![]() Over on, some experts figured out how to do the mod and posted instructions. It could cost over $1,000 depending on the options. Back in the day, the mod cost a few hundred, along with the line-out dock, then a headphone amplifier. In addition, they sold the "line-out dock" that had a dock connector with BlackGate capacitors, and copper wiring with an audiophile plug. They either performed the mod, or you could buy a modded iPod. There was a audiophile shop called Red Wine Audio that pioneered this mod. The reasoning was that Apple put in a quality DAC, but all the components in the path to the line out were crap! You also had to put capacitors in-line with the signal because apparently there was some voltage coming out of the DAC, and if your headphone amplifier didn't have some way to suppress that voltage, it would fry the amplifier. Photo of the bootloader installation progress:įor bonus points, these iPods have a Wolfson DAC chip, and there is a mod where you could directly connect the output from the DAC to the line outs on the dock connector. ![]() Once it restored on the older machine, everything fell into place without issue. From there you need to connect the iPod to your computer (USB) and run the ipodpatcher.exe bootloader installation file, which allows for the dual-boot feature so you can boot to either the stock OS or Rockbox OS (defaulted).įor me the clunkiest part of the entire process was restoring the device as my Windows 10 machine running current iTunes would not recognize the device at all and my computer was giving me an error that the E: drive was an invalid drive. There is also the "Automatic" installation via the Rockbox Utility, but I did not find that to be necessary. Note: you need to make sure the iPod is set to be readable as an external drive in iTunes before moving onto installing Rockbox.įor the Rockbox OS installation, I recommend skimming the manual for your device on Rockbox's website, downloading the corresponding Rockbox OS extracting file, and doing the "Manual" installation, which really just involves extracting the firmware (".rockbox" folder) as-is to the root folder of the iPod (which you allowed external drive access). That said, I found it to be incredibly easy and straightforward once I was able to get the iPod restored on the older Windows 7 machine with an older version of iTunes. Very nice looking! My experience was limited to the 5.5 Video, so YMMV with the Classic model. Here's another good source for info on these iPod mods. The various iFlash models and battery options are widely available on eBay and Amazon. Rechargeable battery options and compatibility with iFlash / iPod models: HDD to iFlash SD swap instructional video: Links to helpful youtube videos that were used as guidance: The photo below just shows the iPod after successfully swapping the iFlash SD board and after restoring in the older version of iTunes.įinal action shots using Rockbox OS with the FreshOS Dark theme. The iFlash card is connected to the main board and is sandwiched below the battery. ![]() The photo below shows the replacement battery I ultimately decided on (marketed at 3000mah, but more likely 1900-2000mah based on what I've read). This battery is basically a direct replacement for the original, marketed at 850mah (more likely 600-650mah based on what I've read). The photo below shows the innards with the iFlash drive unconnected (right original HDD already removed and not shown) and the initial replacement battery connected. Superfluous? Over the top? Absolutely!! Photos below. My plan is to install a 1TB card once the prices come down a bit so that I can fit everything, including all the official releases. I now have a 512GB SD player with plenty of battery life (still running tests), holding Jerry FLACs (many, but not all sources) from 1961 - 1991. As many are aware, Rockbox is great because it treats the iPod like an external USB drive allowing for dragging/dropping music files (including FLACs). I had to restore the iPod with iTunes on an old Windows 7 machine however, once that was done, the Rockbox OS was installed and iTunes was immediately left in the rear view mirror. ![]() It's kind of amazing how coveted (and easily repairable!) these things are - and it still sounds great! I ended up settling on an iFlash Solo with a 512GB SD card to replace the old HDD, and ultimately a much larger rechargeable battery. It was unearthed a few weeks back from storage and some quick Google searches showed many options available for reviving these old players. The original plan was to complete a CF card swap years back, but then I kind of forgot about the thing. I recently came across my old iPod 5.5 Video 80GB (purchased in 2005-2006) that was boxed up in storage years ago due to its dead HDD / sad iPod face screen.
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