The Apple diyMod: My Take on the Famous iMod [56k killer] Featuring 3G, 4G, 5G and nano 1G! - Page 95 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

suicidal_orange · #**1411** (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 05:58 PM

Thanks for the answer joneeboi, but I still don't get it. In a scale of 0-20Hz f=0.0677Hz (from the equation) sounds too good to be true. Unless even 50,000 input impedance is considered a light load? I'll read up on some amps to check

joneeboi · #**1412** (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 08:09 PM

Hey, that number still falls between the range, doesn't it? It is a bit overkill as some like to send the corner frequency to something "more reasonable" like 5 Hz or 17 Hz. It's up to you to decide how you like the way it sounds.

qusp · #**1413** (**permalink**) 09-28-2008, 10:46 AM

hey guys,

i'm planning on doing MY first DIYMOD this week; I just bought a 5/5G CF modded ipod and i'm gonna do it first. Ive been building LOD's for a while now and I learnt everything I know about soldering etc. from building radio controlled cars when I was younger. Of course now that i'm doing this stuff I also have some complimentary knowledge. The problem is though, that my maths isn't really up to scratch for working out the values for the caps. and unfortunately I dont have the spare $$$ to just keep buying high end caps until I find something I like.

Even though the 5.5G ipod has room inside for the caps thanks to the CF mod (with room to put the caps inside), I already have the appropriate blackgate DIYMOD LOD. I want the option to be able to also use a larger less portable capped dock like the VCAP dock L8R so the caps inside isn't ideal. Anyway from the research I've done so far; and also from chatting with stevekelby, I think I have decided to go with one of two options.
option 1: small value VCAP TFTF combined with a 3.3uf VOIP VCAP
option 2: small value VCAP TFTF with 3.3 or 4.7uf Mundorf Silver/gold/oil or silver/oil.

I'm going to be using this with a pico and SE530's[portable] and SENN HD.25's looking at getting either the ES2 or some dynasones soonish.

I like a lively/ meaty yet sparkly SQ I like detail but not at the expense of sounding cold and too analytical with bass extension being more important too me perhaps than treble extension. The pico already has a rep for having a really smooth and liquid HF but i'm a little worried that it will be too transparent for my tastes so the mundorf option appeals; at least on paper. I like my audio to be fairly balanced and 'right' sounding but perhaps a little more forward/chunky(is that an audiophile word? hehe) than truly transparent

the LOD's that i'm using will be DIY silver/gold in silk and DIY jena and cryo silver.

What I'm planning to do is do the DIYMOD (with cardas silver 33G) this week (you will probably hear from me again during I imagine LOL. and then audition steves TFTF VCAP and OIMP VCAP dock at the Sydney meet in a months time. in the mean time I will get a feel for the sound signature of the DIYMOD and its synergy with the pico, MY LOD's and current cans.

then I will revisit the choice and factors.

will my current experience be enough without screwing it up do you think? how much harder to solder is the pcb as opposed to say the pins in an LOD connector? I'm pretty confident I wont screw it up since i've got a steady hand and the actual process seems quite minimal once you have the ipod open. But I will make sure to fasten the wire with glue after each progressive joint.

possible problems could be that I only have a gas soldering iron with 1mm tips in conical and chisel. it does have limited temperature control but not with great accuracy. I like it for my current purposes but I wonder if it is fine/accurate enough?

So do I need to buy a second logic board incase I screw it up? or do you think I will be fine? Also I plan on being the first on here to actually do the 3G iphone mod, will this break the HP out like some mods? I'm going to do the ipod mod first because its going to take some big ca-hones to do the iphone

sorry for all the questions; from my experience at least as well as some choice words from steve, with the cap choice issue all the good science in the world cant tell you what it will sound like.

any help would be much appreciated

suicidal_orange · #**1414** (**permalink**) 09-28-2008, 03:08 PM

Hi qusp

I did my first mod the other day, using a 3mm chisel tip and ~22awg wire - neither are really made for the job! I had previously made a couple of LOD's and other cables, but nothing so small as this and I must say it was tricky and there is more fear of damage when doing pcb than a LOD. I resorted to putting my iron on full (about 400 C) and just going for it. Dead ipods are cheap enough on ebay so why not was my basic thought! I do have a working RWA imod though so wasn't really worried if it did go wrong. One thing to bear in mind is even if you do ruin it the headphone out will still work while you wait for a replacement board (it may not sound good, but better than nothing

)

If you have lots of soldering experience and a sensible tip size go for it, I'd expect it to go perfectly. If I can do it anyone can.

