I have a 3rd gen that's in pretty bad condition. The battery life is brutal, a reset is required every 10 days, and the headphone jack seems somewhat damaged.
You may wonder, then, why do I want to revive it? Because I hate the click-wheel. I have a newer ipod mini and I can't stand the click-wheel. I also don't like the fact that there are no lights. Fixing this ipod will give it a retro-aspect but also make it fully functional again. I realize this will cost me some money, but I'll try to save (and do-it-myself) whereever possible.
STEP 1: DIAGNOSTICS
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I put my 3rd gen into diagnostics mode by resetting it (hold menu+play) and when the apple logo showed up I put it into diagnostics mode (hold previous+next+select).
I listed some of the tests I ran and its outputs in order of appearance.
- AUDIO: (audio works)
- KEY: KEY PASS
- FW ID: FW Pass
- A2D: ADC TEST, ID 004A, BAT 001F2, ACC 003FF, ACC2 000FF
- OTPO CNT: (scrollwheel works)
- CHKSUM: 0x00008d44
-
RUN IN: RTC, SDRAM, FLASH, 0x00008d44, AUDIO 4, TI1394, 0x0F000F99, HDD
- HDD: HDD PASS
-
5-in-1: RTC, 0x00000032, SDRAM PASS, 0x00008D44, 0x0F000F99, FWID PASS
Note: The 5-in-1 test only worked after I started fiddling with the hold button... weird.
STEP 2: DEFINITE UPGRADES
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1) Battery Upgrade
I've narrowed it down to two options:
a) Nupower:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer...gy/BIPOD850M3/
b) Truepower:
http://www.truepowerbatteries.com/index6.php
2) Headphone Jack
http://ipodmechanic.com/product_info.php?products_id=6
I'm glad they replace the hold thing as my hold button isn't looking that great either.
STEP 3: POTENTIAL UPGRADES
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3) Harddrive
Even though the test said it's okay, I'm skeptical. First, I've been using the drive *a lot*. Second, all the throwing around must have damaged the head in some way. Thus, my guess is that in the very near future the drive will die.
I'm interested in purchasing a 15gb Toshiba drive:
http://ipodmechanic.com/product_info.php?products_id=30
4) Front & Back
A friend of mine may be able to hook me up. This is not a must, it's something that'd be cool to do as my ipod is fairly scratched up.
What do you guys think? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
docholiday
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