test

Important Assembly Note: Please take extra care when installing the fasteners. The heads and threads are very small, and they require much less force than screws used in plastic parts. When everything is aligned correctly, each fastener should turn smoothly with very little resistance. Take your time, use light pressure, and you’ll do just fine.

Before tightening any fasteners, make sure all parts are fully seated and held firmly in place. Do not use the fasteners to pull parts together. This is especially important when joining the front and rear housings.

If a fastener feels tight, binds, or does not turn easily, stop immediately. Back it out, check alignment, clean the threads if needed, and try again. Forcing a fastener can damage the threads or the part.

0.0 Before You Begin

0.1 Materials Needed

• iPod Classic donor unit
• Screen
• Hard drive or iFlash storage adapter
• Boxy Pixel housing kit
• Boxy Pixel electronics and flex cables
• Kapton tape, optional
• External antenna, optional

1.0 Initial Testing

Before disassembling your donor iPod, verify that all buttons and core functions work correctly. If you plan to install additional upgrades, such as an iFlash adapter or software modifications, complete and test those separately whenever possible.

I strongly recommend avoiding a “do everything at once” installation. Installing too many modifications at the same time can make troubleshooting much more difficult if something does not work as expected.

2.0 Disassemble the Stock iPod

Carefully disassemble your stock iPod and prepare the internal components for transfer into the Boxy Pixel housing. Keep track of all original parts and inspect the donor components before continuing.

3.0 Connect the New MKII Board

Before final installation, test the MKII board.

For a quick first test, connect the board to USB-C power and turn on Bluetooth using the top switch. A red LED should begin blinking on the Bluetooth board, which is the blue-colored module. Once this test is complete, disconnect the USB-C cable and continue with the battery-power connection steps below.

Warning: The flex cables must be inserted in the correct orientation. Pay close attention to the photos and orientation notes throughout this guide.

First, connect the white power flex cable as shown below.

Insert the power flex cable into the iPod with the “+” marking oriented as shown. Once the cable is fully seated, press the brown locking tab down to secure it.

Next, connect the white audio flex cable. This cable has a slight “J” shape. Locate the 13-pin connector on the iPod logic board. In the example image below, the connector is labeled A1F. Gently lift and rotate the brown locking tab on the connector.

Slide the audio flex cable into the iPod connector, then rotate the brown locking tab back down to secure the cable.

At this point, both the power and audio flex cables should be connected to the iPod.

Next, connect the power flex cable to the MKII PCB. Rotate the black connector lock upward into the vertical position, as shown below.

Slide the flex cable into the connector, then rotate the black locking tab down to hold the cable in place. The gold contacts should face down. When installed correctly, you should see the brown side of the cable and the “iPod” text, as shown below.

Now connect the audio cable. The white “J” audio flex cable connects to J1 on the MKII board. Lift the brown J1 connector lock on the MKII board as shown below.

Insert the audio flex cable, then rotate the brown lock back down to secure it.

4.0 Battery Connections

The MKII board supports two battery connection types. Choose one battery type and follow the correct instructions below. Do not connect two batteries at the same time.

Conventional battery: If you are using a conventional iPod battery with the orange flex cable, the battery must be inserted with the gold contacts facing up, exactly as shown below.

The image below shows this battery type fully inserted. If you are using the Boxy Pixel battery, skip this step.

Boxy Pixel battery: Only follow this step if you are not using a conventional iPod battery.

Align the custom battery connector over the PCB connector, as shown below.

Press the connector down into place. It should seat without excessive force. If it does not fit easily, the connector may be upside down. The installed connector should look like the image below.

If you are using the Boxy Pixel battery, make sure the unused battery connector is locked down so it does not interfere with rear-housing assembly. The photo below shows the BAT IN connector in the incorrect, unlocked position. Do not leave it this way.

5.0 Power Test

At this point, it is a good idea to test the iPod again.

For a simple power test, turn the unit over and move the BT PWR switch to the left, as shown below. Keep the hold switch in the position shown.

After turning on the Bluetooth switch, you should see a red light flashing on the Bluetooth board. This means the Bluetooth module is powered and searching for a connection. This is normal. You can ignore the blue LED if it illuminates.

If you connect a USB-C charging cable, the red D4 LED on the MKII board should illuminate solid red to indicate good charge power. When the battery is fully charged, the green D7 LED will illuminate.

Try powering on the iPod. The click wheel and screen must be connected for this test.

