Hack an iPod Nano 3G

Ever wanted to show off to your friends with your amazing abilities without needing to practice anything? Well, the iPod Nano 3G has a special diagnostic mode that will allow you amaze your friends as you "hack" an iPod! Here's a simple way to show off in a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

  • An iPod Nano 3G (4 or 8 Gigabytes)

Steps

  1. Hold down the "Menu" and "Center" buttons until the iPod shuts off.
  2. Immediately after the iPod shuts down, hold the "Reverse" and "Center" buttons until your iPod displays a green screen.
  3. Use the "Forward" and "Reverse" buttons to move the cursor up and down, and use the Action (Center) key to select an item.
  4. There are 9 menu items:
    • Power
    • Sleep
    • Audio
    • Video
    • LCD
    • 10
    • Memory
    • Touch Wheel
    • About

Menu Items

Here is a list of all the menu items with what they do.

Power: The Power menu has 5 items in it.

  • ACC_Identify: Tells you the voltage in your iPod (Usually around 2.5V)
  • Battery A2D test: Tells you status about the battery, including the voltage and Ref.
  • High Power: Makes your screens brighter and forces the iPod to use as much as it can; this is usually used for battery drainage.
  • Charge Current Volt: Tells you your Cur (in mA) and your battery voltage. (If you plug in your charger the voltage rises.
  • Reset: Resets your iPod the same way as when you hold the "Center" and "Menu" buttons.

Sleep: The sleep menu only has one item in it.

  • DeepSleep: Puts your iPod into a deep sleep, it's for when you want your iPod to use almost no energy at all. (The iPod, when turned off normally, still uses a lot of energy. In DeepSleep your iPod can be uncharged for weeks)

Audio: The audio menu contains two items in it.

  • Headphone Test: This detects if headphones are plugged in; great for testing a faulty jack. HP_DETECT:0 means that no headphones are detected, and HP_DETECT:1 means that there are headphones detected. The number is updated in real-time.
  • Audio Test: This allows for various audio tests. The default it that when you press "PLAY" a 1K loud ring sounds through the headphones. If compatible hardware is inserted, PREV and NEXT can be used to record and playback a recording.

Video: Only one menu item.

  • TV Pattern Test: This performs the same test in the LCD section but on your TV. You must have an adapter to connect the iPod to the TV. Simply press the Action (Center) button to change patters. At end you will be prompted on both the TV and the iPod to select "Menu" to quit. Do so.

LCD: This menu is often described as the most fun.

  • Color Pattern: Upon clicking the Action (Center) button, you are presented with different color patterns on your iPod screen. You must continue through them with your Action button until you are prompted to quit with "Menu"
  • Backlight: Here you can control the backlight for testing purposes. The Action (Center) button turns the backlight ON, the PLAY button turns it OFF, and the Forward and Reverse buttons brighten and darken it respectively. Press Menu to quit.
  • Read LCMID: Tells you stats about your tiny LCD screen. Includes: Vendor ID, Panel ID, BuildID and, Read ID

I0: For checking hardware in the iPod.

  • ACC_SwitchTest: Tests the ACC switch test if you have the proper hardware.
  • I0Status tells you what is plugged into or part of your iPod. (List: HP_DETECT, LCD_ID1, LCD_ID0, USB_DETECT, FW_DETECT, ACC_DETECT, HOLD_SWITCH)

Memory: Two menu items.

  • SdramQScan: As the name implies, this checks you SDRAM with a quick scan to ensure it works. You will be notified either with a simple "SDRAM Pass!" or failure...
  • NANDSpec: NAND is the type of flash memory that the iPod Nano 3G uses as it's hard-drive. This tells you the LBA and the size in GB.

About:

  • This just tells you information about your iPod. (Serial number, model number, version, etc.)

Warnings

  • The iPod Nano debug mode can not harm your Nano, but it is confusing. At any time if you feel you should get out of debug mode, just hold the "Menu" and "Center" buttons simultaneously until your iPod restarts into it's normal mode.
  • Draining your battery with High Power can shorten the life of your battery; use with caution.

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