Repair guide · iPod Video 5th Gen
iPod Video 5th Gen screen replacement
The screen in the iPod Video 5th Gen is a 2.5-inch color LCD with its backlight built in, so a cracked, spotted or unlit picture, or a steady line, usually means a replacement screen. A blank, white or flickering picture can also be a loose screen cable, so step 5 reseats it first. The screen sits on a metal frame inside the front half, which means taking the front apart: open the case, unplug two ribbons, take off the hard drive and remove six screws. A scratched or cracked window over a good picture isn't the screen, because that window belongs to the front panel. This guide covers the 2005 model and the Late 2006 5.5 Gen (model A1136), and their two screens swap with each other.
Which screen: 5G or 5.5 Gen?
The two panels swap both ways. For a like-for-like repair, go by your order number: MA002, MA146, MA003, MA147 and the U2 MA452 are 2005 models; MA444, MA446, MA448, MA450 and the U2 MA664 are Late 2006. Every one reads A1136 on the back. Screens from an iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen look the same and plug in, but don't work in an iPod Video. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Check for a swollen battery firstThe battery sits right behind the screen, so dark pressure spots, a screen that lifts, or a front that bows usually mean a swelling battery rather than a broken screen (a seam that opens on its own is more often bent clips). If you see those, unplug it, stop charging it and replace the battery first (our battery guide shows how, and how to recycle the old one); never press, bend or pierce it. If the iPod is very hot or smells, don't open it: unplug it, put it on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, keep dry sand close, let it cool and contact us.
- Make sure it's the screenShine a light on a dark screen: a faint menu means the backlight (part of the screen) has failed, often through a damaged screen cable. A steady black line, dead pixels or an ink-like spot is the screen itself. Lines that move or change when you press on the iPod point to a loose screen cable. A dark screen on an iPod that still plays or shows up on a computer is the screen or its connection. Got wet? Look for corrosion on the screen's connector and the board around it first: a replacement screen won't help while corrosion remains.
- Run the 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.
- Bench and staticA hard, non-flammable surface with the cloth or anti-static mat, dry sand within reach, and as little dust about as you can manage. Wear the wrist strap or touch bare metal first. Keep the replacement screen in its wrapping until step 10. 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.
Tools
- Plastic opening tools (two or three)One comes with the screen. A second keeps the seam open as you work.
- Thin plastic picksFor releasing the clips along the seam.
- Angled tweezers or a small plastic toolFor the ribbon latches. With metal tips, keep clear of the battery ribbon's contacts.
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the six screws that hold the metal frame in the front.
- Small dish for screwsSo none of the six goes missing.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is exposed throughout.
- Soft, lint-free clothDust settles fast on the screen and the window.
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. Free the clips with plastic tools: both long sides, then the top (shallow beside the Hold switch: the screen sits just below that edge), then the bottom. Raise the back only about an inch, since two ribbons still join the halves. Our guide to opening the iPod Video covers this in detail.
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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. Raise its small brown latch straight up by 1 to 2 mm, evenly at both ends, and slide the ribbon out.
Never push that latch sideways or pull it off: the connector can lift off the board, and our fix for that is a replacement logic board.
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Step 3: Separate the back
Lift the hard drive by its edges and tip it back toward the bottom end, supporting it so it never hangs by its ribbon. Under it is the headphone jack ribbon's connector: flip its brown tab up (it swings about 90 degrees) and slide the ribbon out. Set the back aside, polished side down.
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Step 4: Take the drive off
Flip up the black hinge on the connector at the end of the drive, keep a fingertip on the ribbon and slide the drive away from it. The ribbon stays plugged into the logic board. Note which way up the drive sat and set it aside.
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Step 5: Blank, white or flickering? Reseat the ribbon first
If the picture was blank, white or flickering, or had lines that move, try this before you replace anything. With the drive off, find the screen's ribbon where it plugs into the logic board, flip its black tab up gently (it is part of the board's connector and can snap), push the ribbon squarely back in and press the tab down. Look at the tab and the connector while you're there: a broken tab is covered under If it doesn't work afterwards.
Then refit the drive and both ribbons (steps 13 and 14) and test as in step 15. Picture back? Close it up. If not, switch it off, unplug the charger, release the battery ribbon, take the drive off again and carry on at step 6.
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Step 6: Remove the six frame screws
Three small black Phillips screws run along each long side of the metal frame, holding it to the front panel. Take out all six and put them in the dish.
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Step 7: Lift the frame out of the front
A mild adhesive near the middle also holds the frame, so ease it free around the edge rather than pulling from one spot. Lift the frame, with the logic board, screen and click wheel on it, out of the front panel, keeping it level: with the front off, the screen comes out of the frame easily. The center button is now loose in the front: pick it out and keep it safe.
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Step 8: Unplug the screen
Turn the frame so you can reach the screen's ribbon where it plugs into the logic board. Flip the connector's black tab up (it swings about 90 degrees, toward the screen) while a fingertip keeps the ribbon from springing up.
Lift that tab gently. It is part of the logic board's connector, and if it snaps the ribbon can no longer make reliable contact: our fix for that is a replacement logic board.
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Step 9: Lift the old screen out
Ease the screen loose from the frame, then lift its ribbon off the two small white pegs near the frame's edge. If a strip of tape joins the screen to the frame or the board, peel the tape rather than pulling on the screen.
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Step 10: Fit the replacement screen
Take the replacement screen out of its wrapping only now, and peel off any protective film. Wipe dust off it and off the inside of the window with the lint-free cloth, then set it into the frame where the old one sat, its ribbon pointing the same way. Leave the ribbon unplugged for the moment.
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Step 11: Put the frame back into the front
Lay the front face down on the cloth and set the center button into its place, lined up with its grooves. Check the screen is still seated in the frame, then tilt the frame in so the click wheel's four tabs and the center button drop into their grooves, and lay it flat. Refit the six screws, snug but not tight.
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Step 12: Connect the screen
Lay the screen's ribbon back over the two white pegs, slide it fully into its connector and press the black tab down. A stiff replacement ribbon can push the screen out of position, so turn the front half over and look through the window: the screen should sit straight, with no edge raised.
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Step 13: Refit the drive
Slide the drive back onto its ribbon the same way up as before, press the black hinge down, and lay the drive in its place with its bumpers on. Support it while you work; never let it hang by its ribbon.
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Step 14: Reconnect both ribbons
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, slide that ribbon fully in and press the brown tab down, then lay the drive flat. With its latch raised, push the battery ribbon fully in (only a thin line of contacts showing) and press the latch down.
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Step 15: Test it before you close it
Rest the back loosely on the front, hold the two together and turn it face up. Slide Hold off and connect a charger. You should get a clear picture, lit evenly from edge to edge. A white screen, flicker or lines usually mean the screen's ribbon isn't fully in or its tab is up. Try the scroll ring and each of the five buttons, slide Hold on and off, and play a song through headphones. Then unplug the charger: it should keep running on its battery.
If anything is wrong, switch it off, unplug the charger and release the battery ribbon before you reseat a ribbon; the battery ribbon goes back in last.
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Step 16: Close it up
Check no ribbon is trapped at the seam or over a screw post, then press the back on until every clip clicks in.
If it only closes when you squeeze hard, stop: something is out of place, and pressure on the case presses on the replacement screen.
Close it up and test
- A clear, even pictureNo lines, spots or flicker, and lit evenly from edge to edge.
- No dust behind the windowIf a speck got in, now is easier than later to clean it.
- Looks dim?Check Settings, then Brightness. The setting came with the Late 2006 model; 2005 models gained it with a later iPod software update.
- Everything else worksScroll ring and buttons, Hold switch, sound, charging, and it runs with the charger unplugged.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- White screen, flicker or lines
- Usually the screen's ribbon isn't fully in or its tab isn't closed. Switch it off, unplug the charger, open it and release the battery ribbon, then reseat the screen's ribbon square in its connector and press the tab down. Battery ribbon back in last. iPod white screen
- The screen stays dark but the iPod plays
- Switch it off, unplug the charger, open it and release the battery ribbon, then check the screen's ribbon and its tab; battery ribbon back in last. If the tab has broken off, the ribbon can't make reliable contact; our fix for a broken connector is a replacement logic board. iPod black screen
- A known-good replacement screen shows the same fault
- Then the logic board is the likely cause. A free repair quote tells you what it involves. Free repair quote
- The wheel or buttons don't respond
- The click wheel ribbon or its ground tab may have been knocked loose, or the wheel's tabs or the center button aren't in their grooves. Reset it first. The tabs and the button you can check with the front open (switch it off, unplug the charger and release the battery ribbon first; battery ribbon back in last); the wheel ribbon itself sits under the logic board: see our click wheel guide. Click wheel not working
- It won't turn on
- Check Hold is off and give it time on a charger. Then unplug the charger, open it and check the battery ribbon: fully in, latch down. Not working after a repair
- 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.
Questions
How do I fix an iPod 5th generation screen that's cracked?
Look at the picture first. If it's fine under a cracked window, the fix is a new front panel. If the picture itself is cracked, spotted or lined, it's a replacement screen, fitted as above; a blank or white picture is worth a ribbon reseat first (step 5).
Do the 5G and 5.5 Gen screens swap?
Yes, both ways, in any capacity. The Late 2006 panel is the brighter one.
Does an iPod Classic screen fit?
No. The 6th/7th Gen screens look the same and have a similar connector, but they don't work in an iPod Video.
Is the backlight a separate part?
No. On this iPod the backlight is built into the screen, so a failed backlight is fixed with a replacement screen.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the screen's page and mail your iPod in. We fit it and send it back, typically within 3 to 5 business days on our bench, with a 1-year limited warranty.