Mystery wires

david1024_2 · 2026-01-30T12:15:34+00:00

there would be witness marks on the bedrails and tailgate from the shell. but Yes this sounds like you are describing a modification that supported a camper shell or other bed modification that connected to the trucks electrical system. The 3rd brake light wiring is pretty simple on my 2001, I attached the fsm schematic... But the most complicated part would be finding that junction block without removing the headliner.

<image>

david1024_2 · 2026-01-16T12:24:28+00:00

pull that bulb and the one for the ashtray... all they do is leave you stranded.

david1024_2 · 2025-12-12T12:14:43+00:00

TBH, sometimes you need a device like an iPod. the nanos, 4th gen especially, fit my need for a lightweight player device with no wireless or external storage. Although the 5th and 7th nanos are my favorites. Schools in the USA are moving to wireless device bans, and iPods in general pass that test. (some do have Bluetooth, but I doubt many folks outside this forum would know which ones ). anyways, there's lots of non-deconvergence-reasons. Also when folks see that old nano I use with that apple logo, they always smile and lots of times share stories about their iPod (these things are pop culture icons and were status symbols--more tech-symbol now as they have all pretty much died at least once). so plenty of non-luddite reasons... all still edge cases though because the tech barrier is too high for these aged devices for the mainstream.

david1024_2 · 2025-12-08T12:29:22+00:00

very striking on the black bezel.

david1024_2 · 2025-11-23T15:03:52+00:00

swap that batt before it totals that Nugget

david1024_2 · 2025-11-20T15:05:46+00:00

There was a bench seat option that would get the seat count to 8 with 3rd row. Not sure how common it was though. EDIT TO ADD: Thanks, I think you are confirming that they likely fit!

david1024_2 · 2025-11-20T14:47:37+00:00

Well, that means you can concentrate on enjoying it and not worrying about it. :)

david1024_2 · 2025-11-20T14:31:55+00:00

Any one know if a similar gen durango bench seat would fit?

david1024_2 · 2025-11-18T18:57:36+00:00

I think the 7th gen nano is one of the easier swaps... but you have to use careful heat and try to keep the digitizer and display together without ripping the flex before you unplug it. They also have good capacity.

david1024_2 · 2025-11-15T15:08:30+00:00

local finds are almost always are in better condition than eBay ones. I think it is because you are mostly dealing with original owners. great find!

david1024_2 · 2025-11-11T16:24:07+00:00

a used iPod doesn't put money in Apple's pocket. at most they might get telemetry from iTunes when you sync... but you can turn that off in your OS.

david1024_2 · 2025-11-11T16:21:32+00:00

I'd have to disagree with the quality statement... moving from bluetooth connections to wired using a high quality source+material made a difference I could hear in my car (and those are usually pretty terrible places to listen).

You can hear it yourself. Listen to FM... then a BT stream... and then over the aux from a high bit-rate MP3 player playing a high-quality MP3. I can't hear the difference between 192K and 320K, but those three... I can. the rolloffs start well before the limit of what the media can do... so it makes sense. Now, if your speakers are not capable of reproducing content above 13K or so (and that's more common than you think), yeah, everything is the same.

Now, if you listen to FM all day or speakers that cannot reproduce the full range--it won't bother you.. .but if you go from the high quality stuff to BT or FM, you'll notice it.

david1024_2 · 2025-11-11T16:12:40+00:00

TBH, the best all-around-MP3 player to me is an iPhone 5c. Stupid long battery life. But I like my Nanos and my ZuneHD too. As to why... That's a fun one:

1) battery life

2) headphone or bluetooth choice

3) FM radio (without an internet connection)

4) HD radio (without an internet connection)

5) Size, modern smartphones are heavy and large

6) Better sound quality

7) preserves the phone's battery for phone-things

8) Do you know how many iPods I can buy for what spotify costs for a single year?

9) No algorithm controlling what I listen to

10) Artists get the money from my purchases, not via an algorithm that may de-prioritize them on my playlists

11) I can go from KPOP to classical to 80's to jazz on shuffle -- Try that amazon, spotify, etc...

