iPod Social Outreach Program

Nov 20 2006

Job No. 25

Published by Scott at 8:21 pm under iPod 4G

iPod repair log.

Model:
4G 20GB
(windows formatted)

Initial Condition:
scratches on front and back
dint in side of back panel
iPod menu operates normally but no sound out headphone jack

Also supplied: iTrip transmitter with headphone connector broken off.

Action:
Opened iPod
– the ribbon cable running from the main board to the headphone circuit has become disconnected (easy fix, I was expecting a broken headphone connector)

Reconnected ribbon cable
– headphone jack functions normally

Reassembled iPod

iPod now functioning.

———————

The iTrip looks pretty beat up.

Used guitar picks to open it up (is there anything they can’t do?)

Inside I count 7 connection points on the plug assembly with only one wire still attached.

Not really sure where all these go? So I went google and flicker and got these links:

iTrip mini mod
Spymac forum
flickr – hacking the iTrip

Some of the pictures on these links show 3 red wires going to the plug, some show 2; I’ve only got 2.

Looking at the wire connection points on the circuit board they appear to be in two groups, a group of 4 pads arranged in a square pattern and a group of 5 pads (3 of which are used) arranged in a circle (around a central hole). This arrangement seems to mirror the plug assembly, the rectangular serial connector and the circular headphone jack.

One of the serial connector wires is still attached; that’s one of the 4 pads accounted for. Another serial connector wire broke off in such a way that makes it obvious where it came from; that leaves a red and a black wire. The iPodLinux site says that my remaining 2 pins are ‘Serial TxD’ and ‘Serial GND’ so I’m going to assume that the black wire is the ground.

With the headphone jack it’s fairly obvious which wire is the ground (if we assume the circuit board is constructed with a large ground surface). The other two wires are red and black, I’m guessing left and right channels. Right channel audio is traditionally red, left is black. In a standard audio jack the tip of the connector is the left channel, the first ring is the right channel and the sleeve is the ground (the iTrip has 4 connectors, iPodLinux says the top ring is for composite (video?) on the 4G iPod – I guess I can leave this unconnected).

This is what I think is going on:

So I wired it up, and plugged in the iTrip.

It acts like it’s working, blinks it’s little light when I change frequencies and such, but I can’t get anything on my radio. Not really sure what’s going on.

Put the iTrip back together but didn’t glue it, just in case someone else wants to have a go at it.

Report:
Disassembled iPod, connected headphone circuit ribbon cable, and reassembled iPod.

iPod now appears to be fully functional.

Disassembled iTrip, rewired connector jack. iTrip appears to function but I can’t get a signal on my radio; iTrip may be faulty.

Notes:
none

Component Summary: