iPod Classic 6th Generation 160GB Thick Hard Drive Cable Replacement

Measure case depth: 13.5 mm = thick, which is this listing; 10.5 mm = thin, which needs a different cable. Or match your order number: MB145LL/A or MB150LL/A = thick 160GB. MB029LL/A, MB147LL/A, MB562LL/A, and MB565LL/A = thin. A1238 alone is not enough. Match the installed drive interface first: this 821-0546 / 821-0546-A cable serves the original thick 160GB CE-ATA mechanical drive in MB145LL/A or MB150LL/A; a flash conversion in that same thick shell uses the standard thin ZIF ribbon instead, and original 80GB / 120GB thin drives also use the thin ZIF cable, so case depth, A1238 and the rear engraving alone do not identify the cable after a storage conversion. Apple's figures are about 162 g for the thick 160GB and 140 g for the thin 80GB and 120GB; on a unit with a swapped back or new drive, trust the case depth: 10.5 mm thin, 13.5 mm thick. Refurbished units often wear swapped backplates, so trust the internals — the drive class and the code printed on the battery — over the engraving or the seller's title.

Yes. Flash storage works in the thick 160GB chassis: it uses the standard thin ZIF ribbon, not this thick 821-0546 cable, and our flash mod service (installed by mail) includes that ribbon. 128GB is the 6th Gen's limit on Apple's own software.

A1238 alone cannot tell you which cable you need; check the order number and case depth. Every Classic says A1238 on the back, so the model number alone cannot tell you which one you have — owners who bought the wrong part once usually matched A1238 and nothing else. Capacity narrows it: 80GB and 120GB are always thin; a 160GB is either the 2007 thick model or a later thin one. Apple's serial lookup names the release (a plain "iPod classic" is a 2007 unit), but a serial describes the unit as it left the factory. Apple's figures are about 162 g for the thick 160GB and 140 g for the thin 80GB and 120GB; on a unit with a swapped back or new drive, trust the case depth: 10.5 mm thin, 13.5 mm thick. Across the thin 80GB and 120GB, rear panels, batteries, drives, cables and headphone jacks interchange; the 2007 thick 160GB keeps its own rear panel, battery, drive, cable, bumpers and headphone jack. Faceplates and click wheels fit every 6th/7th Gen. Screens are one-way: a 6th Gen needs a 6th Gen screen (a 7th Gen screen shows white in it); a 7th Gen can use a 6th Gen screen. A1238 identifies the Classic family; for the Video model, see its own pages.

Yes. Restoring through iTunes or Finder (on Windows: iTunes for Windows) erases all content. Copy off anything that exists only on the iPod before restoring. If the iPod will not mount as a disk, data recovery may require professional tools.

Replace the cable if the flex is sharply creased or its contacts are corroded. The ZIF latch is not part of the cable: if the latch on the board will not hold the ribbon, our fix is a new logic board. Do not keep testing with a damaged cable because poor contact can make a good drive look failed.