iPodHackers.net

So Sorry!

2008-05-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the recent lack of activity, life has been getting in the way and it seems that few people are willing to share hacks to post here! ....shame on you!......

Now, really I'll be posting more iPod hacks in the coming weeks, thanks for your patience!

In the meantime, here's a non-ipod project using a laser engraver....

WANTED:

2008-04-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Send us your hacks! If you want the world to know about your latest iPod mod or hack, send us an email to contact @ iPodHackers.net

Updates Coming Soon

2008-04-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Sorry for the lack of new posts lately, it's been very hectic.

In addition to fixing a few miscellaneous things on the site, this is what we've got coming:

Full AVRCP Bluetooth fuctionality for the 5G BT iPod

5G BT iPod with a 30GB hard drive

Revised, 4th Gen BT iPod design

"Super 4G BT iPod with AM/FM radio!

Come and check up on our progress weekly!

DIY Audio Probe

2008-03-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

The DIY Audio Probe page is finished. If you only want to track down an audio signal and don't have an oscilloscope, try a simple & cheap audio probe!

Simply find a ground and probe around for your signal - Simple! I used this tool to verify the locations for the audio taps on the motherboard for my BT project.

iPod Touch Needed for Bluetooth Mod

2008-03-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

We've been asked a number of times if we can mod an iPod Touch.

We want to investigate the possibility of incorporating internal stereo Bluetooth into the iPod Touch but of course we need one to work on! So, if you have a functional iPod Touch with a broken screen or just have an extra one lying around and want to donate it to iPodHackers.net, send us an email. If we use your donated unit and successfully mod it, we will perform the mod on your other iPT for free!

You may ask: Why don't you just buy one yourselves? Simple, we are a no-budget operation here!

If you'd like to help, please send an email to contact @ ipodhackers.net

Issues with upgrading a 3G iPod with Flash

2008-03-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

A few folks who have tried to upgrade their 3G iPod with Flash have run into a pesky problem where the restore process does not finish and the iPod constantly restarts. Reader Andreas has put together a handy troubleshooting guide for this. It will be archived under "General iPod".

Submit Your Hacks & Tips

2008-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Do you have a hack or tip you'd like to share?

email them to contact @ ipodhackers.net. Be as specific as possible and include pictures if possible. We'll post it here for the world to see!

Bluetooth iPod For Sale on eBay!

2008-03-13T20:20:00.001-07:00

Here's your chance to own something no else has, your own Bluetooth-enabled Video iPod!

Click here to check it out.

New: Post Your Comments!

2008-03-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

If you want to make a comment, it is now easy to post your comments for the world to see. Be nice: rude, negative or otherwise unacceptable posts will be immediately deleted.

You can see the comments from the original 5G Bluetooth announcement, simply scroll down to the last post on this page.

ATA Compliance for Compact Flash Cards

2008-03-12T21:30:00.001-07:00

A lot of readers have asked about the requirement for a fully-compliant ATA flash card. ATA compliance basically ensures that the card will look just like a hard disk to your iPod. If a card manufacturer says that their card is 100% ATA compliant or something to that effect, it means that there is an actual ATA controller in the card and not just raw memory. A cheaper flash card may be able to store data just fine, but will not work with your iPod.

You can usually verify ATA compliance by reading the specs on the card before you buy it, it will say so on the package or main data sheet. If it doesn't say so in an obvious place it is likely not ATA compliant. I've had good luck with Sandisk, Transcend and AData.

The interface for the iPod Mini, is not just physically identical to a CF card, it is also electrically the same since the Microdrives were actually designed with the Compact Flash profile in mind. That is why the iPod Mini is probably the easiest iPod to upgrade with Flash.

New Pics. More on Wednesday.

2008-03-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

This week I've added new pics and cleaned up the 5G Bluetooth article. I still have to add pictures to the iPod Mini tutorial, so bear with me.

By Wednesday, I should have the iPod Mini and Audio Probe pages finished.

Work continues on improving the Bluetooth Hack - Coming soon: Full AVRCP support as well as a mod without removing the hard drive.

fstedie

Bluetooth 5G iPod - Finished!

2008-02-20T06:45:00.000-08:00

Here it is! "Native" Bluetooth support for the 5G iPod Video. A few weeks ago I posted a tutorial on Instructables.com for how to add internal Bluetooth to your 4G iPOd. Modding the iPod video was considerably more difficult. Unlike the previous hack, I wanted a to leave the external appearance looking stock. So, with the exception of the custom clear front panel, the iPod looks just like any other.

Most external Bluetooth modules will work, but keep in mind that the smaller the better. Even with the smallest one though, there is very little room in the case. The standard 30GB 5G iPod is significantly thinner than the 4G, so unless you want to use a bigger back plate, the CF conversion is a must. You can get the adapter from Tarkan at www.tarkan.info

You have to take my word for it, but the pretty blue light means I've got streaming stereo Bluetooth!

My original design used a universal module from Jabra, but I was lucky enough to find an even smaller module (thanks Xanatos451). The picture on the left shows the circuit board from the external BT module wired directly into the iPod's motherboard. The wires you see are for power, audio and LED outputs.

The led is mounted from the inside and through the metal frame. If you don't have a clear front panel like this one, you can still mod your existing front panel without drilling through it (more to come on that later). You can get the iVue clear panel at RapidRepair.com.

This hack was a lot more difficult than the one for the 4G unit so don't even think about doing this unless you're quite comfortable with the complete disassembly and reassembly of your iPod. Of course, there is always the distinct possibility that you will brick your iPod.

Feel free to post comments, I'll post more details over the next few days followed by a more complete set of Instructables.com. In the meantime you can check out the rest of my iPod Hacks here.