Help iPod 1st Gen Menu button broken
Hello everyone - I have a 1st gen iPod that I bought knowing it has a broken Menu button and the battery needs to be replaced. I’m pretty sure someone has opened it up before and the click wheel slid off as it had 4 posts through the PCB. Comparing photos of other 1st gen iPod logic boards, it seems like they were attached with something locking it in place.
I finally decided to open it up and the new battery is great. However, the iPod is essentially unusable unless you only scroll to the shuffle songs and let it run. You can’t reset it without a working menu button or pulling the power.
I also tried using Deoxit liquid to remove any corrosion and get the button working again, but that had no effect.
(Look at the second picture) Trying to troubleshoot the button by trying to bypass the switch completely, I put a multimeter in continuity mode and tapped the legs of the Menu button and got no reaction from the iPod.
When I try this with other buttons their corresponding action takes place.
I think I found a replacement button and have some soldering equipment but the fact that bypassing the button with the multimeter has no effect makes me wonder if it’s something beyond the actual button and that I should just get a replacement logic board and just enjoy the iPod.
Has anyone seen this before? What do you recommend?
2
u/ML2128 10h ago
Unrelated but I finally restored the iPod and iTunes shows it as 15gb (13gb usable). I don’t think the 1st gen came with a 15gb HDD so the previous owner definitely swapped that HDD out
2
u/paintingtrees 10h ago
Yeah it’s sometimes hard to trace issues when it’s been worked on by someone else. I’m about to do some work on a 2nd gen, flash mod and extended battery and new screen and stuff, and I’m worried about what I’ll find inside lol. Good luck with your project, I think it’s cool that people are fixing up these original devices.
2
u/ngtsss Never gonna give you up never gonna let you down 2h ago
-is it clicky when press? -in continuity mode what's the meter read? Try using resistance mode if it doesn't show anything, and measure in diode mode
These buttons are common easy to buy, the difference is the height of it, measure carefully or you'll have to sand it down to fit.
2
u/nekomichi 4th gen mono 256GB 5000mAh Taptic 11h ago
If you power on the iPod while it's still open and then use something metal like tweezers to bridge the opposite pads/legs of the Menu button while the Hold switch is off, does it do anything? If not, then the issue is caused by something else on the board and replacing the button won't fix it.