As you can see in this thread I too am undecided about the caps, so I won't offer any help on those. I'm getting some lower uf black gates as they are comparitively cheap to compare with the 47uf in my current LOD. I'll post some thoughts on them in a couple of weeks (I hate burn in time...) hopefully they will reveal something about the value if not the sound signature of different types.

Hayduke · #**1415** (**permalink**) 09-29-2008, 06:34 PM

qusp,

I wouldn't order another logic board until you actually ruin the one you have.

If you have successfully made a LOD, you should be able to do the mod OK. The pads you're soldering to are similar size to the pins in the connector. In fact, the pads might even be a little bigger. I'd say give it a try. What have you got to lose? The only reason you might want to consider ordering a new logic board is your deadline of wanting to be ready before the gathering near you. Maybe you could just find a source for the logic board and figure out how long it will take them to get it to you. Keep in mind you'll have to do the mod again with the new board.

qusp · #**1416** (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 04:00 AM

thanks for the replies guys; I think i'll be fine. The only mitigating factor is the added stress when you are working on something more precious than $3 dock connector. Although i'm working with some wire thats $2.50 per cm ATM so i'm no stranger to stress. I think i'll just have some 'dutch courage' and go for it. The build itself seems quite simple and as long as I remember to secure everything it should be AOK i'm using 33AWG cardas and quad euclidic so the materials are on my side.

Is it possible to mod both the line out and headphone out on the 5g because then I could put some blackgates inside for the headphone out and leave it without caps for the line out. that way I can use it with or without a capped dock. I could put caps inline with the HP out and leave them out of the line out signal.

as for the caps I think i'm just going to have to suck it and see.

cheers

Hayduke · #**1417** (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 05:20 AM

That sounds like it would work as long as you want to make your iPod only usable with an amp. Most folks like to maintain the headphone out for ultra portable use, but I think your idea is sound if you can live with the shortcomings (can't plug headphones in directly).

Another option would be to wire your modded line out to different pins. I was going to do this myself originally so I could compare the difference, but I decided it was easier to just use 2 iPods

You could make your own LOD (since you already know how) that uses the "special" pins and has the caps.

qusp · #**1418** (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayduke

That sounds like it would work as long as you want to make your iPod only usable with an amp. Most folks like to maintain the headphone out for ultra portable use, but I think your idea is sound if you can live with the shortcomings (can't plug headphones in directly).

Another option would be to wire your modded line out to different pins. I was going to do this myself originally so I could compare the difference, but I decided it was easier to just use 2 iPods

You could make your own LOD (since you already know how) that uses the "special" pins and has the caps.

yeah well I dont really mind about always needing an amp + LOD to use it. I only bought the ipod for this purpose. I already have an iPhone 3G and an old nano if it came to that. so for ultra portabl;e I've always got my phone with me anyways.

good idea about using different pins for the capped and non capped signal path. I think I'll follow through with that. less work that way I could just run the cardas to there and just have a split right near the dock.

cheers

MilkyWay · #**1419** (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 02:49 AM

Qusp, you won't be disappointed, I got joneeboi to do mine and it sounds absolutely stunning in my rig lossless MFSL/DCC->diymod->sonicap dock->mini3->K701

Stikk · #**1420** (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 11:00 AM

Hey everyone.

I'm planning to do a diyMod, my first one, if that helps, sometime in the next couple of weeks and I am looking for some suitable caps. The caps will be going inside and I'm going to convert it to CF (hopefully) so there should be plenty of room. I am a little concerned, though, I think I may have broken my click wheel when I removed the battery (which I am also upgrading) so I am wondering if anyone knows how to remove the click wheel? I have no idea how I would have broken it so maybe it's not broken, I don't know, so if anyone has any ideas on how I should test it, that would be good too..

