iPod upgrade

[Spanky]

I am thinking about overhauling my iPod 4G Photo with 3 batteries and a 32GB CF card. I was wondering what kind of effect this would have on Rockbox and I was curious to see if anyone else has done this.

For the batteries I want to purchase 3 1200mah batteries (2 outside and 1 inside) and daisychain them together to create a whopping 3600mah 3.7 volt battery Is this even possible? How would I go about wiring it? Would Rockbox flip out since battery size only goes up to 1200mah?

For the CF card I was looking at this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211244
With a CF adapter from ebay. How does Rockbox respond to this type of memory?

[LambdaCalculus]

iPods only have space for one battery. You can buy an external battery pack, but forget daisy chaining; IIRC you can attach only one pack at a time.

A good source of replacement internal batteries (with installation instructions) is iFixit:

http://www.ifixit.com

As for the CF card, take a look at this page to see what cards people have used with success.

[bluebrother]

As for the CF card, take a look at this page to see what cards people have used with success.

You should be aware that there were fixes when using CF cards that are not present in the current released bootloader -- you might need to build the bootloader yourself from svn.

[soap]

Parallel wiring (red to red, black to black) will increase capacity but not increase voltage.

Mind you that the cells sold for use inside an iPod are not meant to be handled (unlike a cell phone battery) are are therefore not inside a strong protective case.  LiIon/Poly batteries are dangerous when subjected to (even slight) physical harm.

Rockbox will not "flip out" with what will amount to a 3600 mah battery, it will simply report an inaccurate estimated runtime.  The change to the source code to compile your own build which accepts battery sizes this large is quite simple, but only makes a cosmetic difference.

[Spanky]

Thanks for the info.

@soap: Would you know how to wire the batteries up? I'm not sure of myself to attempt this alone. Which of the following would be correct:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod2.jpg
I assume once I do hook it up properly, everything should be the same like charging? Except I would imagine that charging would take longer

I know that inside the ipod there is only 1 connector for a battery but I was planning on putting 3 batteries on 1 connector and plugging it in. I would contain the batteries outside on the back of the ipod by means of drilling a hole for the wires, I have somewhat of an idea how to protect them.

[saratoga]

If you put all three temp probes in parallel, its not going to start.  Hooking only 1 up will work, but you probably increase the risk of overheating one of the cells that way.

[Spanky]

Oh, that's what t is. What if I don't use any temp probe at all? How would hooking only 1 up overheat the cell?

[gevaerts]

It won't overheat the cell as such, but it will prevent the power chip from detecting overheating. That means that if a cell overheats, it won't be shut down, and you risk explosive troubles

[saratoga]

Oh, that's what t is. What if I don't use any temp probe at all?

It probably won't boot.

[Spanky]

Ok, seems good. I think I would want to use the battery that is inside for temp monitoring, since I think it would be warmer than the two mounted on the back.

Which one of these would be the correct way to wire the battery: (nevermind the temp probe wire)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod2.jpg

I'm pretty sure it's the first one. Also, I think I will wait a while before using a CF card, prices will drop and I want to get the most out of the hard drive before I pull it. I don't think overheating batteries is going to be a problem. I don't use the iPod in the car and I live in a cool climate.

[saratoga]

Ok, seems good. I think I would want to use the battery that is inside for temp monitoring, since I think it would be warmer than the two mounted on the back.

You should probably mount all batteries together so that if one begins to overheat, the others will warm and the ipod will reduce the rate of charging before its damaged.

Which one of these would be the correct way to wire the battery: (nevermind the temp probe wire)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/natenkiki2004/ipod2.jpg

The first one.

I don't think overheating batteries is going to be a problem. I don't use the iPod in the car and I live in a cool climate.

Battery temperature has little to do with ambient temperature.  Its a safety precaution used to avoid overcharging the battery and to reduce the risk of fire.

[Spanky]

Alright, I have a couple of questions left. A USB cable should be enough to handle the voltage right? Since USB has 4 wires, I was thinking of using 2 for the positive and 2 for the negative to go to the outside batteries. Also I was thinking of using a couple layers of aluminum foil around the batteries with some duct tape to make it look halfway decent. I'm not too creative when it comes to that but what else would work? I think an altoids container would be too thick.

[Llorean]

I think this is really going beyond having anything to do with Rockbox. The original question that did have to do with Rockbox has been answered, but seeking homebrew hardware advice isn't really relevant here.

[Spanky]

Sorry Llorean, I flow from one topic to another rather quickly. Is it alright if they answer my questions and later on I can come back and report how Rockbox does operate with multiple batteries?

[soap]

later on I can come back and report how Rockbox does operate with multiple batteries?

In all seriousness - and with no intended insult - you have not shown enough electrical knowledge to lead me to believe you will accomplish anything other than harming yourself and your iPod if you continue along this path. 
Please reconsider.