-Case-Cover-Lens-Clickwheel-Central-Button-for-iPod-6th-7th-gen/32838054832.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.23.6941559eModHaB&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=0d351fb8-174e-49ea-ba3b-f7004d130424-3&algo_pvid=0d351fb8-174e-49ea-ba3b-f7004d130424&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Black-Front-Faceplate... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Click-Wheel-Key-Button-Replacement-Clickwheel-Flex-Ribbon-Cable-For-iPod-Classic-6th-7th-gen-80GB/32970935331.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.91.69953b53przRvK&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=66a81c29-c223-4346-95c4-eb0fe23d5c9b-13&algo_pvid=66a81c29-c223-4346-95c4-eb0fe23d5c9b&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Click-Wheel-Key-Button-Repla... [5] https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/ [6] https://www.instructables.com/id/Mod-Your-5G-Video-iPod-With-Internal-Bluetooth/ https://www.instructables.com/id/Mod-Your-5G-Video-iPod-With...
justwalt 7y ago
Wow, I had never heard about this. That’s really cool!
soulofmischief 7y ago
Plus, ya know, Rockbox. Hands down the best mobile music listening experience there is.
- Abishek_Muthian 7y ago
  I had a original iPod nano, in which I used Rockbox; but Apple freely replaced it for 6th Gen nano after several years due to battery issue in the former. 6th Gen doesn't support Rockbox.
  - johnnycab 7y ago
    >Apple freely replaced it for 6th Gen nano after several years due to battery issue in the former. My iPod Nano was similarly replaced with a 6G version. However, I also received a cheque for $5 approx. in lieu of an earlier class action lawsuit, which I never banked and still have it somewhere. https://www.cultofmac.com/166069/bought-an-ipod-between-2006-and-2009-youre-now-part-of-a-class-action-lawsuit-against-apple/ https://www.cultofmac.com/166069/bought-an-ipod-between-2006...
    - Abishek_Muthian 7y ago
      Interesting. I'm in India, I think Apple pre-emptively replaced the iPod to prevent it from blowing up (I appreciate it); where as the other benefits from class action suit could be US specific.
- squarefoot 7y ago
  Seconded, I have it on a couple old players and love it so much. Most supported players are getting old and hard to find though, so I would welcome a port to other platforms, say a bare metal install on a Nano or Orange PI or even shrinking it to fit on smaller MCUs like the esp32, that is, no tools or games, just what it needs to play music through an external DAC (the Odroid GO once fitted with DAC and phones jack could become a really nice option).
  - 7y ago
justinplouffe 7y ago
I’m in the middle of a project exactly like this one. I purchased a used 5th generation iPod video from eBay and I’m in the process of replacing every external facing part on it. The hard drive is also getting swapped for an sd card and the battery upgraded to a ridiculous 3000mAh which is supposed to give it 150+ hours of music playback on a charge. The aftermarket parts are so good that you can get a back case with 128/256/512gb engraved on it instead of the original sizes.
- Answerawake 7y ago
  Can you give me some more info on where to find these parts or more info on what I can mod? I have an iPod Classic 4th gen. I have replaced the hdd with an aftermarket adapter. I also got a new battery from ifixit and it barely holds a charge for 5 hours. Also the case is pretty scuffed up so i'd like to replace that as well. Do you know when I can find a super battery for this as well as replacement case parts? Are there any upgrades I can do to the screen?
  - patrickk 7y ago
    Check out the resources I posted in another comment. I got all the replacement parts from Aliexpress, takes ages but worked just fine. Message the sellers to make sure you get the correct parts for your 4th gen.
- phyalow 7y ago
  I did the same thing a few years ago and still use it daily: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ultimate-ipod-classic-7-5-gold-256gb.1869617/ https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ultimate-ipod-classic-7... - basically it became the one infinite loop version of the ship of Theseus.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
lozenge 7y ago
The Rockbox interface was pretty bad when I used it - it didn't have the smoothness or good rendering of the official iPod interface, although maybe I just configured it wrong?
- patrickk 7y ago
  Ya it's pretty rough compared to the default Apple UI. The downside of using the default Apple firmware is that you're tied to iTunes, which is awful. The last time I added a bunch of new songs it took multiple tries to even scan the new files and show up in iTunes so I could sync with the iPod.

smallhands 7y ago

please give us detail on how to achieve this.i have an old ipod that i will love to use again.

