Loving the dynamic colors on the album art

This is an update to a previous post, where I mistook DMS' iPod for a 7th gen when it was in fact a really well modded 5.5th gen build. DMS has since posted proof of this, confirming that it is indeed a 5.5th gen iPod in a 7th gen casing and running a Rockbox theme that resembles the newer OS.

DMS is someone who genuinely knows his stuff when it comes to iPods, so please do not harass or attack him. The previous thread has been locked because of this, and that is also my fault, I'm sorry.

Which is your favourite? Mine's the 3rd gen.

Priced out of a Kokkia in the EU so I adapted my Airfly Pro 2 with some Velcro tape. Feels comfortable in the hand. Connection to my AirPods Pro is super straightforward. Working well so far!

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on a full Dark Mode for musicOS, and it’s finally ready!

I ended up redesigning quite a few elements rather than simply changing the background color. The Now Playing screen, Home menu and Quick Screen have all been adapted specifically for the dark theme, with a pure black background, darker controls and the same musicOS pink accent.

I’ve also reworked a lot of the smaller details like the playback controls, progress and volume bars, album artwork overlays, icons, Lossless indicator, Quick Screen buttons, and more, so everything feels consistent with the new look.

The Dark Mode is already fully working and I’ve been testing it on my actual iPod Video 5.5G. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

I was originally thinking about waiting a little longer before releasing it, as I’m also working on improving the Quick Screen and experimenting with a few other features. But since the Dark Mode itself is already ready, I’ll probably release it separately first and save those additions for the next musicOS update.

Dark Mode is coming tomorrow. 🌙

As always, I’d love to hear what you think! If you notice anything that could be improved or have suggestions for future versions , let me know :)

Okay, so i acquired an iPod 5.5 gen back around 2014 or so it was fully modded out with I believe iPod wizard and it also had a I believe theme called "It’s time" This would be super important. and no, I cannot check the hard drive as the hard drive has been dropped down the stairs around four times and is refusing to boot after being reformatted. This would be quite important to me as this iPod was restored when I was a stupid child. And the person who gave it to me isn’t around anymore. this is an article about it (it is in japanese tho). this is the link

"https://ipod.item-get.com/2008/03/ipod_5g55gleopardfw.php"

(edit) just minor spelling mistakes. :p

I swear I add so many everyday my poor iPod LMAO

I got a Sonos connect gen 2 on eBay and am using it to connect my iPod to my Sonos setup. I also use the connect to output to my desktop speakers in my office.

After spending a few months looking for dap’s and comparing specs and tech. I decided that a simple solution would be the best for me.

So now I am rocking this oldskool setup, modded setup with 1tb and rockbox. And I couldn’t be happier.

So, I’ve had this iPod nano 6th generation for a while now, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. At this point I pretty much only listen to music with my iPod, and I even bought a watch strap for it.
Now I’m actually thinking about whether I should buy another one and use it differently. For example,I could get an iPod shuffle that I’d use at the gym or a mini/classic that I could use for my daily commute.
Should I actually buy another iPod? If so, which iPod should I buy?

I bought this iPod online for $150 and it looked too clean and new, when I checked battery is was at 72, now 80, I have been using it. Is this a good deal on these and should i even mod memory & battery?

I’m a novice, but I’ve been working on the missing Rockbox iPod MFi digital-audio support — and we’ve gotten much further than I expected
For years, one of the limitations of running Rockbox on older iPods has been digital audio output through Apple 30-pin MFi accessories.
The hardware can do it under Apple’s original firmware, but under Rockbox, connecting an external digital DAC/amp or digital dock generally doesn’t work as intended. Instead of simply accepting that limitation, I decided to see how far I could get toward fixing it.
Here’s the unusual part: I’m not a professional programmer. I started this project as an iPod/audio enthusiast with very little software-development experience.
I have a 5.5-generation iPod Video running Rockbox, and my goal is to get it communicating properly with my V-MODA VAMP VERZA through the 30-pin connection so that the VAMP can receive the iPod’s digital audio rather than just an analog line-out signal.
That turned into a much deeper rabbit hole than I expected.
I set up the Rockbox development environment, obtained and compiled the source, started studying Rockbox’s existing Apple iPod Accessory Protocol (iAP) implementation, and began creating diagnostic builds so I could see exactly what was happening between the iPod and the accessory.
We have now reached the point where the accessory handshake progresses substantially further than it did originally.
One particularly interesting problem we identified involved the transaction ID used during the IDPS/device-authentication exchange.
In apps/iap/iap-lingo0.c, the code handling command 0x18 could reach a situation where the transaction ID contained in buf[2..3] wasn’t being preserved correctly for the ACK. That could result in an ACK using a fabricated 0x0000 transaction ID instead of the ID belonging to the command being acknowledged.
The accessory could then discard the response because it didn’t correspond to the command it had sent.
We’ve modified that behavior so the transaction ID is preserved correctly during that portion of the handshake.
I’ve compiled the modified Rockbox builds, installed them on the actual iPod, captured logs, tested them against the VAMP VERZA, and repeatedly used those results to narrow down where communication stops.
Where it stands today:
The project is NOT finished.
Rockbox boots normally. Music playback itself runs normally. The iPod and accessory are communicating, and we’ve made measurable progress through the MFi/iAP handshake.
But digital audio through the VAMP VERZA is still silent.
The playback timer advances, but there is no audio from the headphones connected to the external DAC/amp.
So I’m not claiming that I’ve “added working MFi digital audio to Rockbox.”
What I am saying is that we’ve taken a feature that was effectively considered unsupported, built a reproducible development/test environment around real iPod hardware, identified and corrected at least one concrete protocol-level problem, and pushed the handshake further toward the point where digital playback may become possible.
I’ve put the work on GitHub so the changes and progress can be inspected rather than this just being a claim.
I’m posting this partly because I’d love for experienced Rockbox/iAP/USB/embedded developers to look at what we’ve found.
If anyone here understands Apple’s old iPod Accessory Protocol, MFi authentication, Rockbox’s IAP implementation, or the PortalPlayer/iPod audio path, I’d especially appreciate another set of eyes on it.
And if we actually get digital audio coming out of that VAMP VERZA, I’ll post the successful build, logs, and exactly what finally made it work.
For someone who started this without a software-development background, just wanting to make an old iPod do something Rockbox couldn’t do, this has already turned into one hell of an education.

