Building a Custom iPod Video!

You might be familiar with the amazing modding scene around retro game consoles. Turns out, there's a similar cottage industry for classic iPods...and this time, we'll explore some of what it has to offer.

Sources and Links:

00:00 - Introduction
00:26 - iPod problems
02:54 - I bought some parts
06:00 - Take apart
09:33 - Removing the front panel
12:04 - Clickwheel replacement
14:50 - Front panel installation and problems
18:54 - Removing the battery and headphone jack
21:18 - Back panel installation
22:05 - Flash storage options
25:42 - Battery considerations
28:36 - Does it work?
28:59 - Plastic wrap ASMR
29:18 - I talk too much, sorry :-(

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[spoon]

My 5th gen. 60GB that I bought new in '05 is now on it's 4th battery and has 512GB of SD-card storage. Still an amazing device!

[shadowcore]

Note: flash storage consumes less power than a mechanical drive too

[EyeForKnowledge.]

I bought the 7th gen 160gb back in 2013. I had iPhones that I used mainly for my music consumption and basically left this iPod in the box all these years for “just in case”. I recently got into IEM’s and am soooo glad I never touched this iPod. I kept cycling the battery through the years. Once every couple months I’d run it halfway or fully out then recharge. So I have an essentially brand new iPod without a scratch on it ready to rock. But since I have such an extensive library, I’m thinking of going with the iflash quad with 1TB. This looks super simple. And all I’ll need is the battery and flash drive/micro sd’s. I know the 7th gen is much harder to open but looking at the videos from EOE, it doesn’t look hard at all. Very cool that we can do this and keep alive an extremely capable music player. In a world where tech is progressing so quickly, that we are throwing so much stuff away, this is certainly a breath of fresh air.

[RyandBurtson]

I got super into iPod modding during the pandemic. Got me a couple of these 5.5 gens and even an iPod Mini 2nd Gen that I’ve got upgrade to handle loads of music. I love these things man!

[PotatoFi]

Super handy to see one come apart. I have a 5th gen here with a dead battery that needs to be replaced at some point.

[the_beefy]

I remember buying one of these brand new and then modding in an iFlash adapter with a 32GB CF card. It made it so much better since it never needed to park a HDD head and pause your music. This device was possibly also responsible for my first patch contribution to an open source software, as I needed to patch RockBox to get it to run correctly on the iFlashified device.

[JDeez]

I was 14 in highschool when i bought my ipod video 30gb. I had long hair with bose earbuds that never left my ear. I listened to music from 730am until at least 4pm where i would listen from my pc. It was revolutionary. Before i had a 512mb mp3 player i spent $200 on that could barely hold 50 songs. Back in the limewire days i had over 20, 000 songs on it and a few movies. The movies were really quirky. I got really into ipod software modding at the time as jailbreaking was a new thing. Funny enough i was big into myspace modding too. I ended up teaching a friend how to mod and he went heavy into it, and now works in silicon valley. Im currently building a 2004 era alienware predator 1 case and thought the old ipod video would match the aesthetic perfectly, and sent me down this rabbit hole of modding. My front panel is cracked exactly the same, the screws are missing, the hold button ribbon cable is ripped and the centre button is missing. I had to replace the screen and the battery way back in around 2007, but its sat in a drawer since. Im excited to bring it back to life with some upgrades! The nostalgia is REAL. I wont be replacing the rear chrome cause i remember getting it brand new and the first scratch.

[tobiasschenkel]

Wow, that turned out so well! The blue back with the shiny new white front... it's a thing of beauty! Awesome video as always!

[jonnyive]

Here's a quick tip, for the double-sided tape you could use isopropyl alcohol and that'll free it up a little bit. I hope this helps somebody out there 👍👍

[MrNineties]

I believe that second ribbon on the wheel is fused to the frame because of the piezoelectric properties of the wheel but that is just a hypothesis! Loved to see this. Used these for years and miss this era dearly.

[VENM]

Man I miss those ipod controls, felt so quirky but it worked. Im surprised modern consoles didnt try using that for a scroll effect for menus or inventory.

[TheNerdVoice]

iPod 5th gen was my very first iPod, I got it for Christmas while I was in high school (now I'm just aging myself). They're SUPER easy to mod, both cosmetically and internally. I now collect iPods of different sorts, but I STILL have my first one. Still works just as well as it did the day I got it.

[alistairblaire]

Great timing, I've been into Gameboy modding and I got the itch again so I picked up a couple iPods for modding purposes last week.

[liquid]

the only thing to add to the ipod is 'Rockbox', which is 100% compatible with video and classic editions. Much better than the standard os and you can drag music and itunes is not needed at all, and has a dazzling array of features, for me the custom equalizer is gold. Would make nice content on your channel too.

One thing to note about the anodised coloured back covers, that colour is microns thick, scratches very easily and will look a trainwreck in no time if not really handled well. One way to increase the protection is to spray lacquer the back cover.

Great video to show those interested, I have had mine custom for years now and it's nothing but a win on all counts for those on the fence.

[Macraig_]

iPod Video was my first iPod, I loved it! Fond memories of ripping my own DVDs and putting them through FFmpeg just to get them to sync on iTunes :D I kept mine in a carry case and it got back scratches, they were just inevitable. Thanks for the trip through memory lane.

[disrupt]

Yay! I've been watching your other iPod videos and just received my 128gb 5th gen Classic from EOE.

[anon_y_mousse]

This is pretty cool, and I didn't know they made after market parts for ipods. I guess by now I should just assume everything has an after market. I'd like to see you build a fully custom portable music player, maybe using a Pi ZeroW and bang some sheet metal into shape to make the case. As for the multi-color on the back side of that metal piece, it's because they heat treated it to get the color. Really neat.

[techman]

Never owned any iPod, but now in a better situation, I can afford to buy and restore one of these gems! Thanks for the quality videos you have put out over the years.

[alfredthegreat]

I have 2 one 80gb and new one 128gb love both, they are so sturdy and reliable, whenever the SHTF. People will wish they had one

[abel.cecchi]

exactly what i was looking for. i have the same gen ipod with the same damage just worse and i didn't know how to fix it up. thank you! good video