OK, I am sitting here waiting for my new F700 to arrive and have been reading these posts to think about all the mods I want to do...

I originally was excited about hooking up my external USB drive to have my entire music collection with me, but in reading here have learned that the interface is nicer, and load speed is much faster with an iPod. Also, album art only works with an iPod. I don't feel like paying $250 for a 120GB ipod, as I have more than 120GB of music and videos - so that got me thinking...

With some searching on the net I see that others have successfully hacked a G3 iPod and hooked-up a 3.5" hard drive to replace the broken iPod drive. You can see the hack info here: http://www.command-tab.com/2005/03/13/ipod-super/

The article received little attention, as nobody could figure out why you would want to carry around such a cumbersome creation. HOWEVER; for those of us not using an ipod to go jogging could benefit from a hack similar to this, since the only time the iPod is removed from the car (at least for me) would be to load more music. After a bit of research, I have decided to launch a project to hack a 5th Gen iPod by replacing the factory 30GB hard drive with a 2.5" 500GB hard drive (a 3.5" could also be used, but for a mobile application - the 2.5" would handle the bumps/motion better). The results will likely not look pretty - but should allow both my computer and the F700 unit to see it as an iPod with 500GB of data.

My hopes are to avoid any soldering, and create a guide that will allow others to easily do the same thing.

Here is where I need the help:

From my research, the iPod 5G uses a 1.8" Toshiba hard drive with a ZIF connector. Any of the newer high capacity laptop drives (larger than 250GB) will have a SATA connector. So....the trick will be to find the appropriate adapter to go from the 2.5" SATA to a 1.8" ZIF. This is proving to be harder than I thought. Several companies have made adapters that let you run a 1.8" drive as a 2.5" or 3.5" (see here: http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adzifcf.asp); however these solutions will not work for our purposes here - as we need the adapter which hooks to our new hard drive to end up with the 1.8" ZIF socket to accept the ribbon cable from the iPod board. If anyone is aware of such an adapter (or series of adapters) to accomplish this PLEASE let me know.

Adapters of a similar nature usually run about $20, so if we can find one I believe a 500GB ipod could be completed pretty easily for under $200.

PARTS & ESTIMATED COSTS:

1. 5th Gen iPod - under $50 on ebay (with bad screen, bad earphone jack, or bad HD)

2. 500GB 2.5" SATA Hard Drive - $100 on ebay

3. ESATA Hard Drive Case & Power Supply for Hard Drive - $15 on ebay

4. 1.8" ZIF to 3.5" IDE converter - $5 on ebay

5. 3.5" IDE to SATA bilateral converter - $5 on ebay

6. Power supply (to supply ESATA drive with power, as well as the converters) - $5 on ebay

I believe this is all that is needed for my project. A 500GB ipod for about $175

Anyone with input, ideas, corrections, or comments to what I have is welcome!

UPDATE: I think I found the solution to connect the drive by using a 1.8" ZIF to 3.5" ide converter, and a 3.5" to SATA Bilateral converter. Parts are ordered and I will update when I receive them.

great idea.. let us know how it works

Very interesting i have always wanted an ipod strictly for the car that didn't cost $300 and had more storage. I'll keep an eye on this.

Limited storage has always been the reason I've never purchased an iPod or any other MP3 player for that matter. I'm into music big time and have almost 450 GB of compressed tunes on my external music drive. That's a lot of rock and roll, but it's what I listen to. If this works, I'm all over it.

Hmm sounds like a good idea BUT, my ipod Color 30gig (I think its the gen after the one youre trying to use) when I plug it into my f90bt it says ipod not compatible. So wouldnt the same thing happen here?

Hmm sounds like a good idea BUT, my ipod Color 30gig (I think its the gen after the one youre trying to use) when I plug it into my f90bt it says ipod not compatible. So wouldnt the same thing happen here?

Your iPod must be a 4G (4th Generation) iPod Photo. I am going to be using a 5G (fifth generation) iPod video as the platform.

Here is a link to the iPod compatibility chart directly from Pioneer: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/ephox/StaticFiles/PUSA/Files/AVIC%20F-Series%20iPod%20Compatibility%20Chart.pdf

Ahh my mistake the ipod shown in the hack link is a much older one.

Ahh my mistake the ipod shown in the hack link is a much older one.

Yeah, that one just gave me the idea to hack a newer one.

I have an extra 120gb hard drive that I pulled from an old laptop and this thread got me thinking...

Is there anyway to just format the drive so that it has the ipod file structure and the avic would recognize it as a 120gb ipod? Unfortunately I don't have an ipod to copy the file system for testing. Is this out of the realm of possibility? I'm not too familiar with how the file system works, but all we really need is for the avic to think it's connected to an ipod, giving us the click wheel, album art, and voice recognition.

Any insight?

I have an extra 120gb hard drive that I pulled from an old laptop and this thread got me thinking...

 

Is there anyway to just format the drive so that it has the ipod file structure and the avic would recognize it as a 120gb ipod? Unfortunately I don't have an ipod to copy the file system for testing. Is this out of the realm of possibility? I'm not too familiar with how the file system works, but all we really need is for the avic to think it's connected to an ipod, giving us the click wheel, album art, and voice recognition.

 

Any insight?

