iPod 5th Generation (Video) Front Panel Replacement

I just replaced a broken screen and battery tonight in my early ipod video 30g. I think you may have not got the audio cable back in correctly or you may need to replace the earphone connector. This site is great and just last week i used ifixit parts to fix my ibook dc in then tonight my ipod. Saved a ton of cash and the service is awesome.

very useful

Replaced my screen that somehow cracked in my bag while it was under the seat in front of me on an airplane. 80GB 5.5g video.

The only thing I'll add is that when I first installed the new screen, I would get all kinds of weird artifacts after putting the case back together. It would be fine with the case open but as soon as pressure was applied it would turn white and go crazy. I looked at the old screen and saw a small white plastic sticker covering the electronics on the old screens ribbon cable, so I peeled it off and put it on the new screen's ribbon cable and everything went back together and worked perfectly. Placing pressure on these components must cause trouble and I guess the sticker disperses the pressure to prevent this. It's like new.

I was really bummed because I have Rockbox running on this thing and no ipods since the 5.5g will run it, and you can't buy those anymore without spending a fortune. Thank you ifixit.com.

i followed all the steps and fix it up by myself ~ haha THX~

Quote from hidi00z:

hey, greg29 i have the same situation with my 5th gene iPOD, right now the display it's white and i want to know if you show where i need to put the white sticker or another kind of sticker because the old dispelay i throw it away...thanks,

Just finished replacing my battery (30 gb video). Piece of cake! Great information. I would skip steps 7-9, and just replace battery. But I'm no expert....

I need a little help guys. I have an Ipod 30G video that I plugged into a car charger and now the screen is black with the apple logo. I thought it was the battery that was dead, but I replaced it using your guide(thanks!!) and it's still showing the same thing. Black screen with the apple logo. I tried charging it and it still doesn't do anything. Any ideas what it could be? Thanks.

Replaced battery and screen on 30GB video ipod in 90 minutes. In the first 5 minutes the fine tip broke off the removal tool. Later I discovered why....I was prying the front cover off instead of separarting the back cover from the rest of the unit. The front cover tabs are right next to the back cover tabs so be sure you are getting the right one. If done properly I would have saved 30 minutes. I also broke several front cover tabs during removal so good thing I was replacing front cover too! The new front cover did not match up well with the old tabs. I agree with skipping steps 7 - 9 to release the headphone ribbon. I yanked the unit around pretty good getting the front cover back on and no trouble with the headphones. The removal tools were no match for the tape on the back of battery, instead get a very small standard screwdriver to get the battery loose. Trickiest part is the little tab that holds the battery ribbon; when you are putting it back together just push straight down nice and easy with the tip of the small tool and she locks right back in place. The wife had given up on this iPod and get a new 8 GB nano for Christmas...I inherited this one and am quite pleased for $30! iTunes did not pop up when I hooked it to the USB to charge, so I that I will go now and see if there is problem there. Terrific site, thanks for the help.

Quote from stumped:

I followed all the steps for taking apart my 5th gen Ipod video, replacing the factory battery with a new one. Now my click wheel does not work. I've tried resetting it without success. Any suggestions?

I have exactly the same problem, though I was replacing the headphone jack instead. Nothing appears to be loose and I didn't open the front panel at all.

Quote from jimmora:

Hi - no need to disconnect all those cables, take out the HD, etc. Skip all the way to unscrewing and save the effort of trying to sneak those cables back into place.

well the cables aren't too bad, and you don't want to accidentally tear one of the cables when sliding in the new display-- i'd recommend disconnecting the hard drive, battery and headphone jack before attempting to remove the screen.

BRILLIANT instructions!

I got software problem after installing new Logic Board. iTunes keeps asking me to restore - I do, but it make no difference. Still can't synch. Anyone else have this problem?

Quote from jingofafa:

BRILLIANT instructions!

I got software problem after installing new Logic Board. iTunes keeps asking me to restore - I do, but it make no difference. Still can't synch. Anyone else have this problem?

Quote from benthuronyi:

I have exactly the same problem, though I was replacing the headphone jack instead. Nothing appears to be loose and I didn't open the front panel at all.

