IPod Mod Puts Pi Zero In New Bod

iPodRPi by production

We sure love to see nicely designed products get a new lease on life. Just as the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 was being announced, [production] was stuffing an original RPi Zero into an old iPod’s case.

[production] cites several previous, similar projects that showed how to interface with the click-wheel, a perfectly fitting color display from Waveshare, and open-source software called Rockbox to run on the pi. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

iPodRPi by production interior wiring

Some nice innovations to look for are the Pi Zero’s micro-SD card and a micro-USB charging port aligned to the large slot left from the iPod’s original 40 pin connector. Having access for charging and reflashing the card without opening the case seems quite handy. There’s a nice sized battery too, though we wonder if a smaller battery and a Qi charger could fit in the same space. Check the project’s Hackaday.io for the parts list, and GitHub for the software side of things, and all the reference links you’ll need to build your own. It looks like [production] has plans to turn old iPods into Gameboy clones, you may want to check back for progress on that.

If you just want to rock like it’s 2004, there are options to just upgrade the battery and capacity but keep your vintage iPod too.

7 thoughts on “IPod Mod Puts Pi Zero In New Bod

    1. Maybe, but it may also work well, stainless has different magnetic properties than regular steel. I have a magnetic mechanical (rotary) coupling which uses a stainless steel plate separating the input/output. The plate is thick enough to stand 1000+psi pressure differential, and the magnetic coupling is so strong that jamming the output side will stall a 3HP electric motor on the input side.

      1. Hmm… I know at least the first-gen iPod’s back was a non-magnetic alloy. I bet the rest are too. I’m not sure how that might affect inductive coupling, since it’s still conductive and therefore would be subject to eddy currents etc. What RPM does your coupling run at? Does the plate get warm?

        What started as a snide comment has turned into a genuine desire to experiment!

  1. There’s one of those on my cluttered desk right now. It survived over the winter having been dropped at the curb, that’s how I ended up with it. Interesting seeing that the switch, jack and beeper board is kept and wired up to the rest. Of course it runs rockbox which I was aware of back then as I’d wouldn’t touch apple software just to port to it as well as to use MP3’s instead of flac.

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