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My iPod mini died - it worked - and then it wouldn't. Blank screen - will not charge - best description "dead". HELP!

My iPod mini (4GB) died - it worked - and then it wouldn't. Blank screen - will not charge - best description "dead". HELP!

iPad, iOS 7.1.2

Posted on Apr 29, 2016 8:40 AM

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7 replies

Apr 29, 2016 7:29 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Sorry for the confusion - my messages are not chronological. The backlight did NOT work BEFORE my mini went "DEAD".

I attempted to charge the iPod, again, with the old battery in it, as I've done many times before, and just by chance I touched it

several minutes after plugging it in and it was very hot to the touch. The screen had begun to discolor, but returned to normal

after disconnecting the iPod and letting it cool down. I have a replacement battery and am hoping that this heating issue is a function

of battery failure. I'm sure I can replace the battery - I have the necessary tools and expertise - if, in fact, hopefully, that will resolve my "DEAD"

issue. The backlight problem may be another matter. What do you think?

Apr 29, 2016 8:45 PM in response to 2Cahoots

If the backlight issue happened immediately before you noticed the battery problem, the two things may be related. If the battery got really hot, it probably had a short-circuit, and the heat may have affected the backlight.


Replacing the battery is straightforward, AFTER removing the two white plastic end pieces. They are held in place by internal clips AND some adhesive. Not easy to remove the first time. I have this tool


http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/TOOLISESAMO/


which is very useful to create an initial gap between the plastic and metal casing. It slides in easily between the metal and plastic. I was not able to open a gap using just the plastic (nylon) tools, and using something more blunt like a small screwdriver would have caused ugly marks. Once I opened a small gap, I wedged the plastic tool into the gap and slowly pried the plastic piece off the rest of the way.


OWC has a HOW TO video linked to their replacement battery


http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BIPOD650MM/


which advises heating the end pieces to loosen the adhesive; I did not do that. I bought a replacement battery on Amazon, and it is much higher capacity compared to the original; it seems to last "forever" on a charge. I also replaced the tiny hard drive in my iPod mini with an SD ("SDXC") card on an adapter. The stock "micro hard drive" is actually the same physical size (with same connector) as a standard Compact Flash card (most CF cards are thinner). You can use a CF card directly without an adapter. I used an SD card (with an SD-to-CF adapter) because it was cheaper. My "4GB" iPod mini became a 64GB iPod mini, large enough to hold my complete iTunes music library.

May 1, 2016 2:27 PM in response to 2Cahoots

Thank you for all your help! I replaced the battery in my mini - no problem! I hoped that would solve the problem. Before completely re-assembling the unit I attempted to charge the unit, but the unit did not indicate the unit was charging. It appeared to still be 'dead'. The mini heated up, as it did before the battery replacement, the screen began to discolor as before, but I was able to see the Apple symbol on the screen despite the discoloration before I disconnected the unit from the charger. I don't know what to do next. (another 'help').

Thanks again

May 1, 2016 4:28 PM in response to 2Cahoots

If it still got hot with the new battery, the iPod is probably faulty in some other way. It may still be the battery that gets hot (it is directly behind the screen); maybe it is not being charged properly. Or it could be something else that is producing the heat, like the hard drive. Replacement batteries usually come with an initial partial charge. What happens if you try to turn it ON while not connected to power? If it starts up properly, you have confirmed the hard drive (and screen) are still working properly.


Also, the tiny hard drive in an iPod mini is the same form as a Type II Compact Flash card. If you have one of those USB flash card readers that has a slot for Compact Flash, you may be able to test the iPod's hard drive by itself, to see if it's still working properly. If the hard drive is faulty, as I mentioned in previous reply, you can replace it with a Compact Flash card or SD card on an adapter.


If the hard drive is good (something else is faulty), and you want to fix the iPod, my suggestion is to find a broken iPod mini on eBay (or other online source), and swap parts. I believe the 4GB and 6GB versions have interchangeable parts. Most broken iPods (that have a hard drive for storage) are broken due to a bad hard drive. If your iPod's hard drive is fine and the one you find is in better shape overall (except bad hard drive), you could just swap your hard drive into it (along with the new battery). Or you could test with the "donor" iPod's parts in your iPod, until you find the part that's faulty. If possible, find a listing that looks like the iPod's original owner selling it, not a business. That business may be an electronics recycler that scavenges old iPods for working parts, so you may end up with a truly "broken" iPod assembled from bad parts.

May 7, 2016 9:19 AM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Thank you AGAIN for all your responses. I haven't had a chance to get back to my issue(s) with my iPod mini.

I recently attempted to charge the iPod (out of the housing), but with the new battery, and, sure enough, it heated up again, so I disconnected it. I checked the circuit board, battery, hard drive, and screen assembly (as a unit) after I disconnected it from the charger and discovered that the apparent source of the heat was from both surfaces of the circuit board. Neither the battery nor the hard drive were at all warm to the touch. As an aside, when I plugged in the unit to the charger, the screen briefly (for about 10 seconds) showed the Apple logo and some flashing lines - then went blank - then began to heat up. I don't know what to make of this condition, but you seemed to indicate that most issues with this particular unit are battery or hard drive related. Am I correct in that interpretation of your comments to-date? I would like to, if you feel it appropriate, to replace the hard drive with an SDXC card and Compact Flash Card Adapter (Type II) and hope that solves the problem. I certainly won't hold you to it, but with what level of confidence can you recommend that fix, considering the scenario noted above? To put it another way: what do you feel is the probability that the circuit board and components are OK based on your experience with these units? I'm willing to spend the money, on what will be a gamble, to see if the hard drive replacement works, but not if the chance of success is really not realistic. I'd love to get this gizmo back in operation, but I rather suspect that other than the fix I asked about, any diagnostic analysis on the circuit board assembly, or the whole unit, would be prohibitively expensive - agreed?

Thank again so much for taking the time to read and reply to this and all my other missives.

George Alcorn

May 7, 2016 4:33 PM in response to 2Cahoots

If you actually found the source of the heat, and it's from the logic board, then I think you found the problem. It's the logic board. Maybe there's a short circuit there, which would certainly cause heat when power is applied.


If you want to get it working, you should get a complete broken iPod mini from eBay or other online source, as I mentioned in previous post. If you can find one from a seller who looks like an individual, not a business, I would get that one. Find one that shows a working screen showing an error message, because that probably means the logic board and screen are good (hard drive probably not good). The easiest fix may be to put your working hard drive (and new battery) into an iPod mini with a bad hard drive (and pick the external casing that looks better).

My iPod mini died - it worked - and then it wouldn't. Blank screen - will not charge - best description "dead". HELP!

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