Replace Your Ipod Mini Battery

You can go either of two ways to replace your Ipod battery: have Apple replace your battery for you for $99 or you can do it yourself for $29. Not one being afraid of a little diy repair, I signed up to replace it myself. I got the replacement battery through Laptops for Less for $29 that included a screwdriver and directions.

Here’s how to replace the battery in your Ipod Mini:

1. It is suggested that you use the flat tip of a screwdriver to pry the white plastic cover from the top of the Ipod. The cover is attached to the Ipod with some glue. Other people have suggested to use a hard piece of plastic so you won’t scratch your case or the cover of the Ipod and I agree with this after using the screwdriver. A tack is also useful to go around the outside of the cover to get rid of some of the glue. This was the hardest part to get it started but rest assured you can get it off.

Here’s what it looks like once you have the top cover off:

Here’s what the cover looks like. You can tell where the screwdriver was used to pry off the cover.

2. Once you have the top cover off, use a screwdriver to remove the two screws. The screwdriver sent with my replacement battery had too big of a tip I found, so I used a smaller one. (the green one)

3. Once again, use the flat tip of the screwdriver (or hard plastic) to remove the bottom cover to the Ipod. I found the bottom to have significantly more glue than the top.

4. Now you need to remove the metal clip. You can do this by prying each end up until it pops off.

5. Next you need to disconnect the motherboard from the Ipod. The connector pulls out toward you.

6. Push from the bottom and slide the motherboard out through the top of the Ipod case.

7. Now remove the battery from the motherboard (it may be held there by glue or tape) so you can disconnect the battery. You may need to use the flat edge of the screwdriver to pop the connector off.

8. Plug the new battery into the Ipod. Make sure your connector is plugged in the correct way. It may help to write down where the red and black wire goes on the connector. Even though the connector only fits one way, sometimes people can “force” it to fit. Below is a picture of the old battery and replacement battery.

9. Place the new battery into the original position on the motherboard. Now comes the tricky part: sliding the motherboard back into the Ipod case. Be careful not to catch the wires on the new battery on the outside of the case or else you will tear the wires. Also the motherboard may hit on the inside of the Ipod case so it may take some wiggling and curse words to get it back in there. Trust me, it will fit back in there.

10. Put the bracket back on, put the screws in and put the covers back on and you are done!

For people not use to dealing with electronic boards and components, replacing your battery can be a little heart pounding at first. But if you take your time and keep your cool, you can easily get it done in about 20 minutes and have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.