iPod Bench

iPod nano (2nd generation)

An anodized aluminum bar with its flash memory soldered to the logic board. There is no storage to swap, but the battery can be.

Open the interactive page All iPods

What is inside

Top bezel (with hold switch). Pry it off with an opening tool in the seam against the metal body. Lock the hold switch first.
Bottom bezel. Same method. It surrounds the dock connector and headphone jack.
Aluminum body. Screws come out, then the inside slides free.
Click wheel and headphone jack. One assembly joined by a fragile ribbon. Do not detach that ribbon all the way.
Logic board with flash memory. The LCD ribbon needs a metal bracket removed and a black retaining bar lifted. The dock connector has two Phillips #00 screws, one each side.
Battery. Soldered. iFixit's guide has you desolder three connections.

Numbers follow the order a repairer meets the parts in a published teardown. A square means we have not confirmed the order. Drawn by us, not to scale.

Quick facts

Model: A1199. 2GB, 4GB and 8GB. Launched September 2006
Chip: Samsung S5L8701, the first Samsung chip in an iPod
Screen: 176 x 132 color LCD, about 1.5 inches
Storage: Samsung NAND flash on the logic board, not a module you can unplug
Battery: 3.7 V lithium polymer, about 370 mAh by one teardown's estimate (another source says 400). It is soldered at three points.
Codec: Wolfson WM8975 per The Apple Wiki and Rockbox. One teardown reads WM8750S, so we call it unsettled.

How it opens

Lock the hold switch.
Pry the top bezel off with a plastic opening tool, then the bottom bezel the same way.
Remove the screws, then unplug the cable between the logic board and the click wheel and headphone-jack assembly.
Push the logic board assembly out. The click wheel and jack stay in the case.

Tools named in the guides: Plastic opening tool, spudger, Phillips #00 and #000, tweezers, soldering iron for the battery.

Change the storage

There is no flash swap. The memory is soldered on, and the only chip-swap project we found is for the 3rd generation nano.

Rockbox

Supported. Rockbox lists the nano 1st and 2nd generations with no major issues. We could not read the install page, so check the live Rockbox wiki for the steps.

What goes wrong

Blank white screen: A recurring theme in iFixit's answers. A new display or logic board is the listed fix.
Won't power on or charge: Battery.
Click wheel or center button unresponsive: The click wheel is part of the case assembly on this model.
Hold switch will not lock the buttons: iFixit has a hold-switch cable guide.

Mods that are documented for it

New battery. The cheapest fix for a short day. Match the capacity to your exact model and size, because the 60GB and 80GB video and the thick classic take a thicker battery. (iFixit parts: iPod batteries)
Rockbox firmware, dual boot. Open-source firmware that plays FLAC, Opus and more. The original software stays one boot away. Non-classic models need the iPod formatted as FAT32. (Rockbox, Rockbox install manual (mirror))

Parts to search for

iPod nano 2nd generation battery: Amazon · eBay
iPod nano 2nd generation color display: Amazon · eBay
iPod nano 2nd generation top bezel hold switch: Amazon · eBay

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Match your exact model before you buy. Disclosure

What we have not confirmed

What the click wheel fix really is: the threads we read had no answers.
How to reconnect the click wheel and jack assembly. iFixit's teardown only shows taking it apart.
iFixit's difficulty and time ratings for the teardown and the battery.

Where this came from

Written in our own words from the pages above. Opening an iPod can break it, and a lithium battery that is bent, punctured or shorted can burn, so wear eye protection and stop if one is swollen. Boards and batteries vary, so check your own. Not affiliated with Apple.