So back to the caps.. I gather that 47uF non-polar (is that the same as bi-polar?) electrolytic caps and I am getting the impression they make a huge difference to the sound so I'm happy so spend a few bucks on them but apparently black gate have closed down or something and I can't find anywhere that makes ordering them easy.. I'm in Australia so if any other aussies could tell me where they got theirs from, that'd be really helpful :-)

Also I'm not finished reading it all yet but my iPod is a 4G iPod and I would love to find a step-by-step guide as to how to do this mod which I haven't found.. Anyone know where there is one or should I keep picking through this thread and work it out for myself?

suicidal_orange · #**1421** (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 01:40 PM

Stikk: All the links you need to do the mod are in the first post - there is no need to pick through the 100+ pages. Remove the caps specified (or match the pics) and attach the wires instead. It's not complicated, but is quite hard if that makes sense.

The only missing thing from the first post is an Australian supplier of caps, which I can't help with unfortunately.

As there are only 2 poles bi-polar is the same as non-polar, just means there is no + or - leg. Good luck with the mod

suicidal_orange · #**1422** (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 06:51 PM

Just found out the reason for using thin wire for the DIYmod - I just opened my first one to transfer it to a new case and the wire was moulded to the front, and removing it has pulled off the lower pad of L2

Is there any later contact that can be used on a 5g? I've tried to find the back of the pins without luck, but will dig harder if someone says it can be done. If not I'll just put it back on ebay for the uneducated who think headphones sound fine as that socket still works. And it's payday so dead ones are expensive so if that is required A quick answer would be appreciated

Guess I'll have to wait a while for my second try though

joneeboi · #**1423** (**permalink**) 10-04-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stikk

Also I'm not finished reading it all yet but my iPod is a 4G iPod and I would love to find a step-by-step guide as to how to do this mod which I haven't found.. Anyone know where there is one or should I keep picking through this thread and work it out for myself?

I think the pictures on the front page are pretty descriptive. Let us know if they aren't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suicidal_orange

Just found out the reason for using thin wire for the DIYmod - I just opened my first one to transfer it to a new case and the wire was moulded to the front, and removing it has pulled off the lower pad of L2

Is there any later contact that can be used on a 5g?

You could solder the wire straight to the dock.

qusp · #**1424** (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:20 PM

well I finished the DIYMOD for 5.5G havent built the capped LOD yet so don't know exactly what the results are. the ipod did turn on though so thats a plus

i'd like to post a couple of pics for you to look at jon, I just did the standard mod ATM. heres a pic you'll have to trust me that the pads near the dac are soldered correctly because I covered it up with tape for strain relief before I thought about taking some pictures. The wire might look a bit scary to you; and trust me it looked scary to me too. I used cardas 33AWG tone arm wire; and its soooo fine. it is also like no other wire that ive worked with before in that under the insulation the wires are coated in enamel so when you strip the wire (which you do by dipping the end in a solder pot until the enamel burns away.) before this happens though the first layer of insulation shrinks back exposing what LOOKS LIKE bare wire

;ive been assured By stevekelby that this wire is not conductive unless its tinned. scared the crap out of me though I tell you. I wasnt the neatest in routing the wires because they arent too cooperative being so thin they dont really stay in the shape that you bend them into. doesn't realy matter with wire this thin though as long as its not under the click wheel. its so thin that its really easy to close the case again even without taking too much care as to where to route them.

do you think I need more solder? I pretty much justr used what little was on my tip and the left over from when I removed the caps.

what do you think?

BTW this was actually easier than I thought it was going to be the hardest part was putting it back together again

elliot42 · #**1425** (**permalink**) 10-09-2008, 12:44 AM

Looks good. I would only use as much solder as needed, I found it was very easy to bridge pads when adding solder. You might also want to stick the wires down with some hot glue when you're done and it works. Don't do it on any pads, but I'd do it close if possible; just so the wires can't pull when putting the iPod back together and rip off the board.