iPod Mini Battery Replacement

Written By: iRobot
  • Comments: 72
iPod Mini Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

12

Time Required

25 - 45 minutes

Introduction

Battery not lasting long? Swap it out.

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    • Before opening your iPod, ensure that the hold switch is in the locked position.

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    • Carefully insert a small flathead screwdriver or Jimmy in the seam between the metal casing and white plastic top. Use the screwdriver to pry up the white plastic top bezel. Be careful not to damage the soft plastic with your screwdriver.

    • The top bezel is held on with an adhesive, so it may be necessary to pry up in several different locations to free the part.

    • To make this job easier, heat up the adhesive with a hairdryer on low heat for a few seconds.

    You can also gently use a metal spudger to lift up both the top and bottom bezels. Allow only 1/8" of the metal spudger (like the screwdriver in the picture) to get inside to get leverage, before fully lifting the bezel up. Please note where the little "teeth" are underneath the bezels, or you can damage those if you are not careful.

    Also, using too big of a flathead screwdriver can cause damage to the plastic and chips away plastic from where you were trying to pry up the bezels, ruining the look of the iPod.

    Ryan -

    There should be a button here for "I did it -- EPIC FAILURE!!" When I put my iPod back together, the components on the mainboard were scraping against the clickwheel, and maybe the battery wasn't in perfect alignment, but the result was that there was a lethal amount of friction when sliding the assembly back into the case. As I was trying to relieve the pressure by tilting the board down using a spudger from the bottom, the top of the display bezel ended up scraping against the casing in such a way that it cracked from the center of the right edge. OUCH!! There goes a $50 repair job and a $40 replacement cost! Bye Bye perfectly working iPod Mini )-;

    There are two safeguards that can be done when reassembling this iPod. First, use a stiff piece of plastic film as a shim and lubricant between the top of the logic board and the top inside of the case, such as anti-static packaging, or the clear bag packaging of Apple display dongles (use an exacto knife to cut a long strip of it). Don't cover the display with the plastic, just the logic board components. Second, instead of pushing down on the assembly from the top or sides of the display which will place dangerous pressure on it, connect a cable to the dock connector and pull on it from the bottom, and pull out the plastic shield deftly and easily after the assembly is in position.

    steadfast I and I -

    If it's held on by adhesive, how do I get it back on?

    Cam -

    If you have longish fingernails and don't mind ruining them, I found it helpful to run my thumbnail between the plastic and the metal casing before going at it with a screwdriver. The little "teeth" a previous commenter mentioned are at approximately the 1/3 and 2/3 marks on the long edge of the plastic casings.

    rongshifen -

    Instead of gouging the end caps out with the flat screwdriver, try hot gluing a piece of wood (I used a tongue depressor-like ‘craft stick’) to the end cap, then just lever the cap out without damaging the aluminum. Removing the stick and the glue from the end caps takes a little patience but can be done without leaving a mark.

    Human -

    Don’t use any kind of metal tool to get these plastic caps off. Metal on metal will scratch up the body. I use a thin guitar pick, work it in between the cap and case, then turn it horizontal and slide around enough until you can use your fingernail to pull the cap the rest of the way off. Don’t be aggressive and break off the little fingers on the bottom side of the cap.

    Ken Mastri -

    Use plastic picks or the back of an iSesamo tool to get in.

    TheYootz Media Group -

    For a newbie, consider removing the bottom bezel first. In case of scratches due to lack of practice and expertise, the bottom bezel usually isn't as visible during usage.

    Using your fingernail, determine which edge would be best for starting. Feel for an edge where the aluminum case is a tiny bit higher then the plastic when pressing down gently on the bezel.

    Only use plastic tools. The plastic picks from Ifixit are good. A plastic spudger may work but it needs a very sharp edge.

    As you work the pick in between the bezel and the aluminum case, note that you can push the pick in more toward the middle of the bezel and much less (1/8") elsewhere. Avoid deep probes at the 1/3 and 2/3 points where plastic clips reside.

