Repair guide · iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen
iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen battery replacement
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All about this iPod: The iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen guide
This guide covers the iPod Classic 6th and 7th Gen, the 2007 to 2009 models (80GB, 120GB and 160GB). The battery is stuck inside the steel back with adhesive tape and plugs into the logic board with one ribbon cable, so no soldering is needed. Getting the all-metal case open without bending the back is the hard part; once inside, treat the battery connector's small latch gently. Order the battery that matches your case depth, thin or thick, and set aside 30 minutes to 2 hours; allow extra time the first time.
Which battery fits: thin or thick?
Every one of these is model A1238, so that number won't tell them apart. Go by the capacity engraved on the back and the case depth: thin cases are 10.5 mm deep, the 2007 160GB thick case is 13.5 mm, about 3 mm more. A thick battery won't fit a thin case. If the back has ever been replaced, the code printed on the old battery settles it. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Check for a swollen battery firstA dark patch near the top of the screen, a screen that lifts or bows, or a back that bulges usually means the battery is swelling. An open seam can be a sign too, but on its own it is often just bent clips. If it is swelling, unplug it from any charger and stop using or charging it. Never press on it, bend it or pierce it; you can still replace it, with the extra care in step 8. If the iPod is very hot or smells, don't open it: unplug it from any charger, put it on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, keep a container of dry sand nearby, and leave it until it is cool. Then contact us before you do anything else.
- Run the battery downIf there's no sign of swelling, play the iPod until the battery icon is almost empty. A nearly flat cell is less likely to flare up if a tool nicks it.
- Set up a safe benchLay a soft cloth or the anti-static mat on a hard, non-flammable surface and keep a container of dry sand within reach. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up while you work, pour all the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room for half an hour and let it air out. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service. Don't touch the iPod until the half hour is up.
- Ground yourselfStatic can kill the logic board. Wear an anti-static wrist strap, or at least touch bare metal before you start.
- Have the right battery in handMatch it to your case depth (see Which battery do I need?) and leave it in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Plastic opening picks (two or three)Start the seam and keep it open. Our battery comes with one plastic pry tool, so have one or two more: metal edges wear them down fast.
- Thin metal opening toolReleases the clips. Thin and flat beats thick and sharp.
- TweezersFor the connector latch. Fine, angled tips are easiest.
- Plastic spudgerLifts the old battery off its tape. Never pry the battery with anything metal.
- Isopropyl alcohol (optional)A few drops soften the tape under the battery.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matProtects the logic board while it is exposed.
- Soft clothLay the iPod on it so the polished back doesn't pick up scratches.
- ChargerFor the test before you close it up. A wall charger is best.
- Thin work gloves (optional)The metal case edges can cut.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open an iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen (12 steps)
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Step 1: Switch it off and lock it
Unplug any cable. Hold Play/Pause for about two seconds until the screen goes dark. Slide the Hold switch to locked, then press a button: the screen should stay dark. Now it can't wake up while you work.
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Step 2: Open a gap in one long side
Lay the iPod on the cloth. Work a plastic pick into the joint where the aluminum front meets the steel back, partway along one long side, then put a second pick in at least 4 cm (1.5 in) further along to hold the gap open.
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Step 3: Release the clips along that side
Between the two picks, slip in just the tip of the thin metal tool, about 3 mm (1/8 in): the back hides thin metal rails just inside its rim. Push it toward the front panel, pivoting on the steel back's rim, so the clips let go one by one. Work along the side toward both corners, moving the picks with you, and go slowly at the corners so you don't bend the back's corner.
Never lever outward against the steel back. That dents the polished metal and bends the clips, and a bent clip stops the case closing flat later.
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Step 4: Do the other side, then the top
Repeat on the second long side. Finish at the top edge, where a single clip sits in the middle, between the Hold switch and the headphone jack. Leave the bottom edge alone: its clips act as the hinge in the next step.
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Step 5: Open it only a little
Hold the front half in one hand and the back in the other, and swing the top ends apart, keeping the bottom (dock connector) end together like a hinge. Two ribbon cables still join the halves, the battery's and the headphone jack's, so open it only until you can see the battery's ribbon and reach its connector. Stop the moment a ribbon starts to pull tight.
Pulling the halves apart quickly or far can tear either ribbon.
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Step 6: Free the battery cable
Follow the battery's ribbon from the battery to where it plugs into the logic board. A small latch runs across the connector (usually brown; it can look black). Note which way up the ribbon sits, or take a photo.
Raise the latch about 1 mm, straight up, lifting both ends evenly, with the tweezers or a plastic tool. Then slide the ribbon straight out, in line with the way it goes in, without tugging. If you hold the ribbon with tweezers, grip it well back from its end: metal tips touching its contacts can short them.
Don't push the latch sideways and don't pry on the connector body. A connector pulled off the board is the most common serious mistake in this repair; our fix for that is a replacement logic board.
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Step 7: Lay the halves side by side
With the battery cable out, the back half is held only by the headphone jack's ribbon, which also carries the Hold switch. For a battery swap it can stay plugged in; its connector sits under the hard drive, so leave it alone.
Lift the back half free of the bottom edge and lay the halves side by side like an open book, tops level and close together, never end to end. Swing the back half over toward the side its headphone ribbon runs on, so the ribbon stays slack; if it starts to pull tight, stop and go the other way. The hard drive now just rests in the front half: keep a finger on it whenever you move or turn that half, and never let it hang on its ribbon. From here on keep one hand flat on the back half so it can't slide and pull the headphone ribbon.