Yes, when I replaced my screen, the click wheel no longer works except I can hold the select & menu buttons and rest my i-pod all day long. that is the only part of the click wheel that now works. Anyone can help all 3 of us out?

Quote from terry cynright:

I found out the problem: I used the wrong Logic Board! I have a 5th Gen. 80GB model and needed the 820-1975-A board (instead I installed the 820-1763-A board, which apparently only works for 30 and 60 GB models).

I wish I'd read this sooner: upgrading hard drive from 30 GB to 80 GB

I've just replaced the my battery too (30 GB Video). Though it was quite challenging to opening the iPod, it all went smoothly after that; except from a small incident when the small tool broke when attempting to remove the battery from the iPod back. I used the big one instead and it went all fine. I also skipped steps 7-9)

CAUTION: when removing the battery from the iPod back panel, watch-out not to damage the "hold button cable" . The cable is right below the battery, and might be glued to it.

I've connected the iPod to iTunes and everything is reacting fine. My iPod is recharging right now on its cradle :-)

Total handling time: 45 min max.

Thanks to everyone for the tips. Great web site!

Quote from benthuronyi:

I have exactly the same problem, though I was replacing the headphone jack instead. Nothing appears to be loose and I didn't open the front panel at all.

I'd check that the control cable is correctly seated in its ZIF socket. And that the hold switch is not on.

Quote from Miroslav Djuric:

Nice guide!

It is a nice guide. I happened to have access to a #000 Phillips which I thought worked a little better than a #00. What do you think?

very informative

If a simple diagram of the retaining clips and their locations on the device might be helpful.

The first step was the most difficult for me, as I nearly destroyed the wide opening tool sold by ifixit in the process... after wedging it slightly open, I then grabbed a screwdriver and pulled apart the rest of the iPod. On second thought if I remembered, the putty knife sold here would also help at the very beginning.

Thanks ifixit!

Excellent instructions! One suggestion was made to start at the bottom. The first step does show the tool used to start opening at the bottom; so, starting at the top contradicts the first step anyway. Am currently repairing a friends MBP, so have learned a lot about Apple's micro-technology. Patience is certainly a virtue here! : ) Thank you, iFixIt!! Jim W, Panama City, FL

This was a workout! This took me 75+ min.

Very hard to open. Needed butter knife to work the crack begun by iPod opening tool (aka myFinger opening tool when it slips); would take forever with only the tool. Hard to sense when retaining clips release. Please use screws, Apple!

Step 6: Really tricky to slide up the tiny brown connector latch without popping off either it or the tiny white logic board connector. So delicate! I popped off both. Argh! By God's grace, nothing broke, and I got it all back together.

Steps 7-9: Skipped, and glad I did, given #6; just be careful not to over-twist ribbon cable joining case & face..

Step 10: Don't pry out battery looking from same angle as in photo; turn 180 degrees so you can see what's under battery, where to pry or not. I pried with small screwdriver; plastic tool is wrong shape. Apply leverage sensitively; peel headphone ribbon cable off adhesive as you go … slowly. I left some paper on adhesive so cable wouldn't adhere again.

But success. Thanks, iFixit.

Hello,

I think it’s easier if you open it by a side. It took me less than 20s, and from the bottom i can’t.

Just a word of warning to everyone, be careful with Step 2. I was having a hard time opening my iPod (I was using a screwdriver), but when it finally opened I accidentally knocked off some small black thingy on the logic board. I am not too devastated, because it was not working in the first place. But just wanted to warn others.

i found it useful to get an old credit card to help freeing the case, somehow the opening tool i add was made of really soft plastic - and yes i confirm it s quiet hard to open but afterwards it s snaping back into place quiet easily

So i did it with success - watch out there is 2kind of motherboards -

the audio was gone on mine ( got it replace once by apple (bought in 2006 replace in 2010 failed again in 2011 but no chance to replace it, so i repaired it ...thanks i fixit )

After having given up on getting the case open, I decided to try again. I succeeded by having 2 tools, 1 to keep the bottom open while I used the other to pry open the sides. After that, replacing the hard drive was easy. I did not need to fully separate it by unseating the headphone ribbon jack.

