Repair guide · iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen
iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen housing replacement
This guide covers the case parts of the iPod Mini 1st Gen (2004) and 2nd Gen (2005), model A1051: the aluminum housing, the white top and bottom caps (we list them as bezels) and the metal dock bracket. The housing is a one-piece tube of the same size on both generations, so any tube fits any Mini; choose it by color and condition. A replacement tube means moving everything: the insides slide out through the top, the click wheel slides out through the bottom, and all of it goes into the replacement tube along with the caps, the bracket and the two top screws. Those smaller parts are shared by both generations and every color. The difficulty rating is for a full tube swap; a cap or the bracket on its own takes far fewer steps (see Which job are you doing?).
Which housing?
Every tube fits every Mini, 1st or 2nd Gen. Original 2nd Gen tubes have a capacity engraved on the back, and on a used one it may not match your iPod; original 1st Gen tubes have none, so a 2nd Gen moved into one loses its 4GB or 6GB mark. After a tube swap the back may no longer show your generation: when you order parts later, go by the number on the logic board or the part number on the click wheel's cable. The housing is the tube alone; the click wheel and the caps are separate parts, and you move your bracket and two screws across. The caps are white on every color and, like the bracket and the screws, the same for both generations. On a 2nd Gen a click wheel in the new color finishes the look; the 1st Gen wheel has gray lettering for every color. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Which job are you doing?A replacement tube: follow every step. Only the top cap: lock it and note the Hold side as in step 1, take it off as in step 2 (the two screws can stay in), then fit the replacement as in step 13. Only the bottom cap: pry it off as in step 3 (the bracket and the wheel plug can stay in), then fit the replacement as in step 12. Only the dock bracket: bottom cap and bracket off as in step 3 (the wheel plug can stay on), the replacement bracket in as in step 10, a check that the wheel and buttons respond, then step 12.
- Look at the replacement tube's windowIf the window over the screen area of your replacement tube is empty, the glass lens has to move across from the old one once both tubes are empty (step 6); the screen guide's lens step covers it.
- Check the battery firstDark or pressure spots on the screen, or a click wheel that scrolls by itself, can mean the battery is swelling, and a swollen battery makes the insides bind in the tube. Never press on it. If the iPod is very hot or smells, don't open it: unplug it, set it on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, keep a container of dry sand nearby, leave it until it is cool and contact us. If you see those signs, replace the battery as part of this job.
- Set up a safe benchWork on a non-flammable surface with a container of dry sand within reach. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly swells, pour all of the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room and let fresh air in. If it keeps burning or anything else catches fire, call the fire service. Don't go back for half an hour, and don't touch the iPod until then.
- Run it down and ground yourselfIf there's no sign of swelling, play it until the battery is nearly flat: a cell with little charge is much less likely to catch fire if it gets damaged. Wear an anti-static strap or work on an anti-static mat, or at least touch bare metal first.
Tools
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the pair of screws below the top cap.
- Thin plastic pry toolLifts the caps. Every iMods housing, cap and bracket comes with one.
- SpudgerPlastic, for the click wheel plug and the tab that holds the wheel.
- Small snap-ring pliers or a small flat toolFor the metal bracket's corner arms.
- Hair dryerOn low: a few seconds on the top cap's glue, and brief warmth on the old tube if the lens has to move (never over wet alcohol).
- Masking tapeOver the click wheel's face while it slides.
- TweezersGuide the insides into the tube. Keep metal tips off the battery plug.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is bare between the two tubes.
- Adhesive for the caps (optional)Our caps come without it; see step 12.
- Isopropyl alcohol and thin double-sided tapeOnly if the lens moves across to the new tube.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open the iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen (13 steps)
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Step 1: Lock it
Unplug any cable, then slide Hold on and let the screen go blank. Note which side the switch is on: the top cap's slider has to match it.
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Step 2: Top cap and two screws off
Give the glued top cap a brief burst of warm air from a hair dryer on low, aimed at the cap only, then lift it a little at a time round the seam; the plastic is soft, so lift rather than lever. Take out the two Phillips #00 screws under it. Our opening guide shows each move.
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Step 3: Bottom cap, bracket and wheel plug off
Pry the bottom cap off at points where there are no clips, squeeze the corner arms of the metal bracket and lift it out, then lift the orange click wheel plug straight off its socket. It has no latch, so keep the tool right at the plug.
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Step 4: Slide the insides out
From the bottom opening, push evenly on the board near the lower edge of the click wheel. Once it is partway out of the top, hold the board by its two long edges, either side of the screen, and slide it the rest of the way. Never pull on the little headphone jack board up at the top end: its plug into the logic board breaks easily. The click wheel stays in the tube.
If it binds, don't force it: a swollen battery is a common reason, and forcing can scrape tiny parts off the board. Ease off and push again evenly with a slight wiggle. If it still won't come, stop and contact us.
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Step 5: Slide the click wheel out of the old tube
Tape over the wheel's face. From the bottom opening, pull back the small black plastic tab that holds the wheel, press on the wheel's face, into the tube, and slide it out through the bottom, pressing all the way so the tube's edge can't scratch it. Mind its ribbon: it is the easiest part of the Mini to damage.
