Salvage a broken iPod to transform it into a palm-sized computing beast
By Doug Cantor Posted 09.10.2007 at 1:00 am 3 Comments

by Courtesy of Owen McGarry Courtesy of Owen McGarry

Owen McGarry's hack was ambitious: He cut his iPod in half and added a hinge to tilt the screen to a 45-degree angle. Now he can set his "iTop" on a table and watch movies, or play games running off the Linux operating system he installed.




iPod Trick of the Month:

  • With a pen knife or small screwdriver, carefully pry off the faceplate.
  • Remove the hard drive.
  • Disconnect the battery and the hold switch/headphones module. Be sure to remember where they connect. Put the back plate aside temporarily.
  • Unscrew the screen. Cut off the little parts that have screw holes--they will only make it harder to fold later.
  • Cut or break off the frame that goes around the screen. You should be able to do it with your hands.
  • Make a cut at the bottom of the black area on the back of the faceplate to allow it to fold with the screen. Carefully repeat the cut on the back plate.
  • Take the top section of the back plate and cut right below the battery and headphones. Keep all the wires safe. Now you should have a top case and a bottom case.
  • On the inside of the two faceplate parts, glue a strong wire to hold everything in position.
  • Reattach the hold switch/headphones and the battery.
  • Almost there! Check to make sure everything works.
  • Take the motherboard and screw it back onto the faceplate. Don't forget the center button.
  • Attach the bottom part of the back plate to the bottom part of the rest. It should click into place.
  • Fold the top part of the plate up and place the corresponding back plate onto it. You will have a large empty space that the backplate used to cover-try covering this in sheet metal.
  • Add a sheet metal case to protect the hard drive.
  • Install iPod linux (ipodlinux.org).

    • For further instructions and pics, check out McGarry's website).

    Want to read more articles like this, plus tips and tricks, home hacks, DIY projects, and more? Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!

    3 Comments

    Link to this comment
    docsharp01
    06/06/09 at 3:28 pm

    Good article about turning one's iPod into a laptop. More information about iPods can be found at http://www.ipod-repair-guide.com

    Link to this comment
    laptopsca
    04/29/10 at 9:10 pm

    Very great post i liked it and comeback often to get more top posts from your web….Thanks
    www.itsbattery.com

    Link to this comment
    bestbatte
    10/21/10 at 9:44 pm

    i think it is most useful, that let me copy it on my site best-battery-online.com

    Popular Tags

    Regular Features


    138 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.

    Innovation Challenges

    Make your ideas part of the revolution
    Learn morePowered by Innocentive



    Popular Science+ For iPad

    Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page



    Download Our App

    Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing



    Follow Us On Twitter

    Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed


    February 2012: The Future of Fun

    Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?


    circ-top-header.gif
    circ-cover.gif