I found using another ipod opener tool handy to just hold open the case enough to get a start on the side clips.

I've found starting from the TOP or sides to be easier. I could not get the bottom tabs to release until I got the top ones free.

After hurting my thumb while trying to open the bottom-side I watched some youtube clips to get an idea how it should look like. Instead pry open the case I had much more success by sliding the side of the case up and down with the opening tool until it come loose a litte bit. Then working to the edges and around till a side, top and bottom where open.

I had a difficult time with this as well. I ended up breaking the supplied iFixit tools, and used a small screwdriver from an eyeglass repair kit to do most of the work. Once three sides are opened it will separate easily, but the first two are tricky. Don't give up.

Following the guide is fairly simple. The easiest way to open it, is to slide the tool once you have it in between the metal and the plastic cover. Take your time. A big thanks to ifixit for this guide.

I could NOT get the opener to do anything starting from the bottom of the iPod. Working off someone else's recommendation, I managed to get a credit card wiggled in there, which gave me the room on the side to get the opener in, and with the slightest twisting motion was able to easily push the case open. Slide down, rotate a little, repeat repeat. Had the case off in about 45 seconds from getting the card into the gap.

It was very hard for me to open the case. It took me about forty minutes for this step alone. Try to keep the gap open with a different tool while you work around the edge to a different side. I wished I had a third hand. One to hold the ipod and two to hold the two tools. The top cover bends slightly but this is not a problem, because it's just protective plastic. The clips at the sides also break slightly. Remove the really tiny bend plastic parts because they will be in the way when reinserting the cover (by just pushing the cover back into its place).

To open the case in step 2, think of it more as slightly/gently lifting the metal case away from the clips on the face of the iPod as opposed to pushing in the clips to release them.

Use the pics for reference of where the clips are located.

Imagine popping the case off those clips; the iPod begins to spilt open as you work around the edge.

I had good luck starting on the lower right corner when facing the iPod, then moving around the to the bottom in a clockwise manner.

For me the whole thing started to separate, this guid says the front will separate but says nothing about the little screws holding the front on as well! 2 of the tabs with screws on mine broke at the bottom but thats fine just dont go thinking you can take the front off with just a few tabs!

Ok so followed all steps and all went well but headphones still won’t work. Everything else seems fine but I’m still with same problem before I changed part. What else could be wrong with it?

This ipod with the plastic face is a Lot easier to open than the Classics which all but require deforming the metal to open it. The tabs on this are plastic, so just think of needing to just slightly push those tabs inward while pushing that side of the case slightly outward by rocking/ twisting the opening tool back and forth in the seam. Another trick is getting the tool in and slowly sliding it along the edges to start working it loose all the way around (or at least 3/4 of the way around). Then if needed, use a 2nd tool (or a guitar pick, credit card, small putty knife, icing spatula, etc) to prop open the gap while you pry/ twist with the tool one side at a time. Good luck!

I used my go-to pry tool, the blade of a large 4” blade Wenger knife. I was successful starting from one side and eventually popped the top and bottom clips. Sorry, but little plastic pry tools are not up to this sort of job nor many others, and they break or chip unexpectedly.

Yeah, if you think you're trying to remove the front bezel you're going to have a bad time.

You are trying to remove the metal backing.

The front bezel is attached to most of the internals by screws. The screws are only accessible by removing the metal backing.

The guide should really update step 2 with more details about this.

READ COMMENT ABOVE FROM CHRISTOPHER!

6 very small screw fasteners attach the front panel/bexel to metal main iPod internal frame.

See Step 12 for photos.

Initial step is ONLY separation of back metal enclosure from the remainder of iPod.

The front plastic panel/bexel remains attached to main iPod frame until later in process.

Be careful when you get around to the top. Notice in the pic of the removed backplate that there is a connector in the middle of the top. The pins on it are easily broken, I've broken the ones on two ipods.

