Wireless Charging Mod with 3d printed back panel

Cover Art - cuz we're cultured iPod people :|

Let's get to the files and parts first and not make anyone go through my 15 minutes presentation

STLs are based on /u/dianexis's file with 3 changes

  1. the bottom charging hole is made bigger because I ran into a few of them where 30 pin plug could not go all the way in enough to charge or connect

  2. the groove for fitting in wireless charge module

  3. optional circular groove for magnetic circle for that additional magsafetm magic

I recommend doing flashmod in order to fit this in properly and based on what you replace inside, there's a thin and medium version of the back panel with 2 extra files for support inside the medium thickness and hold switch.

The Modified Back Panel looks like this

  1. thin version with wireless but no magnet ring
  2. thin version with wireless and magnet
  3. medium version with wireless but no magnet
  4. medium version with wireless and magnet

download here

IF you do not want to print it yourself, guess what? I didn't either. I joined a local 3d printer Facebook group and found an awesome designer who prints things as a hobby. She was the one who modified the file and printed them out for me to test and use. We went through more than a dozen of them until we got it right, including the rigidity and all. So, hit her up if you want a finished product and/or have a special request beyond what we did. I highly recommend.

parts

  1. qi wireless charging module

  2. I find this to be the simplest way and if you find the part that look exactly like this from another seller and wonder whether it is compatible, my answer is YES, they are all from the same factory, I imagine.

  3. magnetic ring

2.1 metal version - this works decently enough for my first version but the ring itself is NOT magnetic so it can be a little weaker than

2.2 magnet version - these cost a tad more and require you to be a little more careful putting them in correctly but it will feel like your iPod has that iPhone 12 tech (ie. magnets)

there are also many versions of these so feel free to peruse. I'm still looking for a better one myself

Before we get to the process, I think it's required to tell you I am NOT an electrician, all my findings came from reading a lot of stuff on reddit, watch some amazing youtube videos, and experiment. For people who do not know how, yes, soldering will always have the potential to burn your house down, but so is lighting the stove. Be very careful and make sure safety is your priority. Make sure you have proper equipments and wear them masks and all. Do this ONLY if you are sure you will be OK if things go wrong and you are left with iPod parts instead of a working iPod.

Here's what we are going to do today:

  1. replace the back panel with a 3d printed one

  2. solder the wireless charge module to the iPod logic board

  3. put the parts in places, test, and put them back together

simple right? I still wonder why no one had put up a guide like this before, but my only guess is for people who knows how, this is too easy to need a guide?

Let's get to it.

  1. attaching the hold switch and headphone jack to the back panel The back panel you are holding IS more fragile than it's metallic counterpart. It is also a bit thicker, so you will need to attach the hold switch button (included with the STL files) to the actual hold switch. I found that the easiest way to do this and putting the jack in place is actually to super glue the parts to the back. If you feel somehow this is inelegant or improper, so did I. I could not fit the original screw in, so I end up using a bigger screw with pointy head bought here and found out the hard way how brittle 3d printed PLAs are. That being said, I was able to do it with that new screw a few times.

  2. here's the fun part. So looking through the net for the location I should be soldering the charge module to, I found them back on reddit on /u/oxyll's post about usb-c mod. On his site, besides providing awesome parts and instruction on how you can replace your 30 pin jacks with usb-c one, in doing so, he gave enough detail on where exactly you can solder the module to on not just the 5th gen, but also 5.5th gen and classic board. We will be soldering the red wire to the front of the board under the click wheel where it's marked 5V in the image. for 5.5th gen and later, please see here under "Jumper wires - USB 5V." As for the yellow wire, it will be soldered to the bottom of capacitor C104 on the 5th gen or C229 on the 6th. they should be right above the 30 pin and a bit to the right. So by this time you already know you are running wires to both sides of the board, which means you will need to run the red wire through the small spaces between the board and the metal frame. I also suggest using the smallest soldering tip you can find, it just makes things easier. Now, if you have done this properly, putting the coil on a wireless charger will in turn make your iPod glow as if it's been plugged in. Magic!

  3. Here's the easy part. Adjusting your coil and keeping it in place. The coil will heat up quite a bit while charging, so my recommendation is to put some kind of heat dissipation or insulation tape to prevent overheating and/or shorting the other components. The tape will also keep your coil in place. WARNING, your wireless charging coil WILL still heat up. This means leaving them charged is NOT recommended.

There you have it. Now, if you still have that iPod open, this would be a good time to start doing Bluetooth mod and other mods, you know, and make yours that holy grail of modded iPod. While the plastic back makes it far easier for Bluetooth signals to pass through, it does not make the Bluetooth connection experience better. I still prefer the old 3.5 jack but to each their own. Also, as noted by /u/dianexis on the other post, this plastic back is the perfect fit for 6th or 7th gen front panel. I did my first one with a 5th gen transparent front just so I can see how distracting the red wire is after being soldered on. (it isn't IMHO) and it fits more loosely than the original.

As of now, I'm experimenting on resin backs where it's more aesthetically pleasing with true transparency. That and other mods I'm doing will be posted when it is good enough. That is all, have a good day wherever you are.