patrickk 7y ago
Hey sure. I am delighted with how my project turned out, an old iPod is fantastic in the car, gym, while travelling without data allowance etc. I hadn't modded an iPod before this and it worked out ok. This has some details: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/86q47c/i_revived_an_old_ipod_classic_6th_generation_3k/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/86q47c/i_revived_an_ol... Get an iPod classic, 5.5 gen if possiible (best DAC, for a nice warm sound)[1] A broken one, as long as it's not totally physically destroyed, is one way to go from ebay. Get an offical iFlash device, I got the Quad with slots for up to 4 SD cards [2] Get some large capacity micro SD cards (x4 slots in the Quad, meaning several TBs are possible, for relatively cheap as the cards are getting cheaper by the day) Upgrade the battery, if desired, optional but highly recommended [3] Replace the front + back covers, clickwheel, screen as desired (pay attention to thin and thick back covers) [4] For instructions on opening the case correctly, and replacing the parts, look on Youtube there's a bunch of decent videos explaining the process. Look into installing rockbox[5], an open source firmware. It supports loads of audio formats and let's you escape the cluthes of itunes, to a much nicer application like Musicbee. WARNING for some reason, rockbox never worked correctly with my iPod 5.5 gen. I reinstalled several times, but songs would constantly skip while playing, even though they were fine on any other device. Therefore, I wiped rockbox again back to the Apple factory firmware, and everything works fine. I even figured out a way to sync Musicbee with the default Apple firmware. If you really want to go nuts, you can install a bluetooth transmittor inside the newly freed up iPod case[6] I read though that the bluetooth has limited range inside the metal case, and it runs the battery down much more quickly. [1] https://macintoshhowto.com/ipod/which-ipod-has-the-best-audio-quality.html https://macintoshhowto.com/ipod/which-ipod-has-the-best-audi... [2] https://www.iflash.xyz/ https://www.iflash.xyz/ [3] https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190421103138&SearchText=ipod+battery https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=S...] [4] (note these links are random examples, pay attention to the ipod generation you wish to purchase for) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Thick-Metal-Back-Housing-Case-Cover-Audio-Jack-Hold-Switch-Flex-Bottom-Bezel-for-iPod/32844995560.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.9.6a8e744bPwh749&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=eb0913a0-8975-4ade-a77e-ff21a485a714-1&algo_pvid=eb0913a0-8975-4ade-a77e-ff21a485a714&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Thick-Metal-Back-Hous... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Black-Front-Faceplate-Housing-Case-Cover-Lens-Clickwheel-Central-Button-for-iPod-6th-7th-gen/32838054832.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.23.6941559eModHaB&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=0d351fb8-174e-49ea-ba3b-f7004d130424-3&algo_pvid=0d351fb8-174e-49ea-ba3b-f7004d130424&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Onjess-Black-Front-Faceplate... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Click-Wheel-Key-Button-Replacement-Clickwheel-Flex-Ribbon-Cable-For-iPod-Classic-6th-7th-gen-80GB/32970935331.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.91.69953b53przRvK&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10547_319_317_10548_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_90,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=66a81c29-c223-4346-95c4-eb0fe23d5c9b-13&algo_pvid=66a81c29-c223-4346-95c4-eb0fe23d5c9b&transAbTest=ae803_5 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Click-Wheel-Key-Button-Repla... [5] https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/ [6] https://www.instructables.com/id/Mod-Your-5G-Video-iPod-With-Internal-Bluetooth/ https://www.instructables.com/id/Mod-Your-5G-Video-iPod-With...

justwalt 7y ago

Wow, I had never heard about this. That’s really cool!

soulofmischief 7y ago

Plus, ya know, Rockbox. Hands down the best mobile music listening experience there is.

Abishek_Muthian 7y ago
I had a original iPod nano, in which I used Rockbox; but Apple freely replaced it for 6th Gen nano after several years due to battery issue in the former. 6th Gen doesn't support Rockbox.
- johnnycab 7y ago
  >Apple freely replaced it for 6th Gen nano after several years due to battery issue in the former. My iPod Nano was similarly replaced with a 6G version. However, I also received a cheque for $5 approx. in lieu of an earlier class action lawsuit, which I never banked and still have it somewhere. https://www.cultofmac.com/166069/bought-an-ipod-between-2006-and-2009-youre-now-part-of-a-class-action-lawsuit-against-apple/ https://www.cultofmac.com/166069/bought-an-ipod-between-2006...
  - Abishek_Muthian 7y ago
    Interesting. I'm in India, I think Apple pre-emptively replaced the iPod to prevent it from blowing up (I appreciate it); where as the other benefits from class action suit could be US specific.
squarefoot 7y ago
Seconded, I have it on a couple old players and love it so much. Most supported players are getting old and hard to find though, so I would welcome a port to other platforms, say a bare metal install on a Nano or Orange PI or even shrinking it to fit on smaller MCUs like the esp32, that is, no tools or games, just what it needs to play music through an external DAC (the Odroid GO once fitted with DAC and phones jack could become a really nice option).
- 7y ago

justinplouffe 7y ago

I’m in the middle of a project exactly like this one. I purchased a used 5th generation iPod video from eBay and I’m in the process of replacing every external facing part on it. The hard drive is also getting swapped for an sd card and the battery upgraded to a ridiculous 3000mAh which is supposed to give it 150+ hours of music playback on a charge. The aftermarket parts are so good that you can get a back case with 128/256/512gb engraved on it instead of the original sizes.

Answerawake 7y ago
Can you give me some more info on where to find these parts or more info on what I can mod? I have an iPod Classic 4th gen. I have replaced the hdd with an aftermarket adapter. I also got a new battery from ifixit and it barely holds a charge for 5 hours. Also the case is pretty scuffed up so i'd like to replace that as well. Do you know when I can find a super battery for this as well as replacement case parts? Are there any upgrades I can do to the screen?
- patrickk 7y ago
  Check out the resources I posted in another comment. I got all the replacement parts from Aliexpress, takes ages but worked just fine. Message the sellers to make sure you get the correct parts for your 4th gen.
phyalow 7y ago
I did the same thing a few years ago and still use it daily: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ultimate-ipod-classic-7-5-gold-256gb.1869617/ https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ultimate-ipod-classic-7... - basically it became the one infinite loop version of the ship of Theseus.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

lozenge 7y ago

The Rockbox interface was pretty bad when I used it - it didn't have the smoothness or good rendering of the official iPod interface, although maybe I just configured it wrong?

patrickk 7y ago
Ya it's pretty rough compared to the default Apple UI. The downside of using the default Apple firmware is that you're tied to iTunes, which is awful. The last time I added a bunch of new songs it took multiple tries to even scan the new files and show up in iTunes so I could sync with the iPod.