The REAL Perfect Bluetooth iPod Classic

A guide on how to build your very own Bluetooth iPod Classic. This guide should work with both the 5.5, and 6th/7th generation iPod Classic.

Required Parts and Tools:

Kapton Tape

Electrical Tape

Micro Soldering Equipment

0.26mm Coated Copper Wire

Dremmel (Rotary Cutting Tool)

Hot Glue Gun

Electronic Tool Set

Q/A
"How Long does the Battery Last?": Expect over a week of continuous playback, approximately 48 hours with the Display turned on.

"Will this work with my Airpods?": Yes, I've tested with my Airpods Pro and the iPod works just like any other Bluetooth Device.

"I Can't Connect my Bluetooth device to my iPod anymore, what do I do?": You might need to reset your Bluetooth Module. Do this by turning it off, waiting a couple seconds and then switching it to RX mode. Then turn it on and off again, wait a couple more seconds and switch it back to TX mode. (You will need to open your iPod to do this)

"What sort of Bluetooth Range should I expect from my iPod?": Provided you cut a hole into the metal display separator (As shown in the video) you should get at least 1-3 meters depending on what position the iPod is in. Depending on its orientation the signal can get occluded, leading to audio dropouts. In real life use, dropouts are negligible and rarely interrupt the listening experience. Expect even better range on the 5.5g iPod due to its poly-carbonate housing.

Music Used:

Study And Relax by Kevin MacLeod

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

LAKEY INSPIRED - Better Days

LAKEY INSPIRED - The Process

Backbay Lounge by Kevin MacLeod

Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod

Apero Hour by Kevin MacLeod

Eternity by Kevin MacLeod

Ghost'n'Ghost - Melancholy

[bibasik]

Cool mod, but there are a few notes I'd like to make:

1. The 7th generation iPod Classic uses a Cirrus DAC, whereas the 5th generation uses as Wolfson DAC. Most audiophiles agree that the Wolfson DAC sounds better.
2. The 5th generation iPod doesn't have that metal shield behind the display, and its faceplate is plastic, so you wouldn't have to cut out that little rectangle if you used a 5th generation.

Additional notes:
If you get a 5th generation iPod, make sure to get the 80gb version. The 30gb iPods have 32MB of RAM, while the 60/80gb have 64MB of RAM. This allows you to put as many tracks on it as you can on your 7th generation, while the 30gb iPods can only have half as many tracks loaded at once. The 80gb is the 5.5 gen, while the 60gb is the 5.0 gen, so that's why you should get the 80gb.

[Pendleton]

So, before you comment. Yes... The copper wire is insulated and won’t short out the iPod. It’s thin enameled copper wire made for motor windings. I feel the need to pin this here since a growing number of you keep commenting about the wire.
Cheers!

[Wacypro]

I bet you could sell these for a ton. There's a real demand for Bluetooth iPods.

[kairon]

It's amazing to see old devices like this able to be updated and even understand it's storage is many times more than what it was designed to have.

[LionZion]

I have never been so satisfied with just playing a repair video out of curiosity and be so entertained by it.
Earned a sub here.

[tylerlhotta]

I knew I had shaky hands, but this project TESTED my patience. You made it look so easy haha! Thanks for the tutorial, love the product.

[thelegendarybroccoli]

DankPods aint gonna be happy about whos been in that iPod lmao jk

[shrekboi]

Thank you so much, I loosely followed your tutorial but used a different bt board and pulled the audio straight from the motherboard. I got it working! So now it's a thick, transparent, 256gb iflashed, 3000mah, transparent, bt modded 5.5 gen ipod. Thank you (Update, I now have the same board as in the video in the iPod and it sounds way better and has a lot better range and no static. Thank you again.)

[nidzdotnet]

Bluetooth module in ipod is genius. Apple need to take note and re-launch the ipod with FLAC and max storage capability as well as BT5. They could market this at Car Audio users who need to dock it in the car. Apple could sell a car docking kit as well.

[phoneguy]

Honestly this is would be a good idea what a iPod classic pro would be like in 2016 if they had not discontinued it. And this is probably one of the most polished iPod mods as your not losing functionality or making it look different, just a sick look

[xboxer]

Hi Pendleton, I was able to do this mod using your wiring guide! Soldering into the battery connectors is TOUGH and I actually shorted one motherboard by bridging connections.
Alternatively, anyone doing this for themselves can solder into the second black (or yellow) capacitor right above that battery connector, which has a much larger solder pad. I chose to and the only caveat is that bluetooth module cannot be turned on independent of the ipod. There's no use case where I would do this anyway so it's perfect.

[Kolby]

I just purchased a NIB 7th Gen. I’m really excited to mod it! It will be my deployment iPod with great battery life for long flights and can store some movies, music, and pictures for big trips(: Hats off to you brother. The pairing switch is ingenious

[gregx]

I don't own any iPods (well, one Shuffle, lost somewhere) and don't really have interest in modding one, but this video held my attention quite well! Glad to see that the modification is fairly straightforward for someone with electronics hardware technical skills and know-how!

[ericschmidt]

This is such a great project. After market large capacity iPod batteries are no joke. My 5th gen iPod with ssd and large capacity battery last weeks on a charge.

[adetoye]

I can't stop watching this beautiful innovative re-design of an iPod Classic. It is for the genius mind and brains.

[chrislewis]

I've bought a few parts from Christopher before - he was so helpful and really went above and beyond. Great video - been looking for ages to see if someone had done this, can't wait to give it a go myself.

[SalvoDan]

That Bose is rubbish compared to the DankPods/EFM Toledo.
‘Battery 70% 🤖’
“bluetooth mode 😘”

[spragzpc]

I ordered all the parts to get this mod done..with the extra space on the iflash they themselves can incorporate a BT 5.0 module & make a ribbon cable splitter for power🔋 & audio..all we would need to do is add our own button 🤔

[rafaelcarmona]

That was absolutely phenomenal Sir. After that Posting, I am now 100% ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that I will never be able to have Bluetooth capability, on my 1TB, 7Th Gen, 3000 Mah Ipod. I Guess the cords gonna be as good as it gets for me. Nevertheless, thank you for the Posting Sir.

[avaviel]

Great work!

One tip, don't brush with solder. That can lead to cold solder joints that break.