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Step 8: Lift out the old battery
The battery is taped to the inside of the steel back at the top end, and the headphone jack's ribbon runs beside and under that area. If the battery is stubborn, run a few drops of isopropyl alcohol along its edge and give it a minute. Then, holding the back half flat with your other hand, work the plastic spudger under the battery from the edge farthest from the headphone jack's ribbon and lift slowly. Don't use heat (no heat gun or hair dryer): heat is bad for the cell. A swollen battery is lifted by its edge only, never pressed. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses or suddenly puffs up, pour all the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room for half an hour and let it air out. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service. Don't touch the iPod until the half hour is up.
Nothing metal under the battery, and no bending it: a punctured or folded cell can catch fire. Keep the spudger clear of the headphone jack's ribbon.
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Step 9: Straighten the clips now
With the old battery out, check the steel back's inner edges: press any clip bent out of line, or side lip pushed outward, gently back into place with your fingertip or the flat of the plastic spudger. Bent clips are why a case won't sit flat, and it's easier now than with the new battery connected.
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Step 10: Fit the new battery
Check the new battery against the old one: same size, same thickness, same ribbon. If in doubt, the code printed on the old battery settles it. Clean off any loose tape (if you used alcohol, let it dry), then set the new battery in the old one's place with its ribbon running the same way, and press it down by its edges only.
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Step 11: Connect it
With the latch still raised, slide the ribbon fully into the connector, the same way up as the old one came out, then press the latch down. It should close with almost no pressure. If it resists, the ribbon isn't straight: lift the latch, line the ribbon up and try again.
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Step 12: Test before you close
Slide the Hold switch to unlocked and plug the iPod into a charger. It should start up and show the battery icon with a lightning bolt. To reach the click wheel, keep a finger on the hard drive and turn the front half over carefully so neither ribbon pulls tight, then check the click wheel, the center button, sound in the headphone jack and the Hold switch.
Then unplug the charger: it must keep running on the new battery. If it shuts off the moment you unplug it, the battery ribbon is most likely not fully in: lift the latch, seat it again and retest. If that doesn't fix it, the new battery itself may be faulty (see If it doesn't work afterwards). If it won't start at all, reset it: slide Hold on and off, then press Menu together with the center button and keep holding, about 8 seconds, until the Apple logo shows. Still nothing? Unplug the charger, then check the ribbon again.
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Step 13: Close it up
Check that the hard drive sits flat and no ribbon is caught at the edge. Fold the halves back together, hook the bottom edge in first, then swing the top closed and press around the seam until every clip snaps in.
If it only closes when you squeeze hard, stop. A pinched ribbon or a battery that is too thick is in the way.
Close it up and test
- The seam is even all the way roundNo gap at the corners and no bulge in the back.
- The screen is cleanNo dark marks from pressure behind it.
- Charge it fullyLeave it on the charger until the battery icon shows a plug, about 4 hours. Then use it until it runs flat and charge it fully once more, so the battery icon reads correctly.
- Everything worksClick wheel, center button, Hold switch, headphone sound and charging.
- Recycle the old batteryPut tape over its contacts, or seal it in a bag, and take it to a battery drop-off. Never throw it in the trash or a recycling bin.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- It won't turn on
- Check the Hold switch is unlocked, then leave it on a wall charger for a few hours: a fully drained iPod can take a while to wake. Try a reset. If it worked before you closed it, a ribbon was probably pinched or pushed out as the case closed: open it and reseat that ribbon. Otherwise open it again and check the battery ribbon: the right way up, fully in, latch closed, and no cracks across its fine lines. Not working after a repair
- It gets very hot or smells after the repair
- Unplug it and leave it shut, on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, with the dry sand within reach. Don't open it again while it's hot. Contact us before you do anything else.
- It shuts off as soon as it's unplugged, or won't charge
- Check the battery cable first: if it isn't fully in its connector with the latch closed, it does exactly this. Next suspect is the new battery itself; a new one can be faulty too. If a good battery and a good charger still don't help, the logic board's charging circuit is the likely fault. iPod won't charge
- No sound, or the Hold switch does nothing
- Most likely the headphone jack's ribbon (it also carries the Hold switch) has come loose, been pinched as the case closed, or torn. Its connector sits under the hard drive. Headphone jack not working
- The battery connector came off the board
- That can't be fixed with a new battery. Our fix is a replacement logic board; a free repair quote tells you what it involves. Free repair quote
- The case won't close flat
- Look for a bent clip or side lip on the steel back, a ribbon caught at the seam, or a thick battery in a thin case.
- A red X or a clicking sound
- A red X points to the hard drive. Clicking usually does too, but a weak or flat battery can also make the drive click and retry: leave it on a wall charger first, then check again. iPod red X
Questions
Can you replace an iPod Classic battery yourself?
Yes, with patience. No soldering is needed and the battery simply plugs in; the hard part is opening the all-metal case without bending the back. If you'd rather not, choose We Fix It and we fit it for you.
Will I lose my music?
It shouldn't. Your music lives on the hard drive, and a battery swap never unplugs the drive's cable. If you can, back it up first anyway.
Do I need to solder anything?
No. The battery plugs into its connector. Soldering would only come into it if the connector came off the board, and in that case we replace the logic board instead.
Can I fit a bigger battery?
Not in the case you have. With the original hard drive, a thin case only has room for the standard thin battery; the thick battery also needs a thick back and the matching thick headphone jack assembly. Higher-capacity batteries need flash storage in place of the hard drive, and we fit those ourselves.
Which battery does the 120GB take?
The thin one. The 120GB from 2008 is a 6th Gen in the thin case, the same as the 80GB.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the battery page and mail your iPod in; we fit the battery and send it back. Turnaround is typically 3 to 5 business days.