Repair guide · iPod 3rd Gen
iPod 3rd Gen logic board replacement
This guide covers the iPod 3rd Gen sold in 2003 and 2004 (model A1040, 10GB to 40GB), with the touch wheel and four touch buttons. The logic board is the main circuit board, and on this model it also carries the 30-pin charging port, so a broken port is fixed with a replacement board. One board design serves every capacity, thin case or thick. The swap needs no soldering, but every connector inside comes undone, so take each one slowly. Rule out the other parts first.
Before you start
- Rule out the other parts firstPlenty of faults look like a dead board. Charge and test it from a FireWire charger you trust, then rule out the battery, the hard drive and its cable, the touch wheel and buttons, and the headphone jack and Hold. Look into the charging port too, for bent pins, corrosion or dirt: a damaged port is itself fixed with a replacement board. Our free repair quote can do all this for you.
- Match the number on your boardApple built this iPod with two board numbers: the earlier boards read 820-1430-A, the later ones 820-1559-A. Read the number printed on yours when it comes out and match it. We can't promise that one works in place of the other.
- Copy your music off if you canIf the iPod still shows up on a computer, copy your music off first. If it can't start properly after the swap, the fix is a restore, and a restore erases everything, songs included.
- Got wet? Check the other connectorsIf the iPod got wet, you'll check where each ribbon plugs in for corrosion in step 9, once the battery is unplugged and the board is out.
- Very hot or smelling? Leave it shutA failing board can make the iPod hot or give off a smell. If the iPod is very hot or smells, unplug it from any charger and leave the case shut. If you can move it safely, set it on a non-flammable surface, at least 2 feet (60 cm) from paper or anything else that burns, with a container of dry sand within reach, and let it cool completely. Then contact us.
- Keep dry sand at handWork on a non-flammable surface, at least 2 feet from paper and anything else that burns, with 8 to 10 cups of dry sand in a wide container within reach. If the battery ever smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, pour all the sand over it at once. Get out of the room for at least half an hour and stay out until the smoke has gone; open a window or door to air it out. Call the fire service if it keeps burning. Give it half an hour before you touch the iPod, then lift it out with safety glasses on and heat-resistant gloves.
- Run the battery down and ground yourselfUnless the iPod is hot, smells or acts strangely, and as long as it still plays, let it play until it switches itself off before you open it. A discharged lithium battery is less likely to overheat or catch fire if something damages it. Then put on an anti-static wrist strap, work on the mat, and keep the replacement board in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Plastic opening tools (two)Our board comes with one plastic pry tool; a second keeps the seam open.
- SpudgerPlastic. A thin metal spudger only for board work after the battery is unplugged (step 6), and never near the battery.
- T6 Torx screwdriverFor the six black screws that hold the board. Not included.
- Anti-static wrist strap and matA static spark can kill the replacement board before it ever starts.
- Soft clothProtects the polished steel back.
- A FireWire charger you know worksFor the test. USB never charges this iPod, so a USB test tells you nothing about charging.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open the iPod 3rd Gen (12 steps)
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Step 1: Unplug it, switch it off, lock it
Unplug any cable, then switch the iPod off: press and hold Play/Pause. Slide the Hold switch to locked, so the orange shows, and lay it face up on the cloth.
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Step 2: Free the clips
Angle a plastic opening tool toward the steel back and work it into the seam near the middle of a long side. Release the clips from the middle toward each end, then down the other long side, then the two on the bottom edge. Our opening guide covers every move.
Plastic tools only, and keep them away from the battery once the case is open.
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Step 3: Open it like a book
Holding both halves together, turn the iPod over so the screen rests on the cloth, with the dock connector pointing away from you. Lift the back half a little to see which side the orange headphone ribbon runs on, then swing it up and over like a book cover, hinged on that side, and lay it flat beside the front half, close enough that the ribbon stays slack.
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Step 4: Unplug the headphone ribbon
The board is coming out, so free this ribbon first. Work a plastic tool in under the connector's base, where it meets the socket on the board, and lift it straight up off its socket. Never pry between the layers of this tall connector, and never pull the ribbon. Unplug it as few times as you can: it wears a little each time. Set the back half aside.
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Step 5: Lift out the hard drive
Note which way up the drive sits, then raise it with one hand. With the other, free its cable at the logic board: lift the connector straight up off its socket at its edge with a fingernail or a plastic tool (no metal until the battery is unplugged); light pressure lets it go. Set the drive down on the cloth.
Look at the battery now in view. If it smokes, sparks, hisses or pops, pour all the sand over it at once and leave the room (see above). If it is hot or smells, don't touch it: let it cool and contact us. If it is swollen, stop: don't charge it, never press, bend or pierce it, and replace it before you go on (our battery guide shows how).
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Step 6: Unplug the battery
Hold the small white battery plug by its body, not its wires, and lift it straight up off its socket on the board. Keep metal tools away from the battery. Until this plug is out, use plastic tools only; after it, a thin metal spudger is fine for board work, but never near the battery.
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Step 7: Unplug the touch wheel cable
Raise the latch on the orange touch wheel cable's connector with the spudger, then slide the cable straight out of the board.
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Step 8: Take out the six board screws
Remove the six black T6 Torx screws that hold the board to the front panel, and keep them together in a dish.
