I’ve recently had the battery in my iPod Classic replaced, but it’s been so long since I used it I’ve forgotten some really basic stuff.
1 How the heck to I get the green battery status picture (above) to show on the screen?
2 When recharging (hooked up to my Mac), in the top right menu bar of the iPod screen is a battery icon, showing a black plug on a white battery shape – what does this mean? It’s charging or just connected, or both?
3 At the same time, in the relevant iTunes pane on my Mac, there’s a solid green battery icon top left, to the right of the iPod icon, with a tiny lightning flash icon to the right of that. Does this mean it’s charging, or at full capacity?
The two icons not being the same is shorting a valuable brain circuit, and coupled with the elusive battery status screen icon/picture, I’m knocking back sedatives.
Mike_H says
It’s been a long time since I even looked at my two iPod Classics. Not sure any more which models they are. One is the final slim model before they discontinued them and the other is the fatter model before that one.
Having stuck the newer one on charge just now, on the iPod a solid green battery icon with a lightning flash inside it, in the top corner of the screen, just tells you that it’s being charged. It doesn’t appear to show the state of charge. When it goes into sleep mode, you then see a big full-screen battery icon with a lightning bolt inside. The pictured battery on this fills from left to right with green and then goes back to black and fills again, over and over presumably until it’s fully charged. I have a feeling you don’t get to see the percentage of charge left until you disconnect from the external power source.
H.P. Saucecraft says
Thanks, Mike – but I don’t get the nice big photo of the battery (see picture) when it goes into sleep mode.
Arthur Cowslip says
Is it just me who gets excited when I see a post promising ‘boring content’?
fentonsteve says
Nope. Probably just us two, though.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Calling @fentonsteve: time for more “Buy a FiiO” advice.
fentonsteve says
I don’t need to say it any more, do I?
Vulpes Vulpes says
Hi HP, have you considered buying an Astell&Kern player instead? They are much better.
*runs for cover*
H.P. Saucecraft says
I have decided to invest in both Fiio and Astell&Kern players on your invaluable advice (what a technical resource the Blogrum is!!) – all that remains is the detail of funding. As I am financially compromised at the moment I am giving the Blogrum the opportunity to crowdsource (as I believe the youngsters say!) my purchases. Major share blocks have been reserved for Foxy and Fenty to allow them to put their money where their mouths are (a phrase I have never entirely understood).
I still can’t get that nice big green battery thing to show (see picture).
Vulpes Vulpes says
I’d love to help HP, but I’m afraid I recently lost all my disposable when trying to ‘short’ something called ‘CORSAIR TINNED CHICKEN’.
mikethep says
In the spirit of solidarity I have dug out my old Classic and am charging it. At the moment I have a picture of a battery on the screen with a little slice of red to the left, overlaid artistically by an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle. The words “Charging Please Wait” appear at the bottom. An excess of unnecessary caps, but no matter.
More later.
dai says
This is thrilling stuff. Can’t you post a live video on YouTube?
mikethep says
Dunno about that – there may be young people watching.
Junior Wells says
Surpried you could even get a new battery for an ipod these days HP. Eel Market service?
H.P. Saucecraft says
Local guy ordered it on line. Operation cost about twenty of your earth pounds, a little less than it would cost in the UK.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
“See, Mabel, I told you! Buying up all them iPod batteries, you said I was crazy using all our savings. He’ll be back, I guarantee you….”
Moose the Mooche says
I’ve just looked on ebay. Literally dozens of them available, all under twenty quid. Hipsters would have you think that the iPod has gone the way of Betamax. It hasn’t….yet.
H.P. Saucecraft says
I thought Bygraves deserved a bigger success with that show.
Moose the Mooche says
SingalongaBetamax was just a test pressing.
Worth a fortune, apparently.
Gary says
Slightly off-topic, but I see that Luca Guadagnino is set to direct a new television adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, with Cate Blanchett as Lady Marchmain, Ralph Fiennes as Lord Marchmain and Andrew Garfield as Charles Ryder. I’m far from convinced that this is a welcome idea.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13502666/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5
H.P. Saucecraft says
These herberts give me gas.
Moose the Mooche says
Try dipping your liquorice stick.
H.P. Saucecraft says
“Herberts”, not “sherberts”! D’oh! What am I going to- *sighs heavily* Here’s threppence, nip down the paper shop and get me a Jubbly.
Moose the Mooche says
It melted in me pocket.
The money, I mean.
H.P. Saucecraft says
I thought I’d give you all a quick update on the situation. Basically, there is no change.
Gary says
Still Blanchett, Fiennes and Garfield?
H.P. Saucecraft says
*balls fist to chest, emits zoo-grade belch*
Mike_H says
If you want to get geeky, you can put your iPod into Diagnostic Mode to check it over without harming it. Make sure your iPod is connected to a charger before doing this as the tests could drain the battery otherwise.
