Not for the faint of heart, Mark Hoekstra of geektechnique.org has published a full step by step guide as to how to replace the hard drive within your iPod Mini with a solid state Compact Flash card.
The reasons for this are relatively clear: the iPod Mini, despite being a sturdy device, was discontinued a while ago with the units coming of age. If and when they do fail, the two major issues are the battery and internal microdrive having gone south.
Though the batteries can be replaced for about US$30, the microdrive is another story. With Flash-based memory prices falling, a Compact Flash card makes sense. New capacities range as high as 137 gigabyes on these cards and Hoekstra sees no reason why this shouldn’t work.
Once again, for the brave of heart and those whose iPod Mini warranties expired a while ago, it’s a good read and could be a fun project.
If you’ve tried this or anything similar, let us know how it turned out.

Not for the faint of heart, Mark Hoekstra of geektechnique.org has published a full step by step guide as to how to replace the hard drive within your iPod Mini with a solid state Compact Flash card.
The reasons for this are relatively clear: the iPod Mini, despite being a sturdy device, was discontinued a while ago with the units coming of age. If and when they do fail, the two major issues are the battery and internal microdrive having gone south.
Though the batteries can be replaced for about US$30, the microdrive is another story. With Flash-based memory prices falling, a Compact Flash card makes sense. New capacities range as high as 137 gigabyes on these cards and Hoekstra sees no reason why this shouldn’t work.
Once again, for the brave of heart and those whose iPod Mini warranties expired a while ago, it’s a good read and could be a fun project.
If you’ve tried this or anything similar, let us know how it turned out.