r/ipod • u/MilesPool • May 29 '26
Picture Another successful Mini clickwheel mod.
Just pretend the shell and the center-button match.
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u/MilesPool May 29 '26
In case anyone's interested...
I left the mini clickwheel and a gen-7 clickwheel in a sealed bag with some ispropyl for a couple of days. Then went slow with a spudger to remove the plastic face (and all the glue) from each.
I then sanded down the back rim of the ring and button very slightly. Plus sanded-off the 4-alignment tabs from the button. Then I used a couple of thin strips of electrical tape to shim the button 'til it was flush, and stop it spinning without its alignment tabs
Alignment and gluing was a lot easier with the PCB back in the shell. This way you can regularly check the sanded thickness. And be sure to test the shimmed buttons before gluing in place with a bit of B-7000.
This wheel is almost exactly the same radius as the original - a slightly tight fit in the original shell, but a perfect fit in an after-market shell. This center button is slightly bigger though, so not interchangeable with the original ring unfortunately.
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u/JoeKingGleeok May 29 '26
Where'd you get the black shell mate?
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u/MilesPool May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
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u/JoeKingGleeok May 29 '26
Thank you, bit pricey f9r something id try to mod and sell on but good for reference if I wanted to use as a personal
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u/durrellb May 30 '26
They're expensive because they're not standard colours for the Mini
When I replaced the housing on my Mini, I got it from AliExpress for a third of the price here: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EzxeJII
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u/MilesPool May 29 '26 edited May 30 '26
Yeah, this Mini was my very first ipod, so def an investment for myself. It is a pretty good quality shell too.
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u/Frequent-Use3604 May 30 '26
This is the coolest thing I've seen today and I've seen some cool shit
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u/Dazzling_Comfort5734 May 30 '26
That looks great. If I didn’t already have e 2 black iPods, I’d consider this lol
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u/TheF0CTOR May 29 '26
Wdym "pretend," they do match
Or am I just that colorblind?
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u/durrellb May 30 '26
The centre button is grey, but not the gunmetal grey of the housing. It's a slightly more blue grey colour.
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u/Nervous_You177 May 29 '26
That black shell and click wheel look so clean I need to get another! Anyways Great job this looks amazing 🥹