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Step 9: Lift the old board out
Raise the board slowly, minding the battery wires that run under its end. If the screen's orange ribbon still joins the board, raise that connector's latch with the spudger and slide the ribbon out before you lift the board clear. Rest the board on the anti-static mat. Got wet? Look for corrosion where each ribbon plugs in. With the battery unplugged, clean those spots with 90% or stronger isopropyl alcohol and let them dry completely before you go on.
Never pull the board against a ribbon that is still connected: that can tear the ribbon or its connector. Lift every connector by its body, never by the cable.
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Step 10: Check the board number
Find the number printed on the old board, 820-1430-A or 820-1559-A. Compare it with the replacement board before you go any further. If they differ, stop and ask us.
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Step 11: Fit the replacement board
Hold the replacement board just above the front panel. If the screen's ribbon plugs into the board, seat it fully in its connector and close the latch. Lower the board into place with the battery wires running under its end the way they came out, none trapped under the board or a screw, and refit the six T6 screws snugly.
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Step 12: Reconnect everything
Slide the touch wheel cable squarely into its connector and close the latch. Press the battery plug straight down into its socket until it is fully in. Set the drive back the same way up and press its cable firmly onto the board until it is fully seated; it may click as it goes in, which is normal. Then press the headphone ribbon straight down onto its socket. A connector that is only part of the way in can leave the iPod dead or half-working.
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Step 13: Line up the Hold slider
The Hold slider sits in the back half, but the switch it works is a small black nub on the logic board, and the nub has to drop into the slot in the slider. Move the slider until its slot sits in line with the nub, then rest the back half in place without snapping it shut. Holding both halves together, turn the iPod face up.
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Step 14: Test everything before you close
Slide Hold off, so no orange shows, and connect the FireWire charger. If it doesn't start, reset it: slide Hold on and back off, then keep Menu and Play/Pause held down together for 5 to 10 seconds, until the Apple logo comes up.
Check that it charges and keeps running when you unplug the charger, that the screen is clear and lit, and that the drive spins up smoothly. Try the touch wheel and all the buttons, play a song in both earbuds and slide Hold. Connect it to your computer and check that it shows up and syncs.
If it can't start properly, a restore puts fresh software on it, but it erases everything, songs included. If the restore stops at a picture of a plug, connect the FireWire wall charger to finish. Before you reseat anything: unplug the charger and switch it off (press and hold Play/Pause). Open the case as in steps 2 and 3, lift the drive and unplug its cable at the board (step 5), then unplug the battery (step 6). Reseat the connector, plug the battery back in, then reconnect the drive cable and lay the drive back (step 12).
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Step 15: Close it up
Look along the rim of the steel back and ease any spot that prying bent back into line with your fingers. Check that no ribbon or wire lies across the seam, nothing small is loose inside, and the Hold slider still meets the nub. Press the halves together and work around the edges until every clip catches. It should close without force; if it won't, open it and look for a caught ribbon or a bent rim.
Close it up and test
- It charges from FireWireAnd it keeps running once you unplug it.
- Everything worksScreen and backlight, hard drive, touch wheel, center button, the four buttons, sound in both ears, and Hold.
- The seam is evenNo gaps at the corners, and the back sits flat.
- Nothing left overAll six board screws are back in.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- Before you reseat anything, power it down
- Unplug the charger and switch it off (press and hold Play/Pause). Open the case as in steps 2 and 3, lift the drive and unplug its cable at the board (step 5), then unplug the battery (step 6). Reseat the connector, plug the battery back in, then reconnect the drive cable and lay the drive back (step 12).
- Dead, even on the charger
- Power it down as above, then push every connector fully home, latches closed. If it still shows no life, static or a slipped tool during the repair can damage a board, or a part may have broken off it. Not working after a repair
- It's stuck on Hold
- Power it down as above, then check the headphone ribbon is fully in and the slider lines up with the nub. If both are right, the board may be damaged where that ribbon plugs in. Hold switch not working
- No sound
- The headphone ribbon may not be fully in. Power it down as above and reseat it straight down onto its socket. iPod no sound
- Folder icon or sad face
- Power it down as above and check the drive cable is fully in at the board and the drive sits the right way round. iPod folder icon
- The touch wheel or buttons don't respond
- The touch wheel cable is easy to leave half in. Power it down as above, then seat it squarely and close its latch. Touch wheel not working
- It gets hot after the repair
- Very hot or smelling? Unplug it, leave the case shut, set it on a non-flammable surface if you can move it safely, and contact us. Only warm? Let it cool, then open it and check that no cable is pinched, no screw is loose and nothing presses on the board: either can short and make it hot.
Questions
Can an 820-1559-A board replace an 820-1430-A, or the other way round?
We can't promise it will. Both are genuine 3rd Gen boards, but we haven't tested one in place of the other. Fit a board whose number matches the one you removed.
My charging port is damaged. Is that the logic board?
Yes. The 30-pin port is soldered to the board, so we replace the whole board with an original Apple one rather than solder on a third-party port.
Does one board fit both the thin and thick iPod 3rd Gen?
Yes: the same board design serves 10GB to 40GB. Look for the row of four touch buttons over the wheel to confirm it's a 3rd Gen.
Do I need to solder?
No. The board is held by six screws and its cables plug in; nothing needs soldering.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the logic board page and mail your iPod in. We fit the board and send it back, usually within 3 to 5 business days, with a 1-year limited warranty. Not sure it's the board? Start with a free repair quote.