Figured this would be a good thing to kick this section off, no?
Maybe you've watched DankPods, or maybe you've found an old iPod and find yourself wanting to mess around with them more, because even though Apple considers them "obsolete" they're still stupidly useful even today (and still work in Monterey! How about them Apples, Zune?) and depending on the model, parts are *still* being made.
This post is to help you--presumably, the person who knows they have an interest in these 'lil music players, but has no idea where to begin--get off on the right foot.
Pick your poison, based on your skill level...
Why I recommend: These iPods for the most part are very easy to take apart. If you have a careful hand and so much as a Stanley blade or something like a Swiss Army knife, you can easily get in and swap the storage out (or battery on the 5/5.5Gs. The 4Gs MIGHT require a small torx bit for the battery because the cable gets tucked under the logic board.) Parts are plentiful and still made (not necessarily still made for the 4Gs anymore but the iPod had really taken off by the 4th generation so there are plenty still out there) and documentation of course is done to death. The only thing that sucks is for anything older than the 5th gens batteries can be a tad difficult to find, at least good ones that work.
Cameron Sino batteries are the ones I generally hear good things about, but you can't buy them direct (they only sell to distributors) and it seems like supply is short.
Why: The iPod mini is actually one of the cheapest and easiest iPods to flash mod, as you can plug a CF card (or CF to SD adapter) right into the hard drive connector as the stock MicroDrive uses the CF standard. The reason I move it into the intermediate category is because you're going to need a touch more patience to get into the mini. The adhesive holding on the top and bottom plastics is ridiculously strong, even a decade and a half later. You WILL need something like an iSesamo or Jimmy for this. Heat might also be a good idea to soften the adhesive. There's also some traps for beginners that you have to watch out for, such as the fragile click wheel ribbon, or watching out for the SMD components on the mini's logic board as you slide it in and out of the chassis. If you're reckless with it, you can and will knock something off and then you'll need the power of Mac84 to fix it.
The 3rd gen iPods are generally just as easy to open as their 4th gen counterparts, but there's a few reasons why I didn't put it in the beginner's category: They're VERY picky. They can only charge via FireWire (which isn't as much of an issue these days, seeing as USB charge cables for these iPods DO exist, Elite Obsolete sells them), if you flash mod them you lose FireWire data, if that's something you use (like with older Macs). And like with the iPod mini, there are some traps that'll catch you out if you aren't careful, like checking the alignment of the hold switch before you put the back panel on. Don't ask me how I know this.
Parts for the 3rd gen are not at all easy to find, either. So you NEED to be careful because if you break something there's a decent chance you'll be paying through the nose for a replacement if you can even find one. The mini doesn't have this problem as much so you have margin for error there, but the 3rd gen...you really don't want to screw that up. Trust me.
Why: "But wait," I hear you say. "Xodium, the 6th gen Classics are internally the same layout-wise as the 5Gs! Why are they here?"
Because if you don't know the trick, they are an absolute nightmare to get in to. I do NOT say this lightly. The faceplates are made of metal, and the tolerances on everything are SUPER tight. If you have a 6G that has never been opened before, you are in for a holy war of a fight.
The trick is to know where the retaining clips are, and once your spudger is into the seam between the faceplate and backplate, you need to both press it inwards and straight down. The spudger needs to be between the metal clips and the faceplate. If not, you'll bend the clips, and at that point, you'll probably have to get violent to get the iPod open. The 6G Classics are NOT fun in the slightest for the uninitiated, and they rightfully earn their place here. Once you get past the opening phase, though, they're just as easy to work on as the generation prior.
The 1G/2G iPods are here because while they do open somewhat easily, they don't take well to being flash modded, and parts are again not at all plentiful, so if you're working on one you NEED to be careful.
The 1G and 3G nanos are notable for being...easier...to take apart compared to the 2G, 4G, and 5G nanos, but they're still a humongous pain in the rear to service and if you need a new battery, you're going to have to know how to solder one in.
Why: Section by section...
iPod touches: These are always sandwiches of glass, metal, and copious amounts of glue. These are NOT intended to ever be serviced, and there's a good chance if you ever take one apart you're going to trash the screen on the way in. Batteries are soldered, of course. Cool little devices, but Jobs help you if you ever need to battery swap one. They're NOT fun to deal with. At all.
2G, 4G, 5G nanos: These iPods are kind of assembled like the iPod mini, in that the chassis is like a tube that the internals of the iPod slide into. Except the tolerances are EXTREMELY tight and there's a high chance of screwing something up if you're not mega careful. Worse yet, these iPods like to suffer from swelling batteries, and if the battery swells in these iPods, 1. it's essentially a brick because now you can't get the internals out, and 2. It'll probably trash the display if it's bad enough. Sometimes you can get away with sticking your iPod in the freezer to get the swelling to go back down enough to open the iPod, but this is not guaranteed.
Shuffles: Generally glued shut and requires some extremely fine soldering skills to service due to the tiny components.
Elite Obsolete's video on opening the 6Gs
DankPods' video on opening every iPod
If you flash mod with the cheap, red CF adapters, I wrote a guide on getting them to work with Windows formatting
Best of luck!
Maybe you've watched DankPods, or maybe you've found an old iPod and find yourself wanting to mess around with them more, because even though Apple considers them "obsolete" they're still stupidly useful even today (and still work in Monterey! How about them Apples, Zune?) and depending on the model, parts are *still* being made.
This post is to help you--presumably, the person who knows they have an interest in these 'lil music players, but has no idea where to begin--get off on the right foot.
Pick your poison, based on your skill level...
