Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

greenday123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2005
262
0
NJ
hey, i wuz wondering if there is any case out there to replace the nano's old metallic one. like instead of having the silver back i could have it red or clear, i thought it would be cool to see the inside of ur ipod while its working. plus i already have way too many scratches i need it replaced. if it hasnt been made yet, anyone who can make this email me at ferrarienzo5951@hotmail.com nd well make it happen nd make a couple million dollars:D
 

cgratti

macrumors 6502a
Dec 28, 2004
782
0
Central Pennsylvania, USA
greenday123 said:
hey, i wuz wondering if there is any case out there to replace the nano's old metallic one. like instead of having the silver back i could have it red or clear, i thought it would be cool to see the inside of ur ipod while its working. plus i already have way too many scratches i need it replaced. if it hasnt been made yet, anyone who can make this email me at ferrarienzo5951@hotmail.com nd well make it happen nd make a couple million dollars:D


Why dont you just take off the back and paint it?
 

decksnap

macrumors 68040
Apr 11, 2003
3,075
84
Apparently to some extent the metal backing dissipates heat. I don't know how important of a factor that is though. It's a cool idea if the heat isn't an issue with plastic and if the insides are actually interesting looking!
 

Chef Medeski

macrumors 6502a
Jun 14, 2005
975
0
New York, NY
decksnap said:
Apparently to some extent the metal backing dissipates heat. I don't know how important of a factor that is though. It's a cool idea if the heat isn't an issue with plastic and if the insides are actually interesting looking!
Yeah I would be worried about heat dissipation. When the iPod is charging or the Hard Drive is being filled, the iPod gets very hot. I would be worried about heat damage if you changed it.
 

jmufellow

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2005
215
0
uh, the nano was the one in question...it's flash based which doesn't really generate heat. Charging really shouldn't be an issue either...the shuffle is all plastic and it does just fine.
 

greenday123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2005
262
0
NJ
well i have been doing some testing for that heat issue, nd learned if u do use the right kind of plastic it will be fine for changing songs and charging. all im having problems is with making it. anyone who can make it send me nd email nd well talk
 

greenday123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2005
262
0
NJ
also, is there any legal stuff i need to go through, like do i need permission from apple to make replacement backs for their ipod
 

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
I'm pretty sure the back of the nano is not just a cover for the insides, it forms some pretty crucial structural parts of the player. Most of the stuff inside is connected and soldered and stuck to the metal on the back.

You could try but I reckon you'd break your nano.
 

mrichmon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2003
873
3
Chundles said:
I'm pretty sure the back of the nano is not just a cover for the insides, it forms some pretty crucial structural parts of the player. Most of the stuff inside is connected and soldered and stuck to the metal on the back.

You could try but I reckon you'd break your nano.

Like each full sized iPod generation before it, the metal back of the nano is jsut a shell and can be carefully eased away from the front plastic assembly. The electronics are attached to the front plastic face. However, the nano does have the internal speaker attached to the metal shell. The pressure of the metal shell connects two speaker contacts to contacts on the main PCB.

If you were to replace the shell you would need to transfer the speaker over or replace the speaker. But the main reason that a plastic replacement would be difficult is that a plastic shell would need to be somewhat thicker than the metal shell to be anywhere near strong enough. Also, the metal shell is held onto the back of the Nano (and full size iPods) by the friction that results from the tight fit between the plastic front and the metal shell. It may not be possible to replicate this assembly using a plastic rear shell.

If the metal on the back of your Nano is scratched then you can try some combination of polishing out the scratches with toothpaste (not a gel tooth paste, but a regular/cheap white paste) and/or filling the scratches in with car polish.

Polishing with toothpaste can reduce/remove scratches since toothpaste is slightly abrasive. You need a clean cotton cloth on which you put a small amount of toothpaste (no water) and then carefully polish in small circles. Wipe any residue off with a clean slightly damp cloth. (Do not use toothpaste on the plastic. Plastic is much softer and easier to scratch. Some people have been able to polish the plastic smooth but many haven't had any luck.)

Some car polishes are designed to fill in swirls and small scratches in car paint. Applying the same polish to an iPod will also fill in the scratches making them less visible. I have used car polish on my 1st and 3rd Gen iPods without any problems. A side benefit of car polish is that you get fewer fingerprints on the ipod after using the polish and the thin layer of polish protects from fine scratches. You can use car polish on both the metal and plastic sides. Take care to avoid the click wheel.
 

greenday123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2005
262
0
NJ
there is absolutly no way i can get the scratches out of my nano with friggen toothpaste, are you kidding me?
 

mrichmon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2003
873
3
greenday123 said:
there is absolutly no way i can get the scratches out of my nano with friggen toothpaste, are you kidding me?

Not kidding you. Toothpaste is slightly abrasive. ie it acts like very very fine sandpaper. So you can use it to buff out the scratches in exactly the same way that you can use it to get a very finely polished finish to metal work. Such as chrome car rims: http://doityourself.com/auto/toothpastepolish.htm
and when polishing silver: http://www.ehow.com/how_116436_shine-silver-safely.html
 

wattage

macrumors 6502
Oct 14, 2005
320
0
greenday123 said:
well i have been doing some testing for that heat issue, nd learned if u do use the right kind of plastic it will be fine for changing songs and charging. all im having problems is with making it. anyone who can make it send me nd email nd well talk
Obviously your 'a' key does work on other words.....what about AND???
 

greenday123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2005
262
0
NJ
my 'a' key does work see.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 

wattage

macrumors 6502
Oct 14, 2005
320
0
greenday123 said:
my 'a' key does work see.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
:)
 

840quadra

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,256
5,968
Twin Cities Minnesota
I am kinda with iGary but have some input none the less.

1. Toothpaste does work (it even works on minor scratches on cars). I am an automotive detailer for show cars, and have used toothpaste on minor scratches caused by coats or otherwise rubbing on paint.

2. A MUCH better solution would be a silver polish, or a lightly abrasive automotive polish like a cleaner wax, or light rubbing compound. If you have access to 3M products their "Finesse it" has worked quite well for my ipods.

3. ANY polishing done on an iPod is said to not void your warranty by a few people, however I am not sure of this myself.

4. Polishing on the back of your ipod will slowly remove any engraving on the back, including custom engraving done by Apple, as well as the iPod and Apple logo. Also included in this would be the Serial number on the back of your ipod.

5. If using a machine to polish your ipod, keep the buffing speeds low, as it will create heat, and you don't want to cook your internals!

HTH

image.php
 

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
iGary said:
*stupidest thread of the year award*

I'll nominate it but I'm waiting till after Christmas to see what happens. Could be some rippers on their way.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.