This needs to mention that the plastic front face of the ipod is SCREWED ONTO THE INNER CHASSIS! I ended up tearing all the screw connections in an effort to remove the face, as the picture above showed. You actually want to try to make sure you keep the face and the chassis together, and remove the back cover, not the front cover.

Ensure that the hard drive plastic strips are sitting down all the way into the lower case while you clip the two halves back together. Start at the end that has the hold switch and work your way evenly along both sides until you reach the other end.

One tip is to test that the unit powers up before clipping the two halves back together as you do not want to have to go through the whole opening procedure again if you didn’t manage to get the cable back into the socket correctly. Charge the battery up fully before using the IPod for any extended period of time

On open I found that my front case (seen in Step 3 that is attached with small screws) had corroded and instead just peeled off the front plastic piece, rather than having the back pop out. In some ways this made it easier to see the opening of the back, but it also made the track wheel fall out.

This experience is obviously no fault of the guide here, but worth noting that this might occur to your old ipod.

Otherwise fantastic website. I've never fixed anything more than replacing shoelaces in my entire life and I got this done. My ipod seems like it will work - I am currently loading up the charge to calibrate the battery. Thanks ifixit!

The View Huge version of picture is great!!! A diagram of how this fastener works would also be helpful for both disassembly and assembly.

The iPod opening tool seemed too large for the gap between the case and the connector latch since the thin edge of the tool had broken off during case opening. I used the flat tip of the screwdriver tool on my pocket knife. Be careful if you tilt the case during reassembly. The small brackets/bumpers (blue in the photo) can fall out. If they do, just reorient them according to the photo.

A really, really stupid design having this type of connector that you suppose to pry up the tap to release the cable. The white plastic part of the connector is not secured to the logic board at all. So when you pry up on the brown tap u can easily lift the whole thing off. Again, dumb design Apple.

I had trouble with the battery clip. As I was trying to leverage the opening tool under the clip I heard a pop. This being the first time I messed with this I thought the latch was open. I could not remove the cable. I tried again with the tool and heard another pop. The cable came out and the rest of the battery replacement was easy, got the new one back in no problem. Problem, the battery clip separated from the logic board when trying to lift the latch :/ Totally uncool, I scoped it out with a magnifying glass and saw that the logic board was damaged and a repair to the clip will be improbable. I am going to try one fix first before, eventually investing in a logic board. It probably won't work but I'll give it a shot.

Be very careful here.

My configuration was slightly different, the blue tools were too wide to open the connector. I used the tip of a sharp knife and used very little pressure and wiggled upwards the connector from all four sides. Do not push sideways under any circumstances!! I needed ten minutes for this step. I luckily didn't break anything. I was scared when the battery cable finally fell out. I didn't expect that it was just the end of the cable with four visible contacts. To connect the cable of the replacement cable, bend it 90 degrees down so that it goes into the open connector, then carefully push down the connector. It should go down with a very little click. If you are unsure whether you have power, don't close the ipod yet, but connect the ipod with power and wait about 15 minutes.

I don't believe the plastic tool is best suited for this step - it was A LOT easier (and safer) with tweezers to just pull up.

Hello, during replacement, the white plastic part of the connector has separated from the logic board. I tried to plug it again, but it seems that the battery doesn't charge anymore. Is it possible to fix it or do I have to buy a new logic board ?

The L bended paper clip in association with a tweezer gave a very good result to unlock the power supply connector. Cheers

The case tools they're sending now are too wide to fit into the space by the battery ribbon cable connector. Use a bent paperclip or tweezers to pull the connector up to free the cable.

Can use another logic board of the classic type? I have an iPod Classic 5th Generation White (30GB).

Kevin

Then new battery came with the cord wrapped around the battery and the instructions didn’t mention that you need to unwrap the cord. More importantly, the old battery cord had a 90 degree bend at the end that plugs into the iPod and the new battery came with a straight end. Putting a 90 degree bend in the end was easy and after that it plugged into the slot just fine.