Click the Hold switch on the top on and off and then restart your iPod by pressing and holding the Play/Pause and Menu buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Then immediately press the Rewind and Select buttons together to enter Diagnostic Mode.
You will hear a “chirp” sound and the Apple logo will appear on the screen reversed. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Two options should then appear on the screen:
Manual Test and Auto Test.
Auto Test runs all of the diagnostic tests automatically in sequence after you press the Back button.
Manual Test, after you press the Menu button, gives you a menu of individual tests that you can run.
These tests are:
Graphic self-test
SDRAMQuicktest
Checksum
RTC
USBtest
Keytest
Wheeltest
Headphonedetect
Accessory Test
ChargeADC
Backlight (brightness)
Color
The Memory tests include diagnostic procedures for your iPod’s SDRAM, IRAM, and FLASH memory.
SDRAM: The RAM memory test. The SDRAM Fulltest will take several minutes. A successful pass result is “SDRAM OK.”
IRAM: Not sure exactly what this test does. It takes several moments to load before running a quick check and rebooting your iPod.
FLASH: This test will do a checksum test of your iPod’s flash memory.
IO tests: these tests evaluate your ipod’s input/output (IO) functionality.
Comms: This tests the communication ports of your iPod, including USB, FireWire, and Remote. If the Remote is not connected to your iPod at the time of the test, you can expect an NG (no good) for the HP (headphone-port).
Wheel: This option has two tests, Keytest and Wheeltest. Push each button once to pass the Keytest. The Wheeltest just gives you a coordinate of where your finger is on the Click-Wheel.
LCD: This option has two tests, Backlight (0 to 255; 128 is the default) and Color. Much like a VRAM test, the Color test will run through a series of colors, patterns, and gradients.
HeadphoneDetect: This test checks the Hold Switch and Headphone port.
HardDrive: This option has four tests.
HDSpecs will tell you everything from hard drive temperature to serial number.
HDScan scans your iPod’s hard drive. This is a great way to see if you have a healthy iPod and if your hard drive is fragmented. This test will take a few minutes, so be patient.
HDSMARTData returns SMART data for professional repair applications and personnel.
HDRW tests the ability of your hard drive to RW (read and write data). A FAIL result probably means you need to get your hard drive replaced.
Audio: This option has two tests. Playback plays an audio sample to make sure your iPod can produce sound. MIC tests your iPods ability to record audio.
A2DTests: This test has multiple subtests.
PhilipsID checks the power system of your iPod
A2D lists a series of A2D (analog to digital) tests.
Accessories Test: This will test any accessories that are connected to your iPod at the time of the test.
Status: Status displays the status of several of your iPod’s key systems.
Sharp: LCD screen
HP: headphones. Are they connected? [0 = no, 1 = yes]
FWPWR: FireWire power. Is your FireWire cable charging your iPod?
USBPWR: USB power. Is your USB cable charging your iPod?
SysCfg: System Configuration.
H.P. Saucecraft says
I think this is the best Afterword comment I ever read. I can’t be quite the drooling retard I make out to be, because I know how to put it into diagnostic mode (and “deep sleep” the thing), and it’s working AOK, something I knew already. It doesn’t keep a charge as long as it did when new, but 24hrs+ is more than enough for my purposes. What I’d like to know (and the internet is no help here) is how to get that nice photograph of the battery (see above) to show, and why I’m getting seemingly conflicting tiny batt. status icons on the iPod and in iTunes simultaneantly. The unit works well, delivering a wide, well-defined soundstage with crisp, bright highs, warm, buttery lows, and pillowy mids with aftertastes of wet tobacco and old linoleum. So no complaints, just bafflement!
fentonsteve says
I think I have just, ahem, “discharged my batteries”.
H.P. Saucecraft says
Fenters! I was hoping you’d show up, because Foxy has reneged on his promise to crowdsource me a Kristin&ScottThomas player, so I’m rather afraid the onus is on you to sort me out a FiidO. I have actually thought this through – you buy me the top-of-the-line model – anything else is false economy – and get the Afterword to chip in! You’ll probably see a nice profit on the deal!
GCU Grey Area says
I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’ve found my old 2nd generation iPod touch which I think displays things like in your original post. It only connects/syncs with one of my old Macs, running 10.6.8. I’ll report back when I’ve done so. . .
H.P. Saucecraft says
Yebbut this is an iPod touch, which I have too, and which has a completely different green battery charging icon (nowhere near as nice).
fentonsteve says
The last time I looked at buying a Fiio, half the range was unavailable as the DAC chip manufacturer’s factory had burned down.
H.P. Saucecraft says
No good trying to weasel out of it. Get me one from the half of the range they have.
Moose the Mooche says
Even after Lassie had warned them?
H.P. Saucecraft says
What’s that? There’s a fire? In the barn?
Moose the Mooche says
It’s too late now. And where’s me Winalot, slackers?
Mike_H says
A cat would never warn you of a fire. It’d just find itself a nice spot to sleep near it.