Repair guide · iPod Video 5th Gen
iPod Video 5th Gen battery replacement
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This guide replaces the battery in the iPod Video 5th Gen: the 2005 original and the Late 2006 update (the 5.5 Gen or Enhanced), all model A1136. The battery is stuck to the inside of the metal back and plugs into the logic board by one ribbon, so you can change the iPod Video battery without soldering. Two things decide how it goes: ordering the battery that matches your case depth, thin 30GB or thick 60GB and 80GB, and treating the battery connector's small brown latch gently, because it lifts only a millimeter or two. The case opens with plastic tools; our opening guide shows that part in detail.
Which battery fits: thin or thick?
Every one of these iPods reads A1136 on the back, so that number won't tell you which battery to order. Go by the case depth: lay a ruler against the edge, and the thick case is about 3 mm deeper. The back is the part earlier owners swap most, so the capacity engraved on it can mislead; the number printed on your old battery settles it. A 2005 model and a Late 2006 model of the same depth take the same battery. A thick battery won't fit a thin case: the back won't close and the extra height presses on the screen. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Check for a swollen battery firstThe battery lies behind the screen, so swelling shows from the front: pressure marks showing dark on the screen, a screen or front that lifts or bows, a case that bulges (often near the top) or a seam that opens. An open seam by itself is often just bent clips. If it is swelling, unplug it, stop using and charging it, and don't press, bend or pierce it; you can still replace it, lifting it gently by its edge in step 5, in a well-ventilated room. 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 close and wait until it is cool. Then contact us.
- Make sure it's the batteryRule out the cable and charger with ones you know work, and look into the dock connector for lint, bent pins or corrosion. Then try a reset: slide Hold off, press Menu and the center button together and keep holding, about 8 seconds, until the Apple logo shows. A battery that empties far sooner than it used to, or dies the moment you unplug it, is the usual sign it's worn out.
- Run the old battery downIf there's no sign of swelling, play the iPod until the battery icon is nearly empty (these iPods show no percentage). A cell with little charge left is less dangerous if a tool slips.
- Set up a safe benchA hard, non-flammable surface, the soft cloth or anti-static mat on top, and a container of dry sand within reach. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, cover it with all the sand at once, then get out of the room and air it out; stay away for 30 minutes. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service.
- Ground yourselfStatic can kill the logic board. Wear the wrist strap, or at least touch bare metal first, and keep the new battery in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Plastic opening tools (two or three)One comes with the battery. A second keeps the seam open while you work along it.
- Thin plastic picksGuitar-pick thin, for releasing the clips along the seam.
- Angled tweezers or a small plastic toolFor the battery's brown latch, which lifts only 1 to 2 mm. With metal tips, touch only the latch, never the ribbon's contacts.
- Plastic spudgerLifts the old battery off its adhesive. Never pry the battery with anything metal.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matProtects the logic board while the case is open.
- Soft clothThe polished back scratches easily.
- ChargerFor the test before you close it: a wall charger, or a USB port on the computer itself.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open an iPod Video 5th Gen (12 steps)
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Step 1: Open the case
Unplug any cable, then switch the iPod off and slide Hold to locked. With plastic tools, free the clips along both long sides, then the top (keep the tool shallow beside the Hold switch: the screen sits just under that edge), then the bottom. Lift the back only about an inch: two ribbons still join the halves. Our guide to opening the iPod Video shows each of these steps.
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Step 2: Unplug the battery
Find the battery's orange ribbon where it plugs into the logic board, toward the bottom end. With the tweezers or a plastic tool, raise its small brown latch straight up by 1 to 2 mm, both ends evenly, then slide the ribbon out.
Don't push the latch sideways, pull it off, or pry on the connector. It can come away from the logic board; our fix for that is a replacement logic board.
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Step 3: Free the back
Lift the hard drive by its edges and tip it back toward the bottom end, still on its ribbon, supporting it so it never hangs by that ribbon. Underneath is the connector for the headphone jack ribbon: flip its brown tab up (it swings up about 90 degrees) and slide that ribbon out. Lower the drive back into place and lay the back polished side down on the cloth, battery facing up.
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Step 4: See where the Hold ribbon runs
Before you touch the battery, look at the inside of the back. The thin orange ribbons of the jack and the Hold switch run beside the battery, and the Hold ribbon passes underneath it. Note their path: they tear easily.
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Step 5: Lift out the old battery
Keep the back flat with one hand. Slide the plastic spudger under the battery at its top edge and lift slowly, wiggling the tool a little at a time until the adhesive gives. Lift from that edge only: peeling the battery up from the side tears the Hold ribbon beneath it, and the iPod then stays stuck on Hold until the headphone jack assembly is replaced. Lift a swollen battery by its edge, never pressing on it.
Nothing metal under the battery, and don't bend it: a punctured or folded cell can catch fire. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, cover it with all the sand at once, then get out of the room and air it out; stay away for 30 minutes. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service.
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Step 6: Fit the new battery
Compare the two: same size, same thickness, same ribbon. Peel off any loose scraps of old adhesive, then set the new battery in the old one's place, its ribbon routed the same way and clear of the headphone jack ribbons, and press it down by its edges.
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Step 7: Reconnect the headphone jack ribbon
Bring the back alongside the front, the way it lay beside the front after you separated them, so the headphone jack ribbon reaches its connector. Tip the drive back again (support it), slide the ribbon fully in and press the brown tab down. Lay the drive flat in its place, rubber bumpers on.