Beginner
What I recommend: iPod Video (5G/5.5G, the models introduced in 2005 and 2006 respectively), iPod 4th generation (Photo/Color/Mono)Why I recommend: These iPods for the most part are very easy to take apart. If you have a careful hand and so much as a Stanley blade or something like a Swiss Army knife, you can easily get in and swap the storage out (or battery on the 5/5.5Gs. The 4Gs MIGHT require a small torx bit for the battery because the cable gets tucked under the logic board.) Parts are plentiful and still made (not necessarily still made for the 4Gs anymore but the iPod had really taken off by the 4th generation so there are plenty still out there) and documentation of course is done to death. The only thing that sucks is for anything older than the 5th gens batteries can be a tad difficult to find, at least good ones that work.
Cameron Sino batteries are the ones I generally hear good things about, but you can't buy them direct (they only sell to distributors) and it seems like supply is short.
Intermediate
What I recommend: iPod mini (both generations), POSSIBLY iPod 3rd GenerationWhy: The iPod mini is actually one of the cheapest and easiest iPods to flash mod, as you can plug a CF card (or CF to SD adapter) right into the hard drive connector as the stock MicroDrive uses the CF standard. The reason I move it into the intermediate category is because you're going to need a touch more patience to get into the mini. The adhesive holding on the top and bottom plastics is ridiculously strong, even a decade and a half later. You WILL need something like an iSesamo or Jimmy for this. Heat might also be a good idea to soften the adhesive. There's also some traps for beginners that you have to watch out for, such as the fragile click wheel ribbon, or watching out for the SMD components on the mini's logic board as you slide it in and out of the chassis. If you're reckless with it, you can and will knock something off and then you'll need the power of Mac84 to fix it.
The 3rd gen iPods are generally just as easy to open as their 4th gen counterparts, but there's a few reasons why I didn't put it in the beginner's category: They're VERY picky. They can only charge via FireWire (which isn't as much of an issue these days, seeing as USB charge cables for these iPods DO exist, Elite Obsolete sells them), if you flash mod them you lose FireWire data, if that's something you use (like with older Macs). And like with the iPod mini, there are some traps that'll catch you out if you aren't careful, like checking the alignment of the hold switch before you put the back panel on. Don't ask me how I know this.
Parts for the 3rd gen are not at all easy to find, either. So you NEED to be careful because if you break something there's a decent chance you'll be paying through the nose for a replacement if you can even find one. The mini doesn't have this problem as much so you have margin for error there, but the 3rd gen...you really don't want to screw that up. Trust me.
Advanced
Recommended: 1st and 2nd generation iPods, iPod Classic 6G+, iPod nano 1st and 3rd generationsWhy: "But wait," I hear you say. "Xodium, the 6th gen Classics are internally the same layout-wise as the 5Gs! Why are they here?"
Because if you don't know the trick, they are an absolute nightmare to get in to. I do NOT say this lightly. The faceplates are made of metal, and the tolerances on everything are SUPER tight. If you have a 6G that has never been opened before, you are in for a holy war of a fight.
The trick is to know where the retaining clips are, and once your spudger is into the seam between the faceplate and backplate, you need to both press it inwards and straight down. The spudger needs to be between the metal clips and the faceplate. If not, you'll bend the clips, and at that point, you'll probably have to get violent to get the iPod open. The 6G Classics are NOT fun in the slightest for the uninitiated, and they rightfully earn their place here. Once you get past the opening phase, though, they're just as easy to work on as the generation prior.
The 1G/2G iPods are here because while they do open somewhat easily, they don't take well to being flash modded, and parts are again not at all plentiful, so if you're working on one you NEED to be careful.
The 1G and 3G nanos are notable for being...easier...to take apart compared to the 2G, 4G, and 5G nanos, but they're still a humongous pain in the rear to service and if you need a new battery, you're going to have to know how to solder one in.
Hurt Me Plenty
Recommended, if you really don't like yourself: All iPod touches, 2G, 4G and 5G nanos, all ShufflesWhy: Section by section...
iPod touches: These are always sandwiches of glass, metal, and copious amounts of glue. These are NOT intended to ever be serviced, and there's a good chance if you ever take one apart you're going to trash the screen on the way in. Batteries are soldered, of course. Cool little devices, but Jobs help you if you ever need to battery swap one. They're NOT fun to deal with. At all.
2G, 4G, 5G nanos: These iPods are kind of assembled like the iPod mini, in that the chassis is like a tube that the internals of the iPod slide into. Except the tolerances are EXTREMELY tight and there's a high chance of screwing something up if you're not mega careful. Worse yet, these iPods like to suffer from swelling batteries, and if the battery swells in these iPods, 1. it's essentially a brick because now you can't get the internals out, and 2. It'll probably trash the display if it's bad enough. Sometimes you can get away with sticking your iPod in the freezer to get the swelling to go back down enough to open the iPod, but this is not guaranteed.
Shuffles: Generally glued shut and requires some extremely fine soldering skills to service due to the tiny components.
Conclusion/Resources/Etc
Elite Obsolete is generally where I grab my parts for things, eBay and iDemiGods can also be decent. Elite Obsolete also generally has guides on how to open iPods (as does DankPods), so if you need some help, their videos are worth a watch. iFixit is good too, but I do NOT recommend their guide for opening up the 6G iPods as it's completely unnecessary once you know what to do.Elite Obsolete's video on opening the 6Gs
DankPods' video on opening every iPod
If you flash mod with the cheap, red CF adapters, I wrote a guide on getting them to work with Windows formatting
Best of luck!