    For those who are looking at the suggested timeline and wondering how it is possible, this step alone took me 45 minutes. So, take your time as you see fit.

    YeeWee -

    As an alternative to using hot glue: I cut a command strip to the width of the white bezel, then stuck it onto the bezel, then stuck a plastic card on the other side. Then it is easy to pull out the bezels. It is also easy to remove the command strips without damaging the bezel.

    Ian -

    I found the bezel parts to be easiest to remove using a scalpel (to pry up) and the blue guitar pick looking things.

    Jonathan Cousins -

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    • Lift the top bezel off of the iPod.

    A thinner blade, such as a small pocket knife blade worked for me.

    dean dillon -

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    • Carefully insert a small flathead screwdriver or Jimmy in the seam between the metal casing and white plastic bottom Use the screwdriver to pry up the white plastic bottom bezel. Be careful not to damage the soft plastic with your screwdriver.

    Again, be mindful and careful of the little white teeth on the underside of the plastic especially the two on the ends of the long sides.

    DITOSP -

    I used Stanley knife blade to gently prise both top and bottom plastic covers

    jimbo20039 -

    Like I do for the top, I use a thin plastic guitar pick to wedge between the plastic cap and metal case. Once it’s in, turn the pick horizontal (same as the cap) and work it around until you can get your fingernails under it. Also, I believe this cap is made to go on only one way, so maybe mark which edge is front or back

    Ken Mastri -

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    • A small pair of snap ring pliers is the easiest tool to remove the metal retaining bracket.

    • You can also use a flathead screwdriver to pry out the metal retaining bracket beneath the bottom bezel as shown. You can free the bracket by first pushing in the metal arms on the corners and then lifting the bracket.

    Be *very* careful on the left hand side. It's almost too easy to scrape the click wheel cable and cause damage to it!

    LambdaCalculus -

    I used a circlip tool and for removal and reinsertion. It was fast and easy and avoids bending the part. They are also referred to as snap ring pliers.

    thezazupits -

    Quote from thezazupits:

    I used a circlip tool and for removal and reinsertion. It was fast and easy and avoids bending the part. They are also referred to as snap ring pliers.

    There are two kinds of snap ring pliers available. One pivots like regular pliers, one hinges in reverse (when you squeeze the handles, the tips spread). Use the first type.

    PZencak -

    My click wheel lost some of its functionality. The back button, and the touch sensitivity to scroll through songs isn't working. :(

    coombsnahuel -

    Hi,

    I have followed this very good tutorial as carefully as I could and I thank you very much for having posted it!

    However, my problem is not solved. After having connect-disconnect issues when used with car charger, the iPod started making faint noise when plugged and refused to charge or start-up. I thought it was a mechanical noise (hard drive?) but obviously it is not the case because battery and hard drive are now unplugged, and the board-screen assembly still makes the same noise when plugged in a USB socket (but of course I can't localize the origin of that noise).

    Do you have any idea what it might be due to?

    Thank you in advance for any advice,

    Maxime

    Maxime Gommeaux -

    I would definitely recommend either circlip pliers to take out the metal retaining bracket because using a screwdriver leaves obvious marks on he corners of the case. I have noticed many for sale on eBay that have these marks. There are now plastic 'lifters' available to remove the top and bottom bezels and these are brilliant if used carefully and go in easily on the click wheel / screen side but be aware that when removing the bottom bezel it may bend the case a bit but it is easily persuaded back into shape. I too have carried out 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB conversions to the mini with a compact flash to SD card adapter and before fitting I format the card in my Sony Alpha 350 camera and it works a treat. My daughter loves her 128 gb converted mini and it's almost bombproof with a solid state memory on board.

    ptrmayhew6 -

    Rather than pry the ends of the clip out, insert the flat screwdriver as shown ( maybe a little more straight up) and slide it toward the open end, lifting as you go, and the corner of the clip will pop right out.