Be really careful when you lift the brown retaining clip for the battery cable as you can quite easily lift the whole connector off the logic board rendering it useless. Ask me how I know :) I had successfully removed the cable and refitted it twice before but I rushed this time and ruined it. Luckily I got it for nothing so no big loss but very annoyed with myself.

I found this thread about one possible way to repair the battery connector if you rip it off the board. Not an easy repair but some great information on where the connectors pins go to The Brown connector broken. See @Wolfson reply

Use the pointed tip of a black spudger to hold down the white part of this connector. Then use angled/offset tweezers to pop up the brown part to release the cable. when reassembling use the black spudger or your finger to pop it back down. Give the slightest tug and make sure you get some resistance to ensure a good connection. Do not

You don’t need to pull up this switch! you can just gently pull and the cable will come out anyway, and go back in with a little pressure, in my opinion its not worth it when you can easily break the brown clip.

If you notice in the picture right next to the brown connector is a blue looking support, its has several angles to it. I used a very small surgical hemostat and removed that piece. On my device it was gray in color. I came out very easily, i just pulled straight up. It gave me a little more wiggle room, also, I did use both that hemostat and a very tiny flat edge screwdriver to pull up on that connector.

And again...... Thank You IFixit !!!! my Ipod is back up and running perfectly

Jeffrey A Roso (aka JaR)

I unfortunately pulled the entire connector out of the logic board (including some pins) Any way to fix this?

But how do I put the cable of the new battery back in place? I thought my new battery wasn't charging, but when I reopened the iPod just now, the cable came loose very easily, and I can't figure out how to click it back into place. A photo sequence would be very helpful here. When I insert the cable into the slot between the brown plastic and the contact point, the hard drive whirrs, so the battery is charged, but how do I click it into place so that contact is maintained? I don't want to break anything!

Okay, now I feel really stupid. What I hadn't recognized was that I needed to click the brown piece back down (i.e., perpendicular to the back of the iPod). The upward click, to unlock the battery cable, was subtle enough on the removal that I didn't realize I had done it. A bit of experimenting with slightly more vertical pressure and some other online videos showed me how to do it. Recharging now to see if this solves my problems. More obvious directional arrows on the inset photos would be helpful.

I pulled the whole plug out accidentally, but was able to push it back on with tweezers. You have to carefully align it with the contacts. I put it on backwards at first, but then pulled it off and pushed it back on correctly. Battery connector connected, and the iPod works just fine.

Quote from ferny:

the brown connector holding the orange battery ribbon cable in place broke off is that bad?

that piece needs to be on their (on the motherboard) so the battery stays connected securely.

I followed all these steps to the letter, charged the new battery and all worked fine for about a day. Now I can't get the iPod to respond to anything. The screen is black, it won't charge, itunes doesn't realize it's plugged in. It is flat out dead and just won't respond to anything. Suggestions?

I wish I'd done some troubleshooting before I bought a new jack. I got this far in the manual and discovered the connector holding the second ribbon in place had popped open and the ribbon was loose. I reconnected it and problem solved!

If it pops open it looks as if the connector is gone but it isn't. I put the ribbon back in place and gently swept the tool over the spot where the connector is and it went back into place.

Oh well, I have an extra jack if I should ever need it in the future. I know others with the same kind of iPod so I might save the day for someone someday.

Quote from ferny:

the brown connector holding the orange battery ribbon cable in place broke off is that bad?

Yes, breaking off the brown hold down lever on either connection is bad. With out that hold down lever the yellow strip that fits into that connection will be loose and cause a bad connection. Sorry

If just replacing the battery, you could skip steps 7,8, and 9.

[quote|serkaninan]I also think that step 7-9 can be skipped.

If changing the battery, yes, but not if changing the hard drive, as these instr are also a part of. The pic in 7b r.e. bumper tab orientation is very important.

I skipped these steps as well but because removing the battery can require some effort, I can see the need to include them. If there was a good way to attach the halves so they act as a single piece, that would be a good alternative to these steps.

This step (and Step 9) is not required to replace/upgrade the HDD!