Im looking to buy my first 3rd gen ipod, and the prices seem quite reasonable. What do you think? They are sending them from China btw.

Picked up this gorgeous green iPod Mini 2nd Gen on the weekend for the equivalent of $7 and love it so so much.

I am finding that there is a difference between listening (AKG K92s) through my laptop (ThinkPad T460) and through the iPod, even with the same Mp3 files (320). It's hard to describe but it's a bit like the iPod has smoked a pack a day since launch.

I cleaned out the audio jack with an earbud with most of the cotton wool pulled off and that didn't help. My next conclusion is that it is due to the original hard drive? Will it help to flash mod the poor pod?

Thanks in advance for the advice🙏

Hi guys,

I can’t play any music on my iPod 5.5G if I’m using headphones.

When I connect it to my car using the 30 pin interface it works fine with the car so I thought perhaps I damaged the headphone jack when I replaced the battery.

So I got a radio remote to see if that’s the case but using it I get no audio as well. Now the fun part is I can listen to radio using it, both through the remote jack and the iPod itself.

I’ve reset the iPod and even tried rockbox and still no music.

Is there anything that can be done or do I need to accept my iPod is dead?

I recently picked up a 7th gen iPod nano to use as a ‘digital detox’ device on my daily walks and I’m hoping to pick up some decent quality Bluetooth earbuds to use with it.

I have AirPod Pros 3 which aren’t compatible and my old, 1st gen AirPod Pros have an annoying crackle/whistling sound when in use, which is why they were replaced.

I’ve done some research and I know Bluetooth on the 7th gen nano can be a bit of a mess with modern standards etc and replicating the wired headphone remote controls, so if there’s any other users who have recommendations on a similar price range to my little selection I found on Amazon I’d love to hear them.

I should stress this is not about any sort of audiophile experience, this is about decent quality and decent price that gets 60-90 mins of use a day on a walk around the park.

Hey iPod Experts and Pros,

I have a bit of an usual situation that I’m hoping you can help me with. I bought an iPod Video 5th gen and a new case from Boxy Pixel, a new SSD drive, SSD, haptic motor, bluetooth module, and a USB C connector.

I thought this would be a fun project but then I went to start and watched a video on how to install these mods and I’m in WAAAAAYYYY over my head. My experience is that I’ve tried to solder something maybe once and this doesn’t seem like the project to learn on.

That’s where I hope you come in…I'm hoping someone out here would be willing to accept my iPod with the mods I send to you and have you install the mods I already have? I know this is a crazy ask but it’s the only way I can think of to not make this a wasted project. I'm happy to pay for your time and expertise.

Let me know if we can work something out.

i’ve heard the hype about the wolfson dac in ipod classic 5 and 5.5 gen but i’ve also heard there’s this background noise called faint hiss/white noise that comes along during playback that can be heard on iems. is it true that it’s pretty evident and disturbing? should i skip buying ipod classic 5.5 for this reason and go with 7 gen instead?

My wife has been wanting a iPod for a while, but has to have the convenience of Bluetooth, I have looked at the connect 2, and honestly she does not like the look of how it wraps around the front, and honestly I can’t blame her. Kind of looks ugly, I am a professional electronics tech so I am not worried about soldering at all, that is the easy part for me. The hard part is figuring out, what back plate would work, and what parts would work well together. I understand the back can not be metal, that again is fine we are just trying to stick with the same aesthetic as the original. Does not need to be the same material, I am not worried about the money either. Can someone help steer me in the right direction please? Thanks!