Ummm, no, it's the software that iPod runs, not the file system on it...

 

Ummm, no, it's the software that iPod runs, not the file system on it...

And no way to put that software on a hard drive? I suppose that's too good to be true.

I haven't tried the hard drive with the avic yet, but it did come with one of those two headed usb cables so I'm assuming it probably won't have enough power with just one. I hate having exposed wires so I'd have to get creative to put another powered usb in my center console. Who knows, maybe it'll work. I'll just hope Leetcoder comes up with a better interface for SD/USB music and videos.

And no way to put that software on a hard drive? I suppose that's too good to be true.

Nope, won't work. You need a computer, like the one inside iPod, to run this software...

The iPod incorporates a SOC (System on Chip) meaning all of the components of the "Operating System" are contained on a single chip.. this makes it easier and cheaper to produce for Apple...

Technically doing what is listed above SHOULD work... however I am willing to bet that Apple places something on the Firmware of the storage media in the iPod to make it recognized from the SOC-IC. If not then the only technical bit left is getting the 12V+ regulated and to the Desktop Hard Drive as a USB port can not push or sustain that much power, it simply is not in the USB Specs... You can always get around this by using an external HD case and a power inverter but now your talking bulk that will either eat your glove box, or start sucking up more room in your trunk...

Your best bet for doing all this is a External Laptop SATA Hard Drive because the needed power to run a Laptop drive can be drawn off the 5V rail of a USB port...

If you already own a same-generation iPod, you can buy a same-gen system board from eBay, use the screen and control pad to set up the new board to the new external drive and then tuck it away in a corner.

Re: Ipod Compatibility chart. I am confused as to the compatibility chart. I found 2 different charts on pioneer website. One chart states that f-series does not support ipod photo and the the chart states that it does. Was/is there a firmware update that supports ipod photo 30g?

http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/10/2 ... specs.html

(look under ipod compatibility - compatible generations)

any thoughts?

The iPod incorporates a SOC (System on Chip) meaning all of the components of the "Operating System" are contained on a single chip.. this makes it easier and cheaper to produce for Apple...

 

Technically doing what is listed above SHOULD work... however I am willing to bet that Apple places something on the Firmware of the storage media in the iPod to make it recognized from the SOC-IC. If not then the only technical bit left is getting the 12V+ regulated and to the Desktop Hard Drive as a USB port can not push or sustain that much power, it simply is not in the USB Specs... You can always get around this by using an external HD case and a power inverter but now your talking bulk that will either eat your glove box, or start sucking up more room in your trunk...

 

Your best bet for doing all this is a External Laptop SATA Hard Drive because the needed power to run a Laptop drive can be drawn off the 5V rail of a USB port...

Yes, my intention is to use a 2.5" laptop drive with a USB enclosure permitting power supplied via the vehicles 12 volt system. (See my parts list in the first post). It would be easy enough to supply a 3.5" drive with power; however the 2.5" drives generally handle shock better - so they are more suited to a portable application.

The final product WILL be larger than a traditional iPod, but not by much. It should easily tuck into the glove box, behind the dash, or in the trunk. Besides, if I can fit 500+ GB of music on there I will gladly take a few things out of the glove box.

I finally received most of the parts I needed, so I hope to get started on the project later this week or early next. I will keep you all posted.

any update on this?

I am thinking of doing the same

I got sent this link, only to have it be a dead end? Hopefully the OP will get an email from the forums saying he got a reply so we can get an update! He hasn't been active since Sep 09, so what are the odds of an admin sending this guy an email directly in case he doesn't get emails from the forums? Until about a week ago, I didn't even have it setup so I'd know people replied to the posts I was on, so maybe that's the case with the OP and why he's never updated this. I've got basically everything minus the cables and a crapped out iPod, which I'd be willing to spend $50-$60 if this in fact works!

Be sure to let us know what his answer is. I'll bet I already know.

No updates isn't an answer.

VBLUE42 - AVIC411.com NO, NO, NO King.

No updates isn't an answer.

 

VBLUE42 - AVIC411.com NO, NO, NO King.

Sorry, still won't work. You porobably could build a new iPod out of a hard drive and pieces of old iPods, but that's about the only way.

I bid on one broken screen iPod, but then completely forgot to come back to hear and eBay to check up on it till just now...oops.

I am thinking of trying out this mod...

except a ZIF to SATA adapter simply does not seem to exist... so this is going to require 2 adapters...

http://cgi.ebay.com/IDE-1-8-ZIF-CE-tosh ... 5ada753cf6

will adapt a ZIF ribbon to a regular 40 pin IDE (male connector)

then you can plug this IDE to SATA adapter right into the previous adapter

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5-SATA-Serial-ATA ... 1c13f0d576

to let the IDE host device (the ipod) talk to the SATA target (the hard drive)

the question will be if the ipod will recognize the device...

also your going to need a regulated 5v and 12v (MUST be regulated - cant take this directly from the lighter plug) supply to spin up the hard disk and power the IDE>SATA adapter...

Don't waste your time.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

That should sufficiently explain to you, and everyone else who thinks about resurrecting this thread why it isn't feasible and why the OP/everyone else never came back to say they were successful.

Also you can do a Google search of topics like this and you will find no results of success on projects such as this.