Quote from euphoria:

Take great care in lifting this tiny brown tab. It is easy to break. Also, take extra great care when re-installing the cable and setting the tab back down on the cable. The cable slightly "sticks" in place before you place the tab back on it. I cannot stress how much gentleness is key with these miniscule tabs.

Umm if the brown retaining clip breaks, is there anyway to fix it

Is there anyway to get around breakin the tab to connect the headphone cable to the logic board or no

Quote from dreamer92:

Umm if the brown retaining clip breaks, is there anyway to fix it

I didn't break the tab, but I did lose it. Anyway to replace this? Don't even know what it's called to search for it...

Quote from dreamer92:

Umm if the brown retaining clip breaks, is there anyway to fix it

I need to know if this is possible to purchase just the retaining clip that connects the battery to the top of the iPod (the delicate clip everyone is warning about).. Mine broke and on top of that i dropped it and lost it... Am i pretty much screwed?

Yes, secure it with a piece of tape or glue.

I've seen a few comments regarding leaving the headphone ribbon cable attached thus making it unnecessary to lift the hard drive when replacing a battery. I just replaced the battery in my iPod Video 30GB and I started with the intention of not doing that. After going through the process, I'd recommend following the instructions as stated. Those ribbon cables can be fragile and not removing the headphone cable forces you to torque it around while trying to remove the battery, and plus it's difficult to maneuver around it. It's better to remove it so you have more room to work and less possibility of damaging it when the battery finally comes free.

This Step is very tricky!!!!

How to detach is not very hard, but to put it back is a nightmare, please be careful. After spent 1hour fighting with this step I found myself a hard time dealing with a small little tiny golden ribbon, and desperately tried to put the ribbon back to origin. Eventually I successfully ended up this step by placed the ribbon underneath the lock and quickly threw the HD back to press the weight on the ribbon, so it won't be moved. Luckily, It works and Hope this is help u out of the dark, in case u have a same problem as mine.

This step (and Step 8) is not required to replace/upgrade the HDD!

hi , C145 is burned on mine, did anyone know ref to replace ?

It's absolutely necessary to FIRST release the black hinge holding the hard drive ribbon cable BEFORE trying to remove the the hard drive ribbon cable from the HDD ( <= in case you want e.g. replace/upgrade the HDD)

During re-assembly and/or after having replaced/upgraded the HDD make sure you fix the rubber side bumpers correctly on the sides of the HDD! <= They have top and bottom side which are not identical (the cross section of the rubber side bumpers looks like an "h" on its side)

I attached the blue foam to the bottom of the CF adapter and it made it too thick. It actually bend my front cover. I wrapped the edges of the CF Adapter with electrical tape and removed the foam again.

Is the board end of the HDD ZIF 40pin ribbon cable the same on the CE-ATA 10pin cable that comes with the 160GB iPods (every 5th gen, except the 160GB, uses the board to ZIF 40pin cable)?

Ok, so I got the battery changed no problem, installed the new hard drive no problem, but before closing it completely I decided to test it… there is power cuz it turned on but it has been on the apple screen for about 5 minutes now. I can hear the hard drive working..just wondering if it's taking so long because it hasn't been turned on in ages or if its because of the new hard drive. Can anyone help? Is this ha drive just no good?

My 30gb 5th gen had the opposite connector. Had to flip up the beige/white part the opposite direction. See photo (marks on black side are from trying the way shown here first) before https://i.imgur.com/NhYKwcG.jpg & after https://i.imgur.com/XIvLbAb.jpg

Be careful people, you might break it

Mine was the same as Michael Styles 4/24/2020 comment. Got nowhere trying to lift the black part. Wish I’d have read the comments before trying for so long lifting the black part.

Great instructions! I replaced the battery, faceplate, backplate, wheel, and center button without any real problems. Took about 2 hours, though! The center button is a tad bit loose…no wiggle room parallel to the surface (when moving my thumb left and right or top and bottom) , but when I touch the button and lift my thumb I can hear and feel it lift upward (perpendicular to the surface) and rattle that way. Perhaps I bent the logic board a bit? I thought it would tighten up once fully assembled but it didn’t. Now I’m wishing I padded it with a bit of foam or something.