The Apple diyMod: My Take on the Famous iMod [56k killer] Featuring 3G, 4G, 5G and nano 1G! - Page 103

I won't find auricaps at my local store and propably not black-gates.
What are the most common caps to use with DIYmod ?

blackgates (47uf NX hiQ or NX 100uf) for inside the case of 4G and 5G ipods (wont fit in the mini though) also BG (47uf NX hiQ or NX 100uf) for inside dock connectors. and for high end capped docks you can use any reputable brand, but Vcap (TFTF and VIOP), mundorf (SGIO or SIO), auricap, audionote if you are crazy or rich enough... the list goes on. the most common is blackgate though because they are great sounding and small witha reasonable price as well. just today I ordered myself some VCAP VIOP 3.3UF to use in a hammond case with piccolino wire. i'm putting several inputs and outputs on it too. adding TFTF VCVAP later down the track when the aussie dollar picks up a bit

IN

dock hardwired with piccolino
eichmann chassis mounted RCA's
chassis mounted mini

OUT

piccolino w/switchcraft mini
eichmann RCA
chassis mounted female mini

this dock is also going to be used with the bantam dac that i'm building plus any other DIY project that needs output coupling caps; thats why i'm putting all the I/O i'm leaving out the signal coupling caps in the bantam build and instead passing the signal onto this jack of all trades

I'm kinda of new to this iMod thing and I'm really interested. I currently have a 1st Gen iPod Mini that I'd like to use. My question is what's better and is it worth the hassle:

Analog Signal from Line-Out
In this case, I would just make a LOD cable and add some BG's between the L/R & GRD. THen just send the signal to my CMoY. Simple!

Analog Signal from DAC to Dock Connector
In this case, I would have to internally wire from the DAC straight to a "free" dock pin for both the L/R signals. Then build a LOD that would use those "free" pins & GRD, and of course add some BG's (inside it's cramped).

I guess what I'm asking is directly wiring to the dock connector really make a huge difference vs. just grabbing from the OE line-outs (of course using the same caps)? It really seems like a PITA to solder wire inside the mini, plus you'd need to remove some caps and inductors inside?

Well that's what I'm wondering, is it "really" worth the hassle of soldering in a bypass from the DAC to the dock conector? Or just using the line-out pins with appropriate caps.

the line outs -as far as an EE can see- still pass through multiple R/C & L/C filters as well as some kind of follower amp before it reaches the docking connector. So yes would be a good answer to that one..

Nice I like that answer. So my next question is what's the best way to route L/R signals from the DAC to the dock connector? Do I just wire in a bypass and leave the caps and inductors on the board or do I remove them and then wire direct DAC dock connector?

I really don't like asking what seems like simple questions, but this thread is huge and I could only find one example of a mini.

So basically removing the caps & inductors and soldering the bypass between the cap pads and the inductor pads, correct?

I'm assuming I will lose audio thru the headphone jack when doing this. Any pics or posts that would aid me in locating these components to remove and bypass, thanks.

The line out path to the dock and the headphone out are separate, so this mod won't affect your headphone out.

I think what Joneboi is advocating is that you NOT remove any components. When you remove the SMD devices, there is a risk of damaging the mainboard, so he is suggesting that you simply bridge them. For example, solder a small piece of wire, or maybe a resistor lead, around the caps and inductors. Essentially you create another path around the component. This would make your changes easier to "undo" if you later want to.

I'm not sure I agree with this method though. I understand that it will basically provide an alternative "path of least resistance" so the signal bypasses the internal component between the DAC and the dock. Joneboi, are you then also suggesting not to run a wire from the DAC to the dock? I thought the reason for removing the SMD components was to break that signal path, and then we added the wire to provide a "cleaner" path. So the traces, extra solder joints, and the bridges won't adversely affect the signal? If this is what you're thinking, you might be right. Maybe my reservations are just a psychological effect :P It seems like using my nice SPC wire will be better

I've got this much so far:



Removing C53 & C54, then what's going on in that "mine-field"

It's labeled accordingly (Start Top Left):

_____L6____L7___L8___L9___L10__L11___L12__L13

R76__C68__C69__C70__C71__C72__C73__C74__C75

So I connect from the "top" pads of C53 & C54 to what (maintaining Pin 3,4 Line-out)?

Well I desoldered what I hope were the right components (C53, C54, L7, L8, C69, & C70). So now where do I connected the upper cap pads to? Also using a solid copper wire good, 30 AWG?

Well I checked it out:



Squares:
RED (C53) - Right Line-Out from DAC (~1.7ohms)
BLUE (C54) - Left Line-Out from DAC (~1.7ohms)

YELLOW (C69) - Dock Connector Pin 3
MAGENTA (C70) - Dock Connector Pin 4

So basically I just going to jump C53 to C69 and C54 to C70. Having removed the inductors and capacitors, from the line-out signal now leaves me in quandary. Looking a the Wolfson Datasheet, they show that this is how the "line-outs" should be connected before going to anything (amp or earphones):



Most iMods i've seen hear, IIRC, only use the coupling caps and not the resistors...

However when I measure between C53 and GRD (same with C54 and GRD) I'm reading ~100K ohms. And how does for coupling caps, BG NX 47uF bypassed with a (either Russian PIO or Vitamin Q) .047uF!

hey guys I have a question for you

Ok, so I have been browsing this board and I was really interested in doing the mod myself. Unfortunately I only had an iPod classic which wouldn't work, so I went and bought a 5.5 gen off of ebay, and of course it broke the same day I bought it :T
The hard drive failed. I was wondering if the harddrive from the classic would be compatible with the ipod video?!?

Could I take the harddrive out of the ipod classic (80 gigs) and put it into an ipod video (it was also 80 gigs)

Any help would be appreciated

I found the exact specs of both hard drives, but these numbers don't mean a whole lot to me.
Anyone else have a better idea and willing to help??

iPod 5.5 - http://www.storage.toshiba.eu/index_techspec.php?pid=87

iPod classic - http://www.toshibastorage.com/main.a...Specifications