Oct 04 2006
What is the iSOP?
The iPod Social Outreach Program is a community repair centre for iPods. For me (the organiser), the iSOP is part art project, part social service, and part PhD research. For you, it may be a chance to get your dysfunctional iPod fixed for free.
To take advantage of the iSOP you will need to drop-off and pick-up your iPod from the repair centre (regretfully I don’t have the time or resources to provide a postal service). When leaving iPods for repair you should bear in mind that I am not a technician and have no formal training in iPod repairs. I am however extraordinarily stubborn and every effort will be made to diagnose and repair your iPod.
Were necessary your iPod will be disassembled and it’s components tested for faults. I will not be providing replacement parts, so if your iPod has a hardware failure I may not be able to repair it, but I will give a detailed description of the fault so you will know which bits still work and which bits are cactus. With this information you may be able to buy/trade a replacement part from another iPod owner at the iSOP. You will be able to track the status of your iPod through this blog site. You can also use the site to ask other participants if they want to trade with you.
When leaving your iPod for repair you will be required to fill out a consent form giving me the authority to dismantle your iPod and acknowledging that I will not be liable for any loss or damage associated with the repair process. Care will be taken to ensure the safe return of your iPod, however accidents can happen, this is a free service, and I need to cover my ass. Please enter into the program with these points in mind.
In addition to the repair service I will also be installing Linux onto iPods and providing plans and examples of various DIY iPod accessories. If you are unable to participate in the iSOP (maybe you’re not lucky enough to live in Melbourne : ), this site may still be of use as an information source for your own iPod repair and DIY projects.
UPDATE: iSOP is no longer accepting iPods for repair. This site will remain as a public resource, if you have further questions regarding the project please leave a comment or email iSOP [at] inbox [dot] com.
Dear iSOP organiser and tech extraordinaire,
My 12 year old broke his 1G nano screen and came home from school crying.
I told him Id try to fix it. I bought a new screen from circuit central. I disassembled the nano, took out the three screws, left the other ribbons in place except for the screen one and replaced the new one in the mod connector. Alas, there is no visible power up.
Its hard to know what the prob. Are you still doing your fixes? Im happy to pay you $30 for an attempt to fix it, with the same disclaimers that you did in the iSOP. If not, do you know what I should look out for when opening up the case?
Thanks so much
Jen
Hi Jen,
The iSOP has stopped taking iPods but I’m happy to offer some advice.
The ribbon cables in the iPod, especially the nano are quite delicate and can tear easily so be very careful when handling/connecting them (your first priority should be to avoid further damage). I generally use tweezers when inserting the nano’s ribbon cables, if you’re doing the same then make sure you keep the tweezers away from the end of the cable if you are not careful then they may scratch the tracks off the ribbon.
The screen ribbon connector on the 1G nano is a particularly tricky fit. If you have not yet fitted the screen to the face plate then you may just attach it as is (naked, so to speak) for testing; but for final assembly you will need to have the screen fitted to the face plate before you connect the ribbons.
Check that the screens cable is fully inserted into the connector and that the black connector tab has been folded down (remember, always flip this black tab up to free the ribbon; pulling on the ribbon without releasing the tab can damage the cable). The ribbon should insert into the connector so that the exposed ribbon tracks are (almost) entirely inside the connector. If the ribbon is not fully inserted there may be no response from the screen or you may get a blank white screen.
To test for other possible damage to the iPod disconnect the screen and click-wheel cables and plug the main circuit board into your computer using the standard dock connector; this should tell you if your iPod is still functioning. In most cases (unless you have a severe hardware failure) the computer will recognise the iPod. If your iPod shows up in iTunes as normal and you can copy songs to the iPod then you can be fairly certain that the problem is confined to the screen or click-wheel assembly.
Inspect the cables for damage, there may be damage to the tracks at the ends of the ribbon or tears in the ribbon itself. The nano’s screen and click-wheel circuits are built straight onto the ribbon cables, if you have a damaged cable you may have to replace the entire assembly.
Good luck with it,
Scott
Recently (July 2009) I used your instructions on how to use Terminal to change the hard drive partition map.
Amazingly your instructions still work! I have been able to regain the use of my 6G Classic iPod.
Slight differences in Terminal meant that the prompt $ is replaced by bash ⌗ but all the commands work as described.
Warning. The iPod firmware has greatly increased in size since 2006 so be very patient when copying Firmware to Computer (took me about 10 minutes) and even more patient when reinstalling Firmware from computer to iPod (took over 3 hours).
Many many thanks for leaving this information posted.
Cheers
Hi Gordon,
thanks for the comment and the helpful update. I’m happy (and surprised) that this procedure still works with the latter generation iPods. – Great Stuff.
Scott