[ThinWalls]

My $60 120GB classic with sync issues arrived. Well lets see..


1. Scroll wheel works and buttons work, some clicking when holding down the play button to turn it off. Turned ipod off. Play button works.
2. Opened it up. Battery connect pops out. Slid it back in the pronged holder.
3. Everything looks good. Dusty. Am i the first to open it ? find out on the next episode of ......
4. Remove the faceplate. Everything looks good again. Clean it up a bit
6. Removed the Click wheel. Looks normal ...
7. Put everything back together
8. Plug it up to the computer. Nothing
9. After 3 minutes it shows in File manager / devices . IPOD
10. (I'm using linux) open GTKpod and....Nothing.
11. Reboot to diagnostic mode and start tests
12. Start the auto test and get to buttons, guess what ?
13. Play button isn't working...
14. Dissasemble again put back together
15. Another diagnostic test and Play button isn't working

So the issues are; Sync issues with PC (Taking too long to show up under devices, and then not showing up in GTKpod or itunes if you're using it) , Play button now not working. Checking ebay logic boards are either $50 from china or $95 from a reseller.

What should i do ?

Here are HDD smart data test results
Retracts: 12
Reallocs: 8
Pending Sectors: 8
PowerON Hours: 393
Start / Stops: 77196
Temp: Current 33c
Tem: Min 3c
Temp Max 61c

A couple of times I've found the play button mysteriously stops working with a particular (replacement part) clickwheel. Changing the clickwheel caused the play button to start working again. I don't pretend to understand why the clickwheel should cause a button to stop functioning (as opposed to just the volume-touch-control thing) when the button is part of the logic board not the clickwheel, but that's what happened. If you have a spare working click wheel around you might try just swapping that part and see if it makes any difference.

 

[zedhed]

I was gonna save the 120gb and eventually swap in my iFlash from my 5th gen with a 128gb SD card down the road, But with these issue that's on hold.

I'm looking at the logic board play button, how would I go about getting it off ? Looks like I need a heat gun as it's not budging using my fingernail

Get a thin flat blade screwdriver under the orangey stuff (Kapton tape?) and carefully lift. It seems to be merely stuck down. The metal dome will come with it. This is what gives the button its "clicky" feel. When depressed it makes contact to the logic board beneath it.



In my photo, the underside of the domed part looks pretty mucky so I'd clean it with alcohol and give it a scrape with the screwdriver to reveal shiny metal. I wouldn't do anything with the logic board contact other than clean it.



Stick it all back together with a couple of thin slivers of sicky tape. Best not to cover the black dot with tape so that you preserve the feel of the clickwheel.

 

[Mboom]

Get a thin flat blade screwdriver under the orangey stuff (Kapton tape?) and carefully lift. It seems to be merely stuck down. The metal dome will come with it. This is what gives the button its "clicky" feel. When depressed it makes contact to the logic board beneath it.



In my photo, the underside of the domed part looks pretty mucky so I'd clean it with alcohol and give it a scrape with the screwdriver to reveal shiny metal. I wouldn't do anything with the logic board contact other than clean it.



Stick it all back together with a couple of thin slivers of sicky tape. Best not to cover the black dot with tape so that you preserve the feel of the clickwheel.

I think i had a "Schrödinger's cat" situation. Without isopropyl alcohol, and stores around me not having anything and not wanting to order online. I looked around the house and found Hand sanitizer 70% alchohol. So i used a ear swap and dipped some and rubbed it over the button, looked clean afterwards. Reassembled everything and nothing. Take it apart again and i just rubbed all 5, no residue. Same thing again and the whole scroll/clickwheel isnt working.

So i just saved everything else including the HDD and tossed the logic board. I was either gonna spend $20+ on 99 % or use the hand sanitizer. Made no sense with the button working before taking it apart and then it not working when putting it together, and then the whole scroll wheel not working. So with the parts i have now, i can order another classic (down the road) with beat up housing / backplate or messed up screen / headphone jack / switch and just replace everything with the 120GB parts. Sucks knowing i couldn't fix it. What if i replaced the hard drive , and that was the solution ? but then that play button would still be an issue. Im out of even more money with the cost of a 120GB HDD or even an iFlash / sd card.

 

[posnera]

I keep following this thread out of curiosity.
I have an old 3G iPod which I would restore for nostalgia. The big problem for me is lack of bluetooth support.
I saw that people have soldered in a bluetooth unit with success, but that is more than I am capable of.
There used to be modules that would power themselves off of the port on top next to the headphone jack. Was there ever a bluetooth transmitter for that?
Something like this old FM transmitter:

 

[DJtheAudiophile]

Anybody using a iPod 7th Gen with a fatback and clear front? How hard is it to put it all together?

