Someone gave my son a broken Ipod for free. I believe, after checking apple's website that it is a 20GB model MA079LL. The thing doesn't power up. Anyone here have any experience repairing these? I assume it is a bad battery but not sure. He didn't get the power supply/charger thing so he will need to get one of those. Where is a good place to get parts/batteries for these things? I fixed a bad laptop this year and I am ready for a new indoor challenge (too blasted cold outside now to do much work on the cars.

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1996 Saab 9000 5 speed
2002 Volvo XC70
1983 300D [sold ]
1981 300D [sold ]
1973 450se [sold ]
1967 230 (4 on the floor) [sold ]

Hello,

Nice free gift!

I have worked on some 3rd, 4th, one 5th generation, and 2 minis.

You are right, often it is just the batteries that need replacing as I believe they are lithium polymer. The polymer batteries seem to loose their charge capacity fast.

Try a google search for instructions on disassembly. Just make sure you work on it in a very clean and bright room without deep carpets or clutter that could let you loose a screw or two in case they fall from the desk. As long as you follow those instructions right on, you will be successful in disassembly.

Make some diagrams or notes for the screws so you dont mix them up, sometimes the screws are very similar in appearance but may have different threads or lengths.

Hope it helps a bit!

__________________
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I will give it a try! appreciate the advice.

__________________
1996 Saab 9000 5 speed
2002 Volvo XC70
1983 300D [sold ]
1981 300D [sold ]
1973 450se [sold ]
1967 230 (4 on the floor) [sold ]

Took me about 1/2 hour to make the repair and now it works great. Kind of fun to be able to work inside and not get grease all over everything.

__________________
1996 Saab 9000 5 speed
2002 Volvo XC70
1983 300D [sold ]
1981 300D [sold ]
1973 450se [sold ]
1967 230 (4 on the floor) [sold ]

Congrats on the repair. If you post pictures and/or links they would be interesting to some folks here.

I saw the new Ipod Shuffle today. It is half the size and twice the capacity of the old one. It has a neat clip-on design. $79?

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

www.ilounge.com/forums

I am a member of here.. 5 years going now... They can help you out.. I've had no issues with any iPod I have had..*knock on wood*

It was an hour job replacing the batter on my 1st Gen 5GB iPod, 55 minutes trying to open the case with the plastic wedges that come with the batter and 5 minutes of unplugging the batter and snapping the case shut. The new generation batteries are great . . . at 50% volume, it will play for over 20 hours.

My kid saved her money and bought an iPod 2 years ago. It looks giant and clunky now, but back then it was really cool looking. It quit working and following advice on an electronics forum, I believe it has bad sectors. Which apparently means an (expensive) exchange of hard drives.

Apple wants me to send them several pints of blood along with an arm and a leg to do the switch, so I did a Google search and found that there are a fair number of people out there in Google-land who say they can repair the iPod. But you know how it is, I'm old enough not to want to send somebody the iPod and my money and hope that I get a working iPod.

Any recommendations for replacing the hard drive?

The kid bought a Nano and is happy with that, so the iPod is pretty much mine, if it is worth repairing.

Thanks,

Bot

I believe you can buy a new harddrive or get one from another junk ipod(maybe with a bad screen) and swap them if the firmware matches..I highly reccomend iLounge.com

Is it making a clicking noise? Does it turn on and get to the menus?

I have 2 4th gen ipods. One was clicking, and one randomly froze up. The clicking one i fixed by dropping on my carpted floor. The Arm broke free out of its frozenness, and instantly spun back up. The one that randomly froze, I formatted it in windows, did a system restore, and all is well once again!

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

The clicking describes it. My kid had the same cure as the one you describe but it eventually failed for good. I need a taller house or a better fix.

B

Oh, open it up, and fold some paper so that the paper is the same size as the drive, and applies even pressure on both sides. This fixed mine, and it has been 6 months!

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Dang, where is the apple capitol?

B

Her Fronkenshteen- This is totally out of character for you to not want to visit the laboratory to take something apart and fix it....

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