Replace iPod mini battery, without the blemishes

People who know me know that I hang on to the oldest gadgets in the world. Take for example, I still haven't moved on with my almost 3 year old iPod mini. Mine is a blue and my mother got a golden one, which was due for a battery change, which became my Saturday project.

I thought it would take me the whole day; I didn't want to ruin the nice anodized metallic case, which seemingly was impossible from all the instructions I got from the web. But I did get away with minimal damages, and this is my first time, so I am confident that when it is my blue mini's turn (which I plan on holding on to like a life saver in a ship wreck), there won't be a scratch. I thought I share my technique a little, but this is meant only to supplement complete instructions you've googled from the web.

I thought I should start from the bottom, that's my trial ground. My strategy was to wedge something into the side of the connector and pry the plastic piece out - bad idea - I ended up breaking a small piece off.



The correct way is to wedge in something flat between metal and the white plastic. Before going in, I put in a piece of tape to protect the casing. (I regret not putting in a few more layers.) Many batteries come with a flat head screw driver - don't use that - a box cutter works much better. And do at the center of the back side. Once the blade is in, push it towards the plastic and then angle it - try to avoid contact between the blade and the metal case of the iPod, that can scratch it - and push the plastic upwards.



The white plastic is soft and will bend. Once your cutter's blade is clear from the metal, try to push the rest of the plastic up with a screw driver while holding the plastic up with the box cutter (another pair of hands works the best here). Many web sites tell you the plastic is glued on "by a small amount of glue", that's not true. As you can see, almost the entire surface is covered in glue; plus the plastic is actually clipped onto some spring metal inside with a few hooks.



The top piece is basically the same, remember to take advantage of the hole inside by going in center back side. Once you got that out, unscrew the two small screws, pop the spring metal piece and disconnect the click wheel connector at the bottom and slide the unit out face down. Remember to do it in a clean environment to avoid dust sticking on the display. Once the new battery is in, you need to wiggle the unit a little before it will snug back in. Be careful not to let the case accidentally sheer off the wires.



To sum up:

• squeeze tapes in the gap and wrap them back out for protection
• use a box cutter, not a screw driver
• do it center back side, avoid contact between the blade and the casing
  
• do it in a clean environment
• you be better off grounding yourself the whole time too