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iPod Bench

iPod video (5th generation)

A plastic front clipped to a curved metal back. The battery and headphone jack stay with the back.

Open the interactive page All iPods

What is inside

1Curved metal backwith battery2Headphone jack andhold switchHard driveInner frameworkLogic boardDisplayPlastic front withclick wheel
  1. Curved metal back with battery. The battery is stuck to the back. Its orange ribbon ends in a brown latch connector that must be lifted straight up or it breaks.
  2. Headphone jack and hold switch. Its own orange ribbon. The hold switch's plastic part may need moving to a new jack.
  3. Hard drive. 1.8 inch, ZIF.
  4. Inner framework. A separate iFixit guide.
  5. Logic board. A separate iFixit guide.
  6. Display. 2.5 inch color LCD.
  7. Plastic front with click wheel. The click wheel is also its own guide.

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: A1136. Released October 2005, 30GB and 60GB
  • Screen: 2.5 inch, 320 x 240
  • Chip: PortalPlayer PP5021C. Audio codec Wolfson WM8758.
  • Storage: 1.8 inch Toshiba ATA-66 hard drive, 4,200 rpm, ZIF connector
  • Battery: Lithium-ion, 3.7 V. Sources disagree on the 30GB size (580 and 650 mAh). The 60GB takes an 850 mAh battery (iFixit 616-0232), thicker than the 30GB one, so they are not interchangeable.

How it opens

  1. Slide the hold switch to the locked position.
  2. Free the clips along the bottom edge with an opening tool, keeping the tool edge against the metal back so the plastic front is not scratched.
  3. Pry up both sides. iFixit counts four clips a side plus top and bottom.
  4. Unplug the battery ribbon and the headphone-jack ribbon, then separate the halves.

Tools named in the guides: iPod opening tool, angled tweezers, optional guitar pick.

Change the storage

  • iFlash Solo, Dual, Quad and CF all list the 5th generation as a native fit. iFlash warns that a very large library can cause random resets, and that an SD card needs FAT32 or exFAT prepared first. After the swap, do a full restore in iTunes.

Rockbox

Stable. Rockbox lists the iPod video as stable. It needs a FAT32 (Windows-format) iPod.

What goes wrong

  • Sad iPod icon, or a folder with an exclamation mark: iFixit staff say it usually means a drive problem. Charge it, reset it, try disk mode and reformat. Last, reseat the drive and battery.
  • Same icon after a battery swap: A torn drive flex cable can do it.
  • Short battery life: Replace the battery, and mind the brown latch connector.

Mods that are documented for it

  • Flash storage swap. Replace the spinning drive with a memory card or an SSD. It is silent, runs cooler and wakes faster. Which board you need depends on the model, so check the model page. (iFlash)
  • 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)
  • Extended battery and thick back. Third-party cells of 1,800 to 3,000 mAh are sold for the video and classic. iFlash notes the real capacity is often 10 to 20 percent below the claim, and the bigger cells need a thick back. A 3,000 mAh cell can foul the headphone-jack assembly. (iFlash: extended battery guide)
  • USB-C, Bluetooth and wireless charging. Kits from Moonlit Market and Boxy Pixel add Bluetooth audio and USB-C. Press reports disagree on which iPods the Moonlit Market kit fits (5th generation only, 5th and 5.5, or 5th to 7th). The Boxy Pixel board fits 5th to 7th generation, but only inside Boxy Pixel's own housings, charges only, and spoils the battery indicator. (Boxy Pixel MKII electronics PCB, ifun.de: Classic Connect 2, TechEBlog: iPod classic mod kit)
  • Audio capacitor upgrade. iFlash sells a kit that swaps the output coupling capacitors for two ELNA Silmic II parts, documented for the Wolfson-codec 5th and 5.5 generation. It needs fine soldering and the vendor takes no returns. We found no documented equivalent for the classic. (iFlash audio capacitor kit, iFlash diyMod write-up)
  • New headphone jack and hold switch. For a crackly jack or a stuck hold slider. On the video the hold switch's plastic part may need moving to the new jack. (iFixit guides)
  • Click wheel replacement. For a wheel that skips or goes dead. On the classic it is the last layer of the stack and a long job. (iFixit: iPod Classic Click Wheel Replacement)
  • 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

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

  • The order the inside parts come out in.
  • Where the dock connector flex sits and how the display ribbon runs.
  • iFixit's difficulty and time rating.

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.