    Human -

    This is possibly the hardest part of this job for me. Getting this metal spring clip out without damaging the ribbon cable that’s right under one side is tricky. Take your time and use care to avoid touching the cable.

    Ken Mastri -

    In my ‘repair’, I managed to do the above on the side away from the clickwheel connector. I pried it up, and gently wiggled it free from the space. That way you don’t need to go prying at the connector, at cost of causing some scrape marks on the inside of the casing. Rather have internal scrapes than needing to replace the clickwheel!

    Casey -

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    • Lift the metal retaining bracket out of the iPod.

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    • Use a spudger or the tip of your finger to carefully disconnect the orange click wheel ribbon from the logic board.

    • Careful not to dig the spudger in too deep to avoid detaching the contact on the logic board. Try to keep the spudger as close to the orange click wheel ribbon connector as possible.

    Be careful with the ribbon: do not pull on the actual ribbon itself. I made the mistake of doing this (as this guide isn't clear about it), and it caused my clickwheel to be glitchy and unresponsive.

    I'd recommend using the flathead screwdriver and prying gently upward on the white connector (called a molex plug) below the orange ribbon. If it doesn't come out at first, go slow and don't use a lot of force. You'll want to use the same technique when disconnecting the battery plug later.

    Illumina -

    hello !

    When I disconnected the orange click wheel ribbon, accidentally I rip de orange wheel ribbon.

    You have a new piece to send to me ?

    thank You

    Paulo

    ptmont1 -

    The important key here, is to note that the ribbon cable is connected by a Molex plug. Use the small flat screwdriver to gently lift the plug, not the ribbon off.

    Lisa W -

    As others have said, do NOT pull up on the orange ribbon cable itself, because it will easily break off of the clip that’s attached to it underneath, and your click wheel will be ruined. Use a small flat screwdriver to gently and gradually pry out the white plastic plug by pushing on one side then the other, rocking it out.

    Ken Mastri -

    On my iPod Mini, the white part is the female connector. The male molex connector was black. It’s difficult to see in such a compact space, so be careful you don’t start trying to pry the whole connector off the board!

    Casey -

    The molex connector is visible from the center view of the iPod, but not from the edge view. Use a focusing flashlilght and see the color and position of the connector. A small flat blade screwdriver can reach from the center to nudge the connector up from that side. On the edge side, it's more difficult. One cannot see the connector not wedge upward w/o pushing on the ribbon cable. A narrow plastic spudger or screwdriver unfortunately needs to be used there, unless a custom tool were developed. Wedge upward slightly there, then return to the center view as the screwdriver can reach quite far and gently edge up the connector. Repeat a few times until it releases.

    YeeWee -

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    • Remove the two #00 Phillips screws securing the headphone jack to the casing.

    To avoid losing the screws, if you have any kind of magnet such as a refrigerator magnet, place the screws on it for temporary storage on your work surface.

    YeeWee -

    The screws wont budge no matter what i try. im worried i wasted my time and money.

    Captain Crabcake -

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    • Carefully slide the iPod out of its casing by pushing on the logic board near the bottom edge of the click wheel.

    • As you slide the iPod out, small components may snag on the edge of the casing. Move the iPod side to side to clear these components.

    • Do not pull on the headphone jack board at the top of the iPod, as the connector to the logic board is fragile.

    • Be careful not to break the logic board connector off the iPod. The ribbon cable sits at the very top of the connector.

    If you're iPod is dented in anyway expect this to not easily slide out. Took me a few minutes of prying on parts to get it to slide.

    brock fansler -

    If you push as pictured with your thumb, you may end up pushing on the clickwheel board. Press more from the lower edge, small finger with fingernail pointed opposite from the picture, away from the clickwheel/display side.