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Step 6: Get the replacement tube ready
Check its window: if there is no lens in it, move the old one across now, while both tubes are empty and the insides, battery and all, are set well away. The screen guide's lens step shows how: warm the old tube briefly with the hair dryer on low and switch it off, then work a little isopropyl alcohol into the lens edge (never run the dryer over wet alcohol), push the lens out gently, and fix it in the replacement tube with double-sided tape. If it cracks, a replacement glass lens fits both generations. Clear out any dust or plastic slivers, which can gum up a wheel.
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Step 7: Fit the click wheel into the replacement tube
With its face taped, press on its face, into the tube, and slide it in from the bottom along its slot until it pops up into its round opening. Doing this before the board goes in keeps the wheel from dragging across the board.
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Step 8: Slide the insides into the replacement tube
Tuck the battery wires in, then feed the insides in from the top, slowly and evenly, guiding the board with tweezers from the bottom. Hold the board by its long edges, either side of the screen, and never push or pull on the little jack board at the top end. If it binds, back it out a little and line it up again: tiny parts on the board can catch and snap off. A swollen battery is a common reason it binds: never force it.
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Step 9: Screws in, wheel plugged
Put the two #00 screws back through the headphone jack board, just snug. Press the click wheel plug fully onto its socket: with no latch, a plug that is half on leaves the wheel dead.
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Step 10: Clip the bracket in
Your old bracket or a replacement: hook one side in, then press the other side down until its corner arms snap into place. A bracket left out is one of the two usual reasons a wheel stops responding.
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Step 11: Test before the caps go on
Slide Hold off first: with the top cap off, move the switch itself. Peel the tape off the wheel and turn the iPod on (center button on a 1st Gen, any button on a 2nd Gen). Check the picture, the wheel and all five buttons (the wheel plug was off), sound through headphones, charging on a charger (a wall charger for a 1st Gen), and that your computer still sees it. Then unplug the charger: it must keep running on its battery.
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Step 12: Bottom cap on
Our caps come without adhesive, and repairers fix them three ways: some grip again on their old glue; otherwise clean the old glue off with isopropyl alcohol and fit thin double-sided tape trimmed to the cap, or use a small dab of latex glue, which holds but still lets the cap come off later.
The bottom cap has small pins on three sides. Line them up before you press, then press it home evenly.
A cap pushed on crooked can cut the click wheel ribbon.
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Step 13: Top cap on, Hold lined up
Move the plastic slider inside the top cap to the same side as the Hold switch on the board, fix the cap the same way as the bottom one, and press it on. Slide Hold on and off to check that the slider moves the switch.
Close it up and test
- Both caps flushNo gaps, and neither lifts when you press it.
- The wheel sits levelIt scrolls smoothly and all five buttons click.
- Everything worksPicture, sound, Hold, charging and syncing.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- The wheel or buttons don't respond
- Unplug any charger and slide Hold on first. Most often the click wheel plug isn't fully on or the bracket didn't go back in. If the ribbon got creased or torn on the move, the fix is a replacement click wheel. Click wheel not working
- Hold does nothing, or it stays locked
- The cap's slider probably isn't on the switch. Take the top cap off, set the slider to the switch's side and refit it. If the slider sits on the switch and Hold still does nothing, the jack board may not be fully pressed onto its connector. Hold switch not working
- The insides won't go into the replacement tube
- Don't force it. Look for a battery wire caught at the edge; a replacement battery that is a touch thicker also makes a snug fit. If the battery looks puffy, stop: never press on it, and replace it before you go on (see the battery guide).
- A cap won't stay on
- Clean the old glue off with isopropyl alcohol, then use thin double-sided tape cut to the cap, or a small dab of latex glue.
- Fresh scratches
- Keep the wheel pressed down and taped while it slides, and take your time at the tube's edges. Scratches on the iPod
- Something else stopped working
- A connector bumped during the move is the first suspect. Unplug any charger, open it again, unplug the battery, press each connector you touched back in, then plug the battery back in last. Not working after a repair
- It gets very hot or smells
- Unplug it, leave it closed on a non-flammable surface and contact us; don't open it again to look. Warmth at the bottom while it plays or charges is normal. Free repair quote
Questions
Will a 1st Gen housing fit my 2nd Gen Mini?
Yes. Both generations use the same size tube. Two catches: our original 1st Gen tubes have no capacity engraved on the back, so your 2nd Gen loses its 4GB or 6GB mark (go by the board or wheel cable number when you order parts later), and their colors are the paler 1st Gen shades.
Does the housing come with the click wheel and caps?
No. It is the aluminum tube only: the click wheel, the top and bottom caps and everything inside are separate parts, and you move your bracket and two screws across.
Do the caps come in colors?
No. They are white on every Mini, whatever the case color, and the same part for both generations.
Is the dock bracket the charging port?
No. The bracket is a metal support behind the bottom cap that keeps the dock connector in place. The connector belongs to the logic board.
Can I change my Mini's color?
Yes: any tube fits. On a 2nd Gen, add a click wheel in the matching color (silver, blue, pink or green). The 1st Gen wheel has gray lettering on every color, so it suits any tube.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the housing page and mail your iPod in. We move everything into the replacement housing and send it back, typically in 3 to 5 business days, with a 1-year limited warranty.