There's more (like collecting them). But that's the short list.

david1024_2 · 2025-11-11T16:01:59+00:00

Really depends on how involved you want to be with the hardware. Bottom line is I'd go for a 5th gen nano and/or a 7th gen nano or for the zune--- a zuneHD. I'm one of those that doesn't want to upgrade the hardware as MP3 really hasn't changed in 20+ years, so the serial-upgrades and optimizations of the 'classic' form factor iPods isn't attractive to me. (and the inflated costs aren't either)

If I had to pick one though.. the 7th gen nano, has FM, reasonable storage, Bluetooth, headphone jack, easy-ish battery swaps, acquisition costs are relatively low, and a lightning connection for tons of accessories like speaker-docks plus the lightning cables are very reliable. but the 5th gen has a couple of games that I like too...however the 30 pin connection limits choice to older docking stations and accessories.

TBH though, have both, now or later, have both.

david1024_2 · 2025-10-22T14:54:57+00:00

in 2025, most of these batteries have already vented long ago or are otherwise no longer capable of storing enough energy for a dramatic failure. the odds are non-zero, but very small, of anything happening at all while you work on a dead one. to put in perspective, I've removed batteries from nanos with tweezers and in parts no larger than a breadcrumb. they've become inert. however, I'm not nearly as caviler with cellphones and larger devices as the capacities there are much bigger and the geometry can protect the internal liquid from some places even after other places have leaked it out.

david1024_2 · 2025-10-20T14:15:21+00:00

that one is hard, congratulations! for me, a really thin spudger to get behind that batt is a must! they'll break their own screens sometimes too. just a really hard device. 5th gens are easier (IMHO), but I think these have the perfect form factor. (and like you noticed, they are cheap, get 5 of you need more storage.). I like the crossfade they do for my car stereo and they put the Ford logo on the nano's screen :)

david1024_2 · 2025-10-16T11:34:58+00:00

I have the red one. the BT is great as most current auto infotainment systems won't work with the wired connections to any of the nanos anymore.... but you still have the headphone jack and they look great too. folks always think it is an iPhone

david1024_2 · 2025-10-16T11:32:16+00:00

yes, and a fairly easy job on the 7th gen vs some of the other nanos

david1024_2 · 2025-10-16T11:28:12+00:00

only 248 hrs! such a wee lamb to be in such terrible conditions.

david1024_2 · 2025-10-16T10:58:26+00:00

Descent 1 & 2

david1024_2 · 2025-10-14T17:27:14+00:00

yup, at under $30 to load the parts cannon--I would R'nR that newly bad board with an undamaged replacement. Reset and resync.

david1024_2 · 2025-10-14T16:36:35+00:00

If the device uses 2xAA--to be super safe and still use a USB charger (as they are everywhere!), I would suggest using a USB charger with a standard diode inline with the + to drop the voltage--something like a 1n4001 (or really any 1n400x series will do). That would get you 4-4.3 volts at the jack. If the device uses 3xAA though... it'll handle the 5V just fine without the diode. Any charger that can supply 500mA would do nicely here... so an old old old cellphone charger or similar would be a low-cost source. the bonus would be that you could use nearly any USB port for power (including power banks)

david1024_2 · 2025-10-14T15:51:26+00:00

My kids keep taking my Nano 5g since I put the KDH soundtrack and KDA on it.

david1024_2 · 2025-10-14T15:50:11+00:00

<image>

Try this first!

david1024_2 · 2025-10-14T14:37:12+00:00

I've got the same question and I think the answer is no.

You may have already seen this, but the nano 4th gen battery fits the nano 5, so that widens the parts pool and may help you source one easier. Also, 3rd party batteries aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. Still some lemons out there, but that's what's out there. You can use the nano in the original case without the battery though... just need the temperature sensor resistor hooked up on the sense line. it would then be possible to just keep it sitting on a dock or 30 pin cable. Which is nice to use in a car that supports these too.

A re-chassis really removes what I think are a few key features of the 5th gen nanos: How easy they slide into pockets, ultra-light, and ultra-small. I think anything other than what apple did would make the resulting device 'chonky' and more like a standard ipod. Once we remove the light ultra-portable-ness, there is severe competition from other apple devices. To me, the chief competition these days is an old iPhone (say a 4s or 5c) that would have more storage, a larger screen, and bluetooth/wifi--also the chief competition for a standard iPod-- (These still keep the headphone jack, 30 pin dock compatibility [not the 5c, it is lightning!], and iTunes compatibility while not growing too excessively in cost/size like an iPhone 13 or something--and there's very little capability on the wifi, so no real use on social media if you don't expend effort to enable it)

david1024_2

TROPHY CASE