    YeeWee -

    The bottom edge of the logic board has a rubber sponge that pushes the logic board up toward the clickwheel and display. It may help to reach in with a spudger and push the logic board downward, compressing the sponge and giving one a tiny bit more clearance between the logic board and the clickwheel.

    YeeWee -

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    • After pushing the logic board out sufficiently, gently grasp the logic board on either side of the display, and continue to slide the iPod out of its casing.

    Don't grab and pull from that top piece as it's the headphone logic board which is only connected to the main logic board with a small molex connector.

    YeeWee -

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    • Lift the battery off of the logic board and lay it to the side of the iPod.

    The battery is stuck to the logic board with a small square adhesive pad (seen in the next picture). It may adhere to the battery as shown, the logic board, or may tear and split as you remove the battery. Transfer as much as possible to the new battery, perhaps securing with a piece of double-sided tape.

    Note the polarity of the wires so that you don't attempt to plug in the new battery the wrong way.

    The molex connector has raised edges on each end that one can catch with a fingernail. Do hold down the mating connector on the logic board with a spudger to avoid stress.

    YeeWee -

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    • Carefully disconnect the battery from the logic board. Make sure to pull only on the connector and not on the battery wires.

    If you need to, place the fingernail of one of your fingers, or use a spudger, to hold down the base where the iPod battery is connected. Take your time and have patience too. Using too much force can separate the base and ruin the logic board.

    Ryan -

    The replacement battery from ifixit had a paper wrapping that I removed before installing. Also, the wire lead was much longer than the original so it had to be tucked in carefully.

    DITOSP -

    I replaced the bat on two mini's and though each was a little different (removing from the metal body) this couldn't have been easier. I did use snap ring pliers to remove the bottom clip. Using them made it much easier as I was having trouble with the screwdrivers and the pliers are made for this purpose. All and all very satisfactory experience.

    mbob518 -

    Well, there you go. I think I pulled up the base of the battery cable, the part that's soldered to the logic board (sickening snap). It seems connected at one solder point, but levers up from 4 other points. Not so good. Anyone thin I could solder this back with no issues? Heat? Solder composition? Hate to think I've come this far to have simply ruined the thing.

    xfrench -

    the replacement battery is MUCH thicker than the original or a previous replacement battery.

    The innards will not slide into place with the battery installed. Slides in and out easily with the previous, thinner, battery.

    Did I get the incorrect battery??

    mrmacfixit -

    I have put everything back together and put it on charge. Now it's only showing the apple sign is that normal or something is wrong

    Nikki Fairley -

    The battery is a tight fit, and if the new battery doesn’t exactly match the size and shape of the original, it simply won’t fit. It has to nestle under the headphone board without putting force on it. Also it’s very important to wrap the battery wires around and out of the way in the same fashion as the original so that they don’t cause a problem when sliding the board assembly back into the body.

    Ken Mastri -

    Note that the current battery sold by iFixit will not fit. The battery connections protrude on the top and interfere with the headphone board and the battery connector. Find another vendor for the battery.

    YeeWee -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

iRobot

Member since: 25/09/09

0 Reputation

28 comments

At step 7, it must be noted that the orange click wheel ribbon is connected to a plastic attachment, which is connected to the logic board. In disconnecting the click wheel ribbon don't pull the ribbon from its plastic attachment.

ggreif -

i cant seem to slide it away from the casing, im pushing on the charger port and no movement what so ever

Chris Rafferty -

Maybe the metal is bent, or the plastic on the top of the unit is somehow stuck. I'd look for a bend or disfigured metal, though.

nclee -

@mrmacfixit you must have. If it's the same voltage as the old battery, it will work, but you DON'T want to risk puncturing it forcing it into the case.

nclee -

It really did take a hairdryer to get the bezels off! Be patient working it all back into the case ,

rscoombes -

Do you know perhaps the size of the screws?

Fotios Tzortzoglou -

Great explanations!!

