The Apple diyMod: My Take on the Famous iMod [56k killer] Featuring 3G, 4G, 5G and nano 1G!

[ruZZ.il]

Originally Posted by mbarry

Thanks for the info. So pins 7, 14, and 17 are unused by anything correct?, or are they just unknown? And if I solder the wires onto 14, and 17, it would not affect the original functionality whatsoever (Docking speakers, data transfer etc) right? Thanks again.

I can only speak from my experience, where pins 14 and 17 were unused in a second gen ipod nano. soldering signal lines to them didn't effect any functionality that I knew of and my mod worked perfectly. Although, I did end up melting a bit of my clickwheel ribbon connector, which still worked for a while, then clunked out. with specific precaution, or possibly more space to work with, you may have better luck

[mbarry]

Hello again. I have some Caps from an old Portable DVD Player, I don't know if these are any good for an DiyMod. Can you guys tell me if they are adequate?

List of Capacitors:
Brownish "Sammi": 50V 1uF, 16V 10uF, 16V 100uF, 16V 47uF, and a 16V 4.7uF.

Purplish "Samxon": 16V 220uF

Black "Samcon": 10V 470 uF, and a 10V 100 uF

Thanks.

[mbarry]

Originally Posted by ruZZ.il

I can only speak from my experience, where pins 14 and 17 were unused in a second gen ipod nano. soldering signal lines to them didn't effect any functionality that I knew of and my mod worked perfectly. Although, I did end up melting a bit of my clickwheel ribbon connector, which still worked for a while, then clunked out. with specific precaution, or possibly more space to work with, you may have better luck

Thanks. If the pins are unused then I'm wondering why there are things soldered onto them.

[joneeboi]

All those capacitors are within spec. Just make sure you have enough for both channels. Find the setup that sounds best and you're set.

[mbarry]

Originally Posted by joneeboi

All those capacitors are within spec. Just make sure you have enough for both channels. Find the setup that sounds best and you're set.

Will Caps with a higher uF rating sound better, or is it preference? Because I am sure that I can fit the 10V 100uF Samcons into the iPod casing itself. Also is there a difference in SQ if I use different color Caps, the Black Samcons seem to have more capacitance while keeping the size small, while the brown caps seem to be able to handle a lot of voltage, but very little capacitance.

[joneeboi]

It comes down to preference, but, to a relative point, larger is better. The spirit of the mod comes from the bass-rolloff problems many have complained about in the iPod, and we "technical-types" can attribute that to undersized caps. With resistance constant, more capacitance means bass rolls off at a lower frequency, thus solving (at least, in part) the problem of bass roll-off. For me, I could somehow detect the difference between 22 uF and 47 uF, and I preferred the 47s. You must also keep in mind that capacitance and voltage rating aren't the only parameters that affect the sound (think ESR, build quality, tolerance, etc.). That's why you should judge by the sound each capacitor gives you.

And colour has very little sound effect except for the imagined.

[mbarry]

Originally Posted by joneeboi

It comes down to preference, but, to a relative point, larger is better. The spirit of the mod comes from the bass-rolloff problems many have complained about in the iPod, and we "technical-types" can attribute that to undersized caps. With resistance constant, more capacitance means bass rolls off at a lower frequency, thus solving (at least, in part) the problem of bass roll-off. For me, I could somehow detect the difference between 22 uF and 47 uF, and I preferred the 47s. You must also keep in mind that capacitance and voltage rating aren't the only parameters that affect the sound (think ESR, build quality, tolerance, etc.). That's why you should judge by the sound each capacitor gives you.

And colour has very little sound effect except for the imagined.

I have 1 last question, so if I do manage to put the Caps into the iPod itself, I can use docking speakers correct?, but isn't there more that we are bypassing by doing the DiyMod? Red Wine Audio says there are more components than Capacitors. They say there are resistors, and a whole lot of other things.

Thanks a lot for all your patience and eagerness to help. I'll be sure to post Pictures if I do get around to performing the DiyMod (Most likely the next time I have to replace a part).

[joneeboi]

You can use docking speakers if the diyMod has internal capacitors. By replacing the other components from the signal path with just the capacitor, you are changing the circuitry quite a bit, but it's still a usable signal. The other elements modify the signal in some way, but to us, they only "contaminate" the sound in the sense that the signal can be cleaner by using better parts. Apple probably implemented some sort of filter after the DAC, but its nature I do not know. On the iPod 5G, I read 100 ohms between the DAC and the L2/L3 positions. So there is some sort of RLC filter going on, I just don't know what kind; I probably learned this in class, but it's been so long .

In short, yes, we are going around more components, but I don't know how that's supposed to affect the diyMod's compatibility with docking speakers though. Perhaps you can clarify what's confusing you as I'm kind of fuzzy on what you're really asking.

[joneeboi]

Hey, check it out, we're on TV!

The diyMod: Ultimate Audio or a Dead iPod — Systm — Revision3

edit: This video is really good for beginners. Highly recommended.

[mbarry]

That's a great podcast to download (Although they do get sidetracked very often.) . They do many fun projects, such as a Diy Potato gun, or a Diy waterproof flash drive.

[ruZZ.il]

WOOHOO respect dude! started by joneeboi!


P.S. anyone need a diyDock?

[funch]

I just got a 4G Photo from the 'For Sale' forums, and am planning on doing the mod. The only pic I can find is on page 1. All the others have been deleted . That pic shows where to pic up the signal.

I have a couple of questions: Looking at the pic, do I connect to the top or bottom of each cap? I would like to keep the 'phone out intact (I'm connecting through the dock), so can I leave the cap's in place?

Thanks.

[joneeboi]

With respect to the image of the 4G photo, you take the signal from the top of the R and the bottom of the L. There are two signals, one that goes to the headphone whose volume is controlled by the click wheel and one that has a constant volume that goes to the dock. If you remove those resistors, then you will still get the signal to the headphone jack.

[funch]

OK, thanks.

[cfcubed]

Originally Posted by joneeboi

Hey, check it out, we're on TV!
The diyMod: Ultimate Audio or a Dead iPod — Systm — Revision3
edit: This video is really good for beginners. Highly recommended.

Hey, joneeboi thanks for posting that! I skipped around, but agree - great vid for anyone considering the mod. It really shows what a train wreck one can be in for, IOW making the case for paying for a true RWA iMod or some other sort of service like one I just stumbled upon if one is not really up for it.

My 3G is running very solid but I *may* go the external cap route with it someday... Perhaps putting an itty, bitty 4-conductor socket in the top to roll caps (& effectively disconnect dock connector lineout when no caps present to avoid the DC offset bit).