 

[Glendo90]

Anybody using a iPod 7th Gen with a fatback and clear front? How hard is it to put it all together?

Can you actually buy clear fronts for the 7th gen? I have only been able to find them for 5th gen models.

 

[PommesMagnum]

When writing playlists or creating the database in Rockbox I had problems with corruption, using a 1.2 tb iPod 7.5 with an iflash quad.
I found out that my Mac creates some ._ flies when using finder to copy the Audiofiles to the iPod.
i used this command to delete those files: find . -type f -name '._*' -delete
After that I was able to create huge playlists and even create the database on the iPod itself, without any issues.
I am using FreeFileSync to transfer the audiofiles now, this does not create these ._ files.
i hope this might help someone here...

 

[DJtheAudiophile]

Can you actually buy clear fronts for the 7th gen? I have only been able to find them for 5th gen models.

after looking I don’t think they make them for the 7th. Are there any tutorials to put a 7th gen in a 5th gen body?

 

[Mboom]

after looking I don’t think they make them for the 7th. Are there any tutorials to put a 7th gen in a 5th gen body?

Those clear ones should just pop in the 6th-7th gen. If I were to put the classic faceplate on my 5th gen, I'd have to file or grind down the areas (green) next to the screws (thin metal).

Also added photos of the entire 6th gen frame with faceplate in a 5th gen 60gb back cover.

 

[DJtheAudiophile]

Those clear ones should just pop in the 6th-7th gen. If I were to put the classic faceplate on my 5th gen, I'd have to file or grind down the areas (green) next to the screws (thin metal).

Also added photos of the entire 6th gen frame with faceplate in a 5th gen 60gb back cover.

thank you for the pictures. Is it possible to put a 7th gen logic board in 6th gen thick back? If yes, with the clear front on a 6th gen thick back do I use a 5th clickwheel or 6th-7th click wheel?

 

[Mboom]

thank you for the pictures. Is it possible to put a 7th gen logic board in 6th gen thick back? If yes, with the clear front on a 6th gen thick back do I use a 5th clickwheel or 6th-7th click wheel?

There's a post in here saying someone notices the clickwheels either being recessed or sticking out if you mix and match faceplates. The 160GB Thick should be the same as my 60gb, just different GB stamping. You'd use a 5th gen wheel with the clear faceplate. When I was looking on eBay for 120GB logic boards a lot of them came up as 120GB/160GB (6.5/7th). So they're interchangeable sounds like. That photo with the silver classic faceplate is with its frame also. Picture your 7th 160gb frame with logic board with a clear housing and either a grey or black 5th gen wheel.

 

[vvilco]

You have more issues there than just the cable I'm afraid.

First, the Gen 5.5 was an "in-between" design in terms of digital output, while it was the first iPod to offer it, it does not operate in USB Host mode, device mode only for that model. That makes it very limited in terms of what DACs it is compatible with, the list will be incredibly short.

Second, even if it were a Gen 6/7 that does operate in USB Host mode, you'd still have the issue of authentication. Apple made these devices shake hands only when both sides have the authentication chip, designated by the MFi (Made For iPod) certification logo. Only those DACs with proper MFi credentials will actually shake hands digitally with an iPod.

If I had to guess I'd say the E17 is incompatible, but you could always try it.

Hi, I found this comment while searching for a solution for a external DAC connected to my 'turbo'd' ipod. It seams like a shot in the dark but has anyone successfully attached an external DAC to an IPOD-5th gen?

https://i.ibb.co/9vc4yrC/ipdac.jpg

 

[MikeyFresh]

Hi, I found this comment while searching for a solution for a external DAC connected to my 'turbo'd' ipod. It seams like a shot in the dark but has anyone successfully attached an external DAC to an IPOD-5th gen?

https://i.ibb.co/9vc4yrC/ipdac.jpg

5th Gen. has no digital output whatsoever, you cannot connect it to a DAC, analog line out only through the dock connector.

Gen 5.5 had an early mostly now incompatible version of digital output (no Host mode), only device mode. Very few DACs will be compatible.

Starting with Gen. 6 Classic, the iPod operates in USB Host mode and will be compatible with a wider range of external USB DACs.

 

[vvilco]

Thanks! I'll try to scoop up a newer version then.

 

[MikeyFresh]

Thanks! I'll try to scoop up a newer version then.

Just be aware that the DAC needs to be Made For iPod (MFi) certified as well, or it likely won't work. Thats an Apple thing, and many DAC makers don't want to pay that licensing fee.