All went smoothly.

Thanks Ifix it!!

aufred -

I ordered a replacement battery here on iFixit, and it is slightly larger in size than the original. To make it fit height-wise, you need to take the blue pads off the hard drive, which would make it wobble around. Additionally, the battery is a bit thicker, so it doesn't slide into the case easily, and I don’t want to break anything by forcing it. Anyone else have a similar problem with a battery they ordered on here? I expected better than this from iFixit. My old battery still works, so I will use that for the time being.

Daniel Korzhenevich -

UPDATE: I took apart my iPod again, and after a lot of pushing, checking, and pushing again, I got the battery to fit in. I had to use a piece of foam and some double-sided tape to secure my hard drive instead of the blue rubber pads to make the battery fit in height-wise. This is OK in my situation, because I have replaced the hard drive with a compact flash card, but actual hard drives need the cushioning from the blue pads so they don’t break as easily.

Daniel Korzhenevich -

Agreed that the iFixit battery does not fit. The current (2022) battery is significantly taller. Like you said, if also replacing the hard drive with a compact flash, your method of removing the hard drive rubber bumper gives you some more room for the taller iFixit battery. And like you say, the rubber bumper really isn't needed with a compact flash as it's a shock absorber of primary use with a hard drive.

YeeWee -

I ordered the iFixit battery, and it is slightly higher and thicker, but seemed to fit in place. The connecting wires were longer, so it seemed difficult to fit them as smoothly as the original, but again, it finally seemed to fit. I followed the directions, and all seemed to go well. The iPod turned on and the click wheel responded. It seemed slightly “glitchy”, and I could not get the unit to turn off. I continued the reassembly anyway, but after I replaced the bottom white plate, the light would not go on, and the screen appears frozen on a song. No more response. I finished reassembling the unit, and hope a full charge will restore it to proper function. Disappointed overall, since I might not be able to backup my old iPod. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Lisa W -

i know this is a old comment, but u sheared off a resistor (i watch a youtuber, and the iPod will do…wierd things…if the resistor is sheared off of course) so u would need to replace the logic board

the bongo guy -

Yes, after a full charge, the unit is working. The instructions and pictures were clear. This was a good fix!

Lisa W -

If you happen to make marks on the plastic top of the iPod especially if the marks are on the edge, you can sand down the edges with a nail file or fine sandpaper to make it look better.

If the top is bulging its probably because there is a lot of adhesive there and making it appear as if its lifting up, in my case my iPod was already opened by someone else so there was a ton of adhesive, removing it will make the top and bottom parts sit flush with the housing again.

Sara Zielinski -

How do you reattach the top and bottom white plates? Hot glue, foam tape, something else?

mrbelm -

Battery replacement went smoothly (I thought) but now the sound is all messed up. It’s like I’m only getting one channel in both earphones but weirder - like everything is swimming in reverb. What did I break?

johnhoskinson -

I will never attempt this fix again. At this point the device is 15 years old. The original battery was swollen and getting the assembly out of the case was very difficult. The connector for the touch wheel broke in the process. Also the cables in the replacement battery are significantly thicker than in the original one which makes it harder to accommodate when putting it back together.

I replaced screens in several iPhones before but this was way harder. Now I the iPod is gone and it makes me very sad since it was my first iDevice buy with my own savings and it kept me company for years while I had to commute many hours a day to work and night clases.

Better luck to you if you attempt this repair.

Diego Alifano -

If the old battery was swollen, is it possible it damaged something inside before you did the repair.

Allen -

Yeah, the Mini is already tightly packaged, but the Nanos are even worse, packaged even tighter, almost impossible to open non-destructive (but that also goes for the classic 6th/7th gen compared to the previous generations) and expanding batteries are killing them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcwpY5W7...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRuV5Drn...