6.0 Install the iPod Assembly into the Front Housing

Before installing the PCB into the front housing, I recommend disconnecting the battery and the two white flex cables from the MKII PCB.

First, insert the center button into the click wheel as shown below. This example shows a 5th Gen iPod Classic PCB, click wheel, and center button. Gen 6 and Gen 7 assembly follows the same process, although the parts are slightly different.

Note: Some iPod center buttons have slightly different heights. The iPod PCB dome switches use a small rubber piece on top of the buttons. The design intentionally allows a slight gap so you can fine-tune the feel if needed. If your center button feels looser than desired, you can add a small amount of Kapton tape later. For now, continue with assembly.

Keep the click wheel in place and carefully fold the PCB, screen, and iFlash adapter or hard drive into the front housing.

Slide the new metal retainer into position, as shown below.

Install the six fasteners that hold the retainer in place. Once installed, test the center button feel before continuing.

7.0 Install the MKII Board and Top Switches

Before reconnecting the power and audio cables, I recommend mounting the MKII board and the two metal top switches.

Cut and add foam to the back side of the LCD at the top. This foam applies light pressure to the switches, helps reduce noise, and also helps keep the LCD in place. The image below shows the foam installed.

The new metal switches have a specific orientation. The two small legs should slide under the edge of the PCB and point toward the foam, as shown below.

The image below shows both switches installed. Align the metal switches with the small black switch actuators on the PCB. At the same time, check that the mounting hole lines up with the threaded hole below it. In the next step, you will install one fastener in the circled hole.

Important: Make sure this hole is properly aligned before installing the fastener. The threads are very small, so use light pressure and do not force it.

Once everything is aligned and the switches move correctly, carefully install the fastener.

Reconnect the power flex cable, audio flex cable, and battery connector. This is another good time to retest the iPod, since hard drives, iFlash adapters, and flex cables can shift slightly during assembly.

If the iPod powers up and passes testing, I recommend adding strain relief to the white flex cables. In my builds, I tape the flex cables down to help keep them from moving.

8.0 Position the Battery, Storage, and Rear Housing

Position the battery and iFlash adapter, then prepare to install the rear housing. Use the MIN or MAX rear housing depending on your build.

If you are using a MIN rear housing, I recommend trimming the iFlash adapter along the dotted line marked on the iFlash board. It can fit without trimming, but it may want to shift upward toward the MKII PCB, which can make rear-housing assembly more difficult.

The image below shows the iFlash board being manually shifted downward toward the 30-pin connector while there is still access.

Next, place the rear button into the rear housing from the inside. You can use tape to hold it in place if it moves during assembly.

Install the rear housing over the two top switches. Instead of tape, I used my finger to apply side pressure to the rear button and hold it in place during assembly.

Note: A small amount of space was intentionally left between this rear button and the board because the tolerance stack-up is too large for a perfect universal fit. If desired, you can fine-tune the feel by adding a small amount of foam or tape to the bottom inside of the metal button.

Make sure everything is aligned, then gently install the four hex-head fasteners.

9.0 Install the Rear Glass

Remove the clear protective plastic from both sides of the rear glass. Then remove the adhesive backing from the inside of the glass.

Carefully align the glass with the rear housing, then press and hold it in place to activate the adhesive.

10.0 Install the Front Glass

Remove the clear protective plastic from both sides of the front glass before installation. I do not recommend leaving the plastic on during installation, as it can make alignment more difficult and may stick to the adhesive.

Next, remove the adhesive cutouts. Be patient and try not to touch the inside surface of the glass, as fingerprints will be visible once installed.

When ready, remove the adhesive liner. If you have an air puffer, use it now to remove any dust from the lens area before installation.

Install the glass into the front housing using light pressure. Press and hold around the edges of the glass to secure the adhesive.

11.0 Charging LEDs and Battery Indicator Notes

The top of the unit near the switches includes small LED indicator holes. A solid red LED will illuminate when a charging cable is connected. A green LED will illuminate when the battery is fully charged.

Please note that the battery indicator shown on the iPod screen may not accurately reflect the true battery level.

12.0 Troubleshooting

If you run into trouble, this working troubleshooting document may help:

Boxy Pixel MKII troubleshooting document

Note: Boxy Pixel specializes in precision housings and housing design. iPod software modifications, iFlash setup, and donor iPod issues may require additional research or support from those specific communities.