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Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
I'm soon buying a Third Generation Classic, and the battery does not hold a charge so I will replace it. What experiences have you had generally changing an iPod battery on any iPod? What issues usually come up?
 

kaielement

macrumors 65816
Dec 16, 2010
1,242
74
Is it a classic or a 3rd gen iPod. if it's a true classic (160gb, 80gb, and the 120gb) good luck trying to take that apart. (Sorry to harp on the word "classic" it's just that Apple doesn't consider anything older then the 6th gen a classic and I needed to clear up which iPod you where talking about. Be careful about using the word classic unless its a true classic so people know what you are really talking about. It does make a difference.) They changed the design and the casing and it is super hard to take a part the classic without damaging it. If it is a 3rd gen iPod pre video then those are super easy to take apart and replace the batter and no soldering required like the older iPods. I took one a part with a flat head screwdriver and even one with a fork lol..... Something to think about. You can pick up the battery super cheap online. Just make sure you know what kind of iPod you have so you buy the right battery. Hope this helps.
 

luckylisp

macrumors 6502
Feb 2, 2006
438
10
NY state
I changed the battery on my 5th generation video iPod. Very easy, no problems. I bought the battery and the kit here: http://www.ipodjuice.com/

It has a little tool for opening the ipod. It still took awhile for me to get it open, but it wasn't too bad. The actual battery changing part is simple. Good luck.
 

ixodes

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2012
4,429
3
Pacific Coast, USA
I've changed batteries on iPods, iPhones, and MBP's. Mostly because I have lots of friends with Apple gear, and I enjoy doing this kind of work. The key necessity is patience, and some experience. If you're willing to learn, read some resources like iFixit, and not rush, you'll do just fine.
 

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
Is it a classic or a 3rd gen iPod. if it's a true classic (160gb, 80gb, and the 120gb) good luck trying to take that apart. (Sorry to harp on the word "classic" it's just that Apple doesn't consider anything older then the 6th gen a classic and I needed to clear up which iPod you where talking about. Be careful about using the word classic unless its a true classic so people know what you are really talking about. It does make a difference.) They changed the design and the casing and it is super hard to take a part the classic without damaging it. If it is a 3rd gen iPod pre video then those are super easy to take apart and replace the batter and no soldering required like the older iPods. I took one a part with a flat head screwdriver and even one with a fork lol..... Something to think about. You can pick up the battery super cheap online. Just make sure you know what kind of iPod you have so you buy the right battery. Hope this helps.

Thanks! I meant the third-generation iPod with the buttons placed in weird places, and either the 15 or 20 GB model. I heard they can have issues after that, and taking it apart in the first place wouldn't be challenging for me, I think, since I found a couple of things specially designed for the iPod 3rd generation for taking it ope. Since I have fixed Nintendo DS's and iBooks (Both the Clamshell and G4) I think I have a good amount of support for it. Thanks though, I think I underestimated the difficulty though.
 

kaielement

macrumors 65816
Dec 16, 2010
1,242
74
Thanks! I meant the third-generation iPod with the buttons placed in weird places, and either the 15 or 20 GB model. I heard they can have issues after that, and taking it apart in the first place wouldn't be challenging for me, I think, since I found a couple of things specially designed for the iPod 3rd generation for taking it ope. Since I have fixed Nintendo DS's and iBooks (Both the Clamshell and G4) I think I have a good amount of support for it. Thanks though, I think I underestimated the difficulty though.

Thanks for the update. Another thing I would do is watch a few videos on YouTube. Like I said I have taken three or four of that generation apart and it's super easy and never had any problems putting everything back together.
 

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
Thanks for the update. Another thing I would do is watch a few videos on YouTube. Like I said I have taken three or four of that generation apart and it's super easy and never had any problems putting everything back together.

Thanks for the help! I just ordered a new iPod and it works, surprisingly. The battery isn't dead but its life is unknown, so I might need to do that.
 

warzone

macrumors newbie
Jun 5, 2012
4
0
I have never changed my I pod's battery ever, so I would not be able to help you in this matter but I don't think that anything happens if the batteries are changed, However, the original battery is always better than any other.
 
Last edited:

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
Even Worse

Well, it turned out that the iPod didn't need a battery replacement. It worked perfectly fine without the charger. But now, the HDD was gone after 2 weeks. I got the flashing folder on startup, followed by a screen saying that I could eject my iPod from the computer (It wasn't plugged in). I was able to take it apart with a fingernail. Is there any flash memory upgrades for those iPods that I could do? Could I even use a CF Card? It turned out to be a great value until it unexpectedly broke.

I saw one guy selling a CF card adaptor here ( http://www.geektechnique.org/projectlab/767/put-flash-memory-into-almost-any-ipod.html ), but the link for emailing was broken.
 

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
Well, I put the hard drive in my freezer using a plastic bag and a paper towel, and it now works perfectly. Only I now broke the headphone jack and need to buy a replacement. What are the chances that my fix will be permanent?
 

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
8
Chicago
Can someone post a link or explain how this works?

This is usually a temporary fix and does not always work. It's impossible to explain, though it just worked for my iPod and it's still running now after a day. So I extracted the hard-drive from the iPod, which wasn't recognized at the time. I then wrapped it in a paper towel and stuck it in a ziplock bag to prevent moisture from getting in. I waited for about an hour, pulled it back, and immediately reconnected it. I've heard of it before, and I was just going to get a new one anyways and had my data backed up, so I tried it. I think I'll stick a 64 GB CF card in there anyways with a CF-to-ATA adaptor, just for the extra storage. I can find them for pretty cheap prices in some places.
 

combatcolin

macrumors 68020
Oct 24, 2004
2,283
0
Northants, UK
I'll give this a go in the next few days.

Windows wanted to do some maintenance on my iPod just before it died, if i can get it back to a semi working state then maybe a disk check could do the rest.
 

yateseyd1991

macrumors regular
Jun 23, 2011
190
8
UK
I would suggest ebay for a replacement HDD, from experience there are some real bargains to be had on there


:apple: iPhone 4S 32GB White, iPad 3 16GB WiFi Black, iPod Classic 5.5G 120GB, iPod Nano 6G 8GB, Shure SE425's :apple:
 

pooleman

Suspended
Jan 11, 2012
1,769
425
Eastern CT
I'm soon buying a Third Generation Classic, and the battery does not hold a charge so I will replace it. What experiences have you had generally changing an iPod battery on any iPod? What issues usually come up?

Its real easy. I bought a 6th generation ipod classic on ebay for $40, replaced the battery so it would work again and it lasted for days of use. I then flipped it for $100. It's easy to change, just be careful while prying apart the case.
 
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