Marcel Pape -

In my repair I was replacing the battery with a ‘Camron Sino’ branded replacement. The battery is packed almost identically to the original battery, however there was more of a bulge where the cables are wrapped in. This annoyingly meant it would not fit in the recess. If you do the CF adapter swap, it would appear to be slightly smaller. This meant a bit more wiggle room for the battery, and was able to get it all together.

Step 2 & 3 people and the guide comment about prying up in the gap. Well the Apple engineer went full specialist mode on the one I had, because there was no gap. In my situation, I resorted to using my smallest precision flathead driver head to pry up a very small recess, then jammed a spudger into the gap. This does cause some slight warping on the panels, but I couldn’t easily see another way. How this repair is rated moderate is beyond me…

Casey -

Depending on the condition of the case. You might need to push up the mother board with something long and thin when putting it back in.

Scott Vogel -

Note from person who did this guide be careful around the clickwheel ribbon cable

KindacringebroNGL -

Reassembly notes 1 (supplement to recommended procedure):

When starting to insert the logic board into the housing, note the channel in the housing. The circuit board inserts on the side of the channel facing the rear of the housing (not on the side facing the display).

Grasp the circuit board from the side as much as possible. Note that the end of the circuit board has the headphone board attached, and it is just secured with a very small jack. It cannot take much force of pushing the circuit board into the housing. It's very difficult to find a spot on the end of the circuit board itself as a pushing point, even with a spudger.

Upon reaching the click wheel board, the circuit board may catch. There is a flexible sponge located on the leading edge of the circuit board that presses toward the display side of the housing. Reach in from the bottom of the housing with a spudger, and press downward slightly (away from the display side of the housing), while gently pushing the circuit board into the housing.

YeeWee -

Reassembly notes 2 (supplement to recommended procedure):

When the circuit board reaches the point where the battery wires are at the housing opening, you will probably need to tuck them in with a spudger to avoid getting stuck at that point.

For the very last part of inserting the logic board, there's no choice I found except to push on the headphone board. This is not ideal. Push on the end nearest the connection point of the headphone logic board to the main circuit board.

Check operation before installing the end caps. Slide the "lock" switch with your fingernail to the "on" position during this testing. Once satisfied with your testing, turn off the iPod and slide the lock switch back to the "locked" position.

Installing the circlip metal bracket is best done with snap ring pliers.

YeeWee -

Reassembly notes 3 (supplement to recommended procedure):

I used 4mm double stick tape to secure the bezels (I didn't scrape off the existing adhesive as it was mostly gone anyway). I put the tape on the circuit board end connection points not the bezels themselves.

Before installing the end bezel with the lock switch, check that it is still in the locked position. This needs to match up with the position of the switch on the logic board.

YeeWee -

Yeah, fab thanks everyone. My only advice is to read ahead all the steps before beginning, read the comments, and find a nice quiet spot to do it where no one will bother you!

William Hall -

Thanks so much. I found the mini to be the easiest to disassemble, the board just came out without any resistance. Took me just 15 minutes to do everything. I took the battery from another mini which had a glitchy hdd, so the other mini was pretty much useless.

In the past I have destroyed 3rd and 4th generation nanos when I would push the ipod out from the casing. These nano models are almost impossible to open without damaging anything. The classics too are so strongly enclosed that the backplate would always bend in the process.

Millan -

Hello, idk if this is in the right section but I'm gonna try, when I was following these steps and I got to the part where I needed to go backwards to put my mini back together, the replacement battery I got ( I got it from amazon since it's sold out on here) gave me quite a bit of trouble to go into the shell and fit flush against the board, causing the top bit to move slightly. idk if it was before or after taking out the internals but I heard something fall, idk what this could be, but since I tried putting everything into the shell, the click wheel doesn't do anything. The C78/C18 thingy looks intact so idk about that part on the board but I'm honestly so confused on what could have happened, I'll be honest I was rough when putting the internals back in but I'm just so lost on what to do now

Katherine Furmanek -