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Step 8: Connect the new battery
With its latch still raised, push the battery ribbon fully into the connector, the same way up as the old one came out: just a thin line of the metal contacts should still show. Press the latch down.
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Step 9: Test it before you close it
Rest the back loosely on the front, hold the two together and turn the iPod face up. Slide Hold off and connect the charger: it should start and show the battery charging. Check the screen, the scroll ring and all five buttons, sound in the headphones and the Hold switch.
Then unplug the charger: it must keep running on the new battery. If it switches off as soon as you unplug it, the battery ribbon is most likely not fully in: unplug the charger, lift the latch, seat the ribbon again and retest. If that changes nothing, the new battery itself may be faulty. If it won't start at all, leave it on the charger for up to 30 minutes (a very flat battery takes a while to wake), then try a reset.
Need to reseat any other ribbon? Switch it off, unplug the charger and release the battery ribbon first; the battery ribbon goes back in last.
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Step 10: Close it up
Check that the drive lies flat and no ribbon crosses the seam. Line the back up with the front and press around the edges until every clip clicks in.
If it only closes when you squeeze hard, stop: a pinched ribbon, a bent clip or a battery too thick for the case is in the way.
Close it up and test
- The seam is evenNo gap along the sides and no front lifting at a corner.
- The screen is cleanNo dark marks: those mean something behind the screen is pressing on it.
- Charge it fullyA full charge takes about 4 hours (about 2 hours gets it to 80 %). When new, Apple rated these iPods for music playback of as long as 14 hours on the 30GB, or 20 hours on the 60GB and 80GB.
- Everything worksScreen, scroll ring and buttons, Hold switch, headphone sound and charging.
- Recycle the old batteryTape over its contacts or seal it in a bag, and take it to a battery drop-off or hazardous-waste collection; never put it in household trash or the curbside recycling bin. Until then, keep a swollen or damaged one on a non-flammable surface (or in the sand container), away from anything that can burn.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- It won't turn on
- Check Hold is off and connect it to a wall charger for a while: a drained iPod can take up to 30 minutes to show anything. Try a reset. If it worked during the test, a ribbon was probably pinched or pushed out as the case closed. Otherwise unplug the charger, open it and check the battery ribbon: right way up, fully in, latch down. Not working after a repair
- It shuts off when unplugged, or says the battery is very low
- Unplug the charger, open it and look at the battery ribbon first: a ribbon not fully in, or its latch left up, does exactly this. Next suspect is the new battery itself, since a new one can be faulty too. If a good battery and a good charger and cable still don't help, the charging circuit on the logic board is the likely fault. iPod won't charge
- It stays on Hold, or there's no sound
- Most often the headphone jack ribbon, which carries the Hold switch too, isn't fully in or its tab is up. Switch it off, unplug the charger, open it and release the battery ribbon, then reseat the headphone jack ribbon with its tab down; battery ribbon back in last. If the Hold ribbon tore while the battery came out, the fix is a replacement headphone jack assembly, which includes the Hold switch. Hold switch not working
- The wheel or buttons stopped working
- Reset it first. If they still don't respond, the click wheel ribbon or its ground tab inside the front half may have been knocked loose during the repair; the wheel ribbon is reached only with the logic board off the frame (see our click wheel guide). Click wheel not working
- It gets very hot or smells
- Unplug it and don't open it again. Leave it shut on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, and contact us. If it starts to smoke, spark, hiss or puff up, use the sand as in the bench setup above. After a repair, a pinched ribbon or a part pressing on the board can cause it.
- The battery connector came off the board
- A new battery can't fix that. Our fix is an original Apple logic board in place of yours, rather than a soldered-on connector; a free repair quote tells you what it involves. Free repair quote
- The case won't close flat
- Check for a thick battery fitted to a thin 30GB case, a ribbon caught at the seam, or a clip bent out of line on the back.
Questions
How do I replace the iPod 5th Gen battery myself?
Open the case with plastic tools, unplug the battery and headphone jack ribbons, lift the old battery off the back from its top edge, and plug in the new one. No soldering is involved. The two places to slow down are the brown battery latch and the Hold ribbon under the battery. If you'd rather not, choose We Fix It and we fit it for you.
Which battery does a 30GB iPod Video take?
The thin one, 616-0229, whether it is the 2005 model or the Late 2006 5.5 Gen, and the U2 Special Edition too. The 60GB and 80GB take the thick 616-0232.
Will I lose my music?
It shouldn't happen. Your music is on the hard drive, and a battery swap never unplugs the drive's own ribbon. Back it up first anyway if you can.
Is an iPod Video battery upgrade possible?
Not as a drop-in swap. A 30GB takes the thick battery only together with the thick back and the thick headphone jack assembly. Higher-capacity batteries need the room that flash storage frees in place of the hard drive, and we fit those ourselves, by mail.
Does an iPod Classic battery fit?
Buy the battery made for your own iPod. Some sellers list one battery for both families; a listing naming both isn't proof it fits yours: your case depth and the number printed on your old battery are.
Can Apple replace it?
No. Apple no longer services this iPod. Fit the battery yourself, or choose We Fix It on the battery page: mail your iPod in and we fit it, typically within 3 to 5 business days on